It will be journey of grand proportions as Emma Williams and her trusty sidekick ‘Gloria’ take on Alice to Alex.
The Alexandra Headland local is gearing up to travel 2800km of remote roads, battling the elements on the way.
It is all to raise money to leave a lasting legacy for a cause that means a lot to her.
In 2022, Ms Williams walked 1700km from Alice Springs to Broome via the remote Tanami Track with her partner James McAlloon – who is preparing to traverse Antarctica next November – to help him complete the last leg of his 5100km trans-Australian crossing.
This has inspired her to complete the other half of the journey, but on two wheels instead of two feet.
All being well, on Monday, July 10, the cycling enthusiast – who works locally as a paramedic – will mount her bike at Alice Springs and begin the gruelling trek back to the Sunshine Coast.
“The route that I’m taking is approximately 2800km,” she said.
“I’m hoping to travel about 120km per day, but that is determined by the conditions and the road terrain.
“There’s 800km of that (road) that is unsealed and hopefully there are not too many crazy head winds that I’m cycling into.
“Tail winds would be fantastic.”
Ms Williams left the Sunshine Coast on Friday with Mr McAlloon, who drove her out to the remote desert city with all her gear.
That included Gloria the gravel bike and all of the equipment Ms Williams will be taking with her.
“The gravel bike is set up with a front and a rear rack,” she said.
“I will have all of my clothes, cooking and camping equipment so I can camp along the way, as I will not be getting to a town at the end of every day.
“There will also be food and water to carry, as well as my little bike repair kit because if anything goes wrong, it’s just me.”
Along the way she will be raising money for the QAS Legacy Scheme, which supports families and employees of the Queensland Ambulance Service.
“We work within the community every day so it’s nice to turn it around and be able to fundraise for my colleagues, should they need it,” she said.
To prepare for the journey, Ms Williams has been riding with her usual local group, the Renegade Riders.
She has also been training along the 88km Kilkivan to Kingaroy Rail Trail.
“I enjoy getting on the bike and going for a few hours,” she said.
“My gravel bike is a lot slower than the road bike so I’ve been going out to the Kilkivan to Kingaroy Rail Trail, which has about 44km of unsealed track.
“That has been really good for me to get used to carrying the weight on the bike and being off the bitumen.”
Ms Williams said that while she was set to face isolated terrain and potential obstacles along the way, it was the possibility of rain that had her most worried for the journey.
“Seeing the big wet come through recently causes a little bit of worry,” she said.
“But you have to go with the flow and I’m not going to not cycle because I’m going to get wet, I still have somewhere I need to get to.
“You can’t determine anything except what you get up and do every day.”
Ms Williams will be posting regular updates to her Facebook page, Alice2Alex, and donations can be made here.
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