Austrian ultra-cyclist Christoph Strasser reached the Sydney Opera House on 16 January 2017, completing the 3,950-kilometre crossing from Perth in 6 days, 10 hours and 58 minutes. The ride, certified by the World Ultracycling Association, stands as a new trans-Australia record.
A 36-hour opening push and five short naps
Strasser left Cottesloe Beach in Perth and rode the first 36 hours without stopping. When he finally climbed off the bike, he allowed himself a 45-minute break — and took only four more naps of the same length across the entire week. In total he slept 5 hours and 45 minutes in nearly seven days of riding.
An eight-person crew kept the attempt on track through every condition the continent offered. The temperature swung between 10 and 44 degrees Celsius, and the rider faced heat, heavy rain, and winds that shifted from headwind to tailwind. Twice kangaroos crossed the road just in front of him, and large emus studied the convoy with open curiosity.
Beating the record by nearly 500 kilometres
The previous mark of 7 days and 8 hours was set by fellow Austrian Gerhard Gulewicz in 2007. Strasser's organisers calculated that he bettered the old record by a margin equal to roughly 490 kilometres. The route climbed 16,000 metres and included the world's longest straight road across the Nullarbor, yet his Specialized bikes suffered only a single flat tyre — after 3,600 kilometres.
The crossing adds another chapter to a career already dense with landmark rides. Strasser had won the Race Across America three times by 2014, and in 2021 he became the first person to ride more than 1,000 kilometres in 24 hours on a standard road bike. In 2015 a training crash left him with a fractured kneecap and shoulder injuries, but he returned to win RAAM again the same year as this Australian record.
"The last week threw everything at me," he told reporters after arriving in Sydney. "The weather was challenging — ranges between 10 and 44 degrees, from heat to heavy rain and head- to tailwind, it had everything."
Local cyclists who had doubted a January crossing gathered in Wagga Wagga for a pre-work fan fest as he passed through. A continent that began as a question on the map ended the week as a firm line in the record books.
