Luke Patch is a local on a mission. His passion for endurance cycling is akin to Forest Gump. Two weeks ago, Luke cycled his way across from the country, starting at Fremantle and ending at the Sydney Opera House.

Luke covered approximately 5,500 kilometres and finished third out of 36 participants in the annual Indian Pacific Wheel Ride or Race, which starts on the third Saturday in March. Luke was really satisfied with his third place because he is not yet at his endurance peak at 34 years of age.

"Most of the people who ride this race are between 40 and 50," Luke explained over a beer at the Northern Hotel this week. "Often with endurance sports, as you age you get better if the body can handle all the training."

Participants do not compete for prizemoney; they compete for personal pride. All contestants ride at their own pace. The winner was Omar Di Felice with a time of 19 days, 1 hour, 15 minutes and 50 seconds. Luke's time was 22 days, 2 hours, 6 minutes and 4 seconds.

The Indian Pacific Wheel Ride is ridden on 100% sealed roads but is regarded as a very dangerous race. There have been two deaths. The first in 2017 and the second this year, when a road train hit a competitor at Madura Pass (190km from Madura) around 6am on Thursday, April 21. Luke said he was about 20 kilometres ahead of him when the incident occurred.

The annual route took Luke from Fremantle, across the Nullarbor Plain, through the Barossa Valley, along the Great Ocean Road, then up through the mountains on the Alpine Road and the Snowy Mountains to Canberra before the final ride to the Sydney Opera House.

(Luke after arriving at his final destination 22 days, 2 hours, 6 minutes and four seconds after leaving Fremantle W.A. Photo: supplied)

As you would expect, the planning and the training regime needed to be thorough. Luke's bike normally weighed about 20 kilos during his 22 days in the saddle but when fully laden with water, it weighed closer to 30 kilograms.

"I started with a good base. My coach and I worked together for 20 hours a week for six months before the ride. We did about 80% long endurance rides and then 20% high intensity rides. Together, that training increases your endurance. I won't go into the science of it but you are trying to increase the mitochondria in your blood."

There are many lonely days and nights on the Indian Pacific Wheel Race, as competitors spread out as the days go by. However, the annual race attracts a huge amount of fans across the country who can monitor a rider's journey through a Facebook page and website as all riders carry GPS tracking. There were many times when Luke had members of the cycling fraternity riding with him or lining the streets clapping and urging him on.

"When we left Perth, there was 36 of us, but when we started we had about 300 people who rode out of Perth with us. We literally shut down the whole city, people got out of the way and we ran every red light in Perth (Luke laughs)."

"And when I rode into Melbourne, all these people just came out to the side of the road and rode with me into Melbourne and then out of Melbourne."

"Other people would stand on the side of the road and cheer us on, while some would give us food. They knew our names. It felt really good."

(Luke and some home cooking on the run. Photo: supplied)

"I had one experience when riding through the Koorong when I ran out of food but I knew there was a cafe about 30ks down the road. I camped for the night and road to the cafe in the morning, but when I got there he was shut. So, I only had two or three Mars Bars to get through the next eighty (80) ks. By the time I got there, the damage was done and my body was suffering from calorie deficiency."

As you can imagine food intake is vital for each rider to tackle every kilometre of the 5,500 to finish the race. Luke's bike had a bivvy bag, sleeping bag and a mat to sleep on, one casual outfit, his riding clothes and plenty of water. Across the Nullabor, when shops and cafes are few and far between, Luke carried seven (7) litres of water which he reduced once that leg was over. Food is consumed on the way at various shops and cafes or "Dots", this is what fans of the race are called.

"I was still fatigued (from running out of food), and then I finally got to a town called Beachport where some some dots gave me somewhere to stay. They made this huge bowl of pasta and I sat and ate this pasta for an hour or so. It wasn't until I had eaten the whole bowl when the lady said, "Oh Luke, that was for the whole family, not just for you (laughs)."

There is some friendly rivalry that drives you forward during the ride. For Luke, it was with Geoff Belt. They rode together for five days after the tragic death of Chris Barker until they got to the Barossa Valley when they went their separate ways, however, the friendly rivalry spurred Luke on.

(Geoff and Luke rode together for five days then spurred each other on until Sydney. Photo: supplied)

"From then on, he passed me the next night and from then on it was a race between me and him. I finally caught him at Torquay in Victoria about 1500 ks after that. He was a really nice guy. A really good person to ride with."

Luke said he put everything he had into that ride. There were highs and lows, so how did he feel when he could see the Sydney Opera House and complete the Indian Pacific Wheel Race?

"People always ask me that. I wasn't sure at the time, but now I feel so satisfied. I pushed myself harder than I thought I could, operating off about three to four hours of sleep every night."

(Luke said this summed up how he felt after the ride. Photo: supplied)

Now, back at his home in Lismore Heights, Luke is planning his next rides. There is no sitting still. The Race Across America ride, where the distance is similar, but the landscape is not as remote, so more opportunities to stop and less danger is of interest.

Until then, Luke is chasing a local sponsor to help fund his cycling endeavours around the world. If you could help out, you can reach Luke on his Facebook page.

Luke was also raising money for Motor Neurone Disease Research for his Indian Pacific Wheel Race. You can still donate to his charity by clicking here.

More stunning photos of Luke's ride across our sunburnt country: