Draft:Indian Pacific Wheel Race

The Indian Pacific Wheel Race (known since 2018 as The Indian Pacific Wheel Ride or simply "Indipac") is a solo, single-stage, unsupported, 5,500km ultra-cycling course from the West Coast to the East Coast of Australia. The course is a personal challenge and may be ridden as a race or as a ride and participants ride it in their own unique style, riding whatever style of bike suits them and taking as many days to finish as they need.

Indipac is an annual ride that starts from the South Mole Lighthouse in Fremantle, Western Australia on the third Saturday of March and finishes at the Sydney Opera House in whatever time it takes each rider to get there. The clock runs constantly and there is no prize money. All riders register for the event and their progress is tracked using a GPS tracker that they carry with them on the route.

The event began as the "Indian Pacific Wheel Race" in 2017 with a lineup of 70 riders and attracting ultra endurance cyclist athletes from around the world including Kristoff Allegaert from Belgium and Mike Hall from the United Kingdom.

Following the tragic death of Mike Hall at 6:22am on March 31st 2017 just outside of Canberra on the Monaro Highway the inaugural race was immediately cancelled (though many riders chose to complete the course). In subsequent years the event became known as the "Indian Pacific Wheel Ride". The ride is also referred to by use of the acronym "IPWR". In remembrance of Mike Hall, the Indipac now starts, following a minutes silence, at 6:22am.

Riders gather in Fremantle on the Thursday evening before the Grand Depart to meet one another and, as has become tradition, to dip their rear wheel in the Indian Ocean, sometime before commencing their ride. Those who make it to Sydney (30% to 50% of riders do not finish), dip their front wheel in the Pacific Ocean to end their ocean-to-ocean Indian Pacific Wheel Ride (many choose to ride the 11km from the Sydney Opera House to Bondi Beach to do the wheel dip).

The Indipac Route

The 5,500km of the course passes along hugely varied topography and climatic zones across mainland Australia's Southern regions passing through Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. After leaving Perth the ride passes through the capital cities of Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and finishes in Sydney. Leaving in early Autumn the riders may face a range of weather conditions from extreme heat to snow in the alps, torrential rain and strong winds

The ride passes through a number of remarkable landscapes crossing the vast Nullarbor Plain which includes a 150 km section of completely straight road. With frequent distances of 200km between services riders must be prepared for long periods between food and water. The ride passes through the rolling Adelaide Hills and down along the magnificent Coorong as well as the entire length of the world famous Great Ocean Road. After Melbourne the ride cuts through the Great Alpine Road with epic climbing and stunning scenery through Falls Creek and along the Murray River and up through Cabramurra in the Australian Alps. From there the ride cuts through the heart of the Australian Capital Territory and past Canberra's Parliament House before heading down the escarpment on the East Coast through the Royal National Park and into Sydney to finish on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.

Dot Watchers and Trail Angels

The ride is followed by "Dot Watchers" who follow the riders and send them messages of support and share news and updates about the progress of the ride with one another on social media. Members of the public who go out to meet the riders and wish them well or offer them a room for the night are known as "Trail Angels" in the Indipac community and there are a number of well known trail angels along the course of the Indipac route who may offer accommodation or provide food or drinks to riders or simply much welcome encouragement along the course.

The Journey to the Other Side - Short Film by Abdullah Zeinab

The Journey to the Other Side is a short film that follows the events of the first Indipac in 2017. The film was made by the videographer and ultra endurance cyclist Abdullah Zeinab who went on to ride the course in 2018 setting the current course record of 14 days, 28 minutes and 10 seconds.