A Queensland man has begun a 1,600-kilometre ride that will take him from his coastal home to the state’s outback – a feat he hopes to achieve at a world record pace.
Allan Lear plans to pedal from the Sunshine Coast to Birdsville over the next seven days to raise environmental awareness and money for charity.
But his legs will not be doing all the work – the 45-year-old will get a boost from a specially designed electric bicycle.
“I’m not a professional athlete. I’m reasonably fit but I’m not a professional,” he said.
“We’re aiming for about 300 kilometres a day, which is no mean feat.
“There will be long stretches of bumpy dirt road which will be very challenging for the bike - it’s a mountain bike - and for me.
“If I can do this, then anyone can.”
If Mr Lear succeeds, he will claim the world record for the longest distance travelled on an electric bicycle in a week.
“Guinness World Records actually made this category for us. No-one has ever done anything like this before. It’s a first,” he said.
“Guinness said they wouldn’t consider a record unless the ride was 1,200 kilometres, but we’re going to try to make it to Birdsville, which is 1,600.”
Mr Lear hopes to ride into the outback town on September 1 - just in time for its iconic race day.
“I hope people will come out and clap me on when I go through the towns on the way,” he said.
“Because 300 kilometres a day is a lot - I might need a little extra motivation.”
Throughout the marathon trip Mr Lear will be shadowed by a Mini Moke that he has been customising for almost a year.
He says wind turbines mounted on the car’s roof will charge spare batteries for the bike.
“It will be hard because the car has to be going the right speed so the turbines can harness the power of the wind,” he said.
“So depending on the wind, the Moke will have to speed up, slow down, speed up.”
Mr Lear, who heads a sustainable waste management company on the Sunshine Coast, says raising awareness is the main aim of his ride.
“I really think electric bikes are the transport mode of the future. They are clean, green and easy to use,” he said.
“I constantly see cars on the road with only one person in them - there are so many other options, like cycling.”
He says all the funds raised from his marathon ride will be donated to environmental charity Greenfleet.
“They will plant 1,000 trees to help offset carbon emissions,” he said.
“I want people to see that one person really can make a difference, even a small difference.”
