Matt Thomas had been hoping to be made redundant from his video production job for six months when it finally happened. So, when the axe finally fell, he was ready.

Almost immediately, he set out on a long-awaited solo bike ride across Australia, from Sydney to Perth.

Was he prepared? Not really.

Had he trained? You couldn’t say so, no.

Did he at least thoroughly research and plan his route? Well, no. He didn’t do that, either.

The only thing Matt really seemed to know for certain as he set out on his continent-crossing ride was that he had 50 days to finish. His deadline was determined by the looming arrival date of his mother and stepfather, who would be visiting from the UK for a long-planned holiday.

Matt recounts the details of the resulting adventure in his new book, 50 Days: How Not to Cycle Across Australia. It’s a fun read and fascinating for any cyclist who has toyed with the idea of making a similar long trip.

He self-published the book via Amazon and is donating all profits to Beyond Blue, the mental health charity.

Matt's Unusual Gear Choices

Some of Matt’s gear choices were eccentric, not to say self-defeating.

For cycling shoes, he wore high-top black Converse sneakers. Still uncomfortable with clipping in and out of pedals, he wore the All Stars to save himself from any falls in heavy traffic.

His bike was a carbon fibre Trek Madone, which he had picked up secondhand for $1,500.

Other gear he purchased for the trip included front and rear lights, new tyres and spare inner tubes, water bottles, attachable pouches, a pump and tyre levers, a spare chain, oil, a bike rack, pannier bags, a waterproof rucksack, and a Garmin InReach satellite communicator.

The first time Matt packed up all his gear and attached it to his bike was the day before he set out. He never actually got to do a test ride before starting his journey.

So, perhaps it's no surprise that only three of the friends who attended Matt’s going-away party thought he would actually make it to Perth.

Problems from the Beginning

Things went wrong for Matt right from the start.

A pack fell off his bike.

He nearly broke his chain.

His shoes got drenched.

The police threatened to arrest him for flying his drone over private property.

And he had his first puncture on day three, yet he didn’t know how to fix it. (He watched a roadside instructional YouTube video to learn how to repair.)

Perhaps most painful of all, Matt had failed to consider elevation when planning his route. He now says this is the one thing he would absolutely do differently on his next big ride.

But Matt never lost heart, and he never gave up. Perhaps this was because he was fully aware of just how poorly prepared he was.

Or perhaps it was because he took inspiration from the people he met along the 5,500-kilometre journey. One, named Kristy, had made the same trip and gave him the most important advice he received:

“Just keep on going, as even on the bad days, you will always get one step closer to your destination.”

Another supporter was Ross Challinger, in Port Lincoln, the last stop before the emptiness of the Nullarbor. With the local bike shop closed, Ross gave Matt the spare tubes that he desperately needed to ensure he got safely to the West Coast.

The Finish

Matt's finish line was in Fremantle, at the mouth of the Swan River in the Perth metropolitan area.

After so many long days, the ride ended suddenly. Matt arrived, cleaned up, and went to the Perth International Airport to meet his mother and stepfather.

After 50 days, 5,500 kilometres, and countless mishaps, he had arrived right on time.

Matt’s book, 50 Days: How Not to Cycle Across Australia, is available on Amazon.