SMIDDY TRAINING DAY 4 REPORT Fernvale to Esk

In my abscence due to turning 50 on Saturday and celebrating with family and friends in Toowoomba I elected to take off the fourth and final training day for our Midi Smiddy riders. A journey of 200km's from Fernvale to Crows Nest and return. So I would like to introduce my guest blogger in Johnny Leyshon. John is doing the Smiddy Challenge event in September, then backing up to complete the Nullabor crossing with me from Esperance to Adelaide straight after. So I welcome you to Jonny's words on what was a sensational day!

Smiddy Training Ride Diary – 20^th May 2012

Fernvale – Crows Nest Loop 200km

The day started for me at 4:15am in the Willie Hotel in Toowoomba, having about 5 hours of sleep in the bank. The Saturday night had been a night at the Smoothy Manor in Wilsonton to celebrate Sharky’s 50^th. It was great to have the night up there as we saw some insight into why the Sharkman is who he is. The term eye-opener comes to mind. Happy Birthday Sharky. There was a photo-montage of Sharky’s 50 years and let me tell you he has really filled out since he was 18.

In the car at 4:30am to make our way towards Fernvale from Toowoomba. Craig Mitchell and I were following Detective Seargent Copey and Junior Officer Row-bot Foster up some dodgy Sharky shortcuts. We arrived at around 5:30am to a false dawn, clear skies and the beginnings of a slightly misty cool day of around 5 degrees.

The cars started to roll in and by about 6:10am 45 riders and 4 support crew were in the car park ready to get the pre-ride briefing. Today would be the first Smiddy training ride for 7 riders and through the course of the day, I was to learn that it was the longest single day ride for 7 others.

We rolled out at approximately 6:18am and the 5 degree day had us rugged up nicely. Most riders came very well prepared for the cold until about 2km out of town when the shivers started on a slight downhill. We headed into some foggy sections where the visibility was reduced to about 50m, and then with 7km on the clock we checked our right to see the sun rising over Lake Wivenhoe through the mist. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and here we received our reward for the early start.

As a group it would be fair to say that we struggled to work out our rhythm. It was 40km of small rolling hills and flats and with 45 riders all full of energy, we surged and bunched and surged again. We usually find it takes a couple of hours and a blast from Kevvy to find this rhythm, however today we were bereft of Kevvy, with Chris “Geevesy” Geeves and Jack “Jack” Geeves in the tail vehicle. After about 25km, we hear over the radio that Geevesy, between reminding us that his temperature in the car was set to 24 degrees,  might have a chat to us at the first stop at Esk.

There was continued chatter from the front support vehicle as The Mitchells – Geoff (aka The Gorilla) and Ruth (aka Strewth) – and they kept us safe from oncoming traffic. The Gorilla is doing support for the 7-in-7 ride this year after the 8 day Challenge in September and this was his first day out with the Smiddy Crew.

The pack then proceeded to split and there was a gap of about 400m. We hear over the radio that Geevesy  will definitely have a chat to us at the first stop at Esk. The pack split another two times before Esk as we were working out the pace of all of the riders.

The mood of the first stop was buoyant although I knew what was coming. The sun had been warming us from about the 20km mark so we were filling water bottles and stripping off excess warm kit.

As we were about to roll out, I was preparing myself for Geevesy to channel the spirit of all things Kevvy, stand on a letter box and go School Principal on our collecting souls. As is the Geevesy way, he gathered us up, nice and close and in a calm voice showing no a hint of anger, frustration or disappointment said…and I quote…

“I just want to let you know that Kevvy would be going off his if he saw that”. He reminded us of the Smiddy etiquette around riding but the first line said it all.

We rolled out in a slightly tighter formation for 10km until the first climb of the day up to Ravensbourne National Park. It was flat and calm and a beautiful winding valley ride. There were three and a half white horses and one windmill with no blades. We had the occasional battle going from singles to doubles but the Geevesy pep talk had some effect on the group.

Jimmy still had his Scottish leg warmers on and I feel a bit guilty that it took me 48km to realise he was on the ride. He said “looble gooble foooking goob” to me really fast. I then felt really bad when I rolled through and realised that he’d actually performed a spoken word version of the first 4 verses of Don McLean’s American Pie.

The 7.5km climb to Ravensbourne started at the 51km mark as a go at your own pace affair and it soon sorted the wheat from the chaff. All the usual suspects were there while some others of us remained ensconced mid-pack. The climb shoot-out was led by Row-man and Simon Anthonisz and Flyn Van Dog.  Row-man played with them for a while then just as a little bit of blood was evident in the dogs eye balls, he turned up the volume and left them in a mushroom cloud of smoke. The Chimp (Craig Mitchell and Son of The Gorilla) was lurking nicely, watching the battle unfold, with the Possum Hunter (aka Robert Boyd) with him.

Row-man turned slightly only to see the chimp and the possum hunter pass the collateral damage before gapping them by about 50m to claim the KOM,  followed by the hunter, then the chimp.

I on the other hand was having my own battle with Chappy. Well, less battle and more struggling to keep him in my sight before he went around the next corner. He actually Lance Armstronged me with a look before riding away. One redeeming memory of the climb this morning was how cool it was in the shade. About 80% of the climb was out of the sun and very cool. And also very cool for a very different reason. There were virtually no cars on the climb – at all, so for that reason it was very quiet.

Dave Colahan did the standard unselfish Dave ride with the back markers. Smiddy Spirit right there.

We got to the top of the climb at about 60km and we had a “go at your own pace” line session until the turn off to Lake Perseverence, and a roll around on the grass in the morning sun, while we waited for Nathan Barden to check out some Sharky shortcuts on the way to Mulgaville.

The last 20km into Crows Nest gave us another chance to ride as a Smiddy pack. We rolled slowly into the lunch stop feeling pretty good about the 90km and about 1500m of climbing in the legs. We were greeted at The Grand Old Crow Hotel by Steve and Leanne. They’re a member of the Bottlemart group and have supported us every time we’ve rolled through here in the past couple of years. They turned on the great country hospitality with Steve on the BBQ, fruit and some of the lightest sponge cake this side of a CWA bake-off.

 Back on the road after lunch had us on the New England Highway towards Toowoomba. We struggled to get the power down for the first 15-20 minutes, and the Baby Gorilla on the front being asked to set the pace with Boydy. The pace of 23km/hr was wayyy too hot to over the radio they were informed of the first of numerous split packs. They reduced the pace to 20, then 17, then down to 10km/hr. We realised it was going to be a long day when the front pack was still pulling away at 1km/hr. Yep – I was in the second pack. I can vouch that with a belly full of cake and sausages, my Garmin was somewhat confused by the 9 on the screen. It actually kept flashing between 9km/hr and “wtf” km/hr.

We turned back towards Esk at the 110km mark in a town called Hampton – Craft Mecca. A thousand cars but only 22 people to drive all those cars. Where the hell were all the people? We did a lumpy 15 odd km back to the top of the Ravensbourne National Park – a road that still has a detour on it from the floods last January. The detour road had a couple of walls and a stitch-up or two from Row when he asked us to roll back down to a briefing, only to ride past us as we were descending.

We then had the awesome descent back down to Esk including some high jinx by Flyn Van Dog doing the overheated double lockup, downhill seat clench with a twist on the new steed. Exciting as hell. Not so much for the unseen tail rider who showed genuine skill in missing Flyn by mere millimetres.

We regrouped in Esk as we’d all done our own pace. We punished the local shop owners with our stench, laid on the lawn and espoused comments of “that corner where I went up the inside” and “blew up on the last roller” and “does that come in carbon” and “all I’ve eaten today is a peanut, a piece of ice and a banana peel”.

Some idiot left his helmet clipped onto the fence as we were about to roll out and that’s when it happened. The flat 50km from Esk to Fernvale via Coominya was where it happened. The magic happened. We rolled as a group – we hit about 30-33km/hr in a tight formation. The last 45km was pretty special for a couple of reasons. There were a number of riders at 185km who had just done their longest ride. A pack of Brumbies decided to race us to Coominya only to realise they were fenced in at the last moment. And you could have shot a bullet down between the two lines of riders without hitting a thing. We’d nailed it.

At 4:25pm we rolled into Fernvale with 199.781km on my Garmin. I did a couple of extra back and forth so I think the total was about 198km. It was a tough day with about 2500m of climbing and 7h30m in the saddle, but we were blessed with the weather. Cool in the shade and pleasantly warm out of it.

Gathering at the end of the ride as a group, we acknowledged the great work of our support crew Ruth and Geoff Mitchell on team Gorilla lead vehicle with Jack and Chris Geeves in the Team Geevesy  Tail Vehicle. We then finished a great day with the Smiddy chant.

Best of luck to the Midi riders in 2 weekends – last training ride and looking solid.

Couple of special mentions

Team Russell: Steve Russell is one of the Midi Sponsors and also got his new work kit a week ago. He is riding the Midi with his two lads Tim and Sean, as well as a ring-in Russell in Andy Owen. Tim seems to be struggling with the enjoyment factor of riding long distances at the moment, whereas Sean is loving being on the bike so very very much. Tuning up nicely. His enjoyment of this stemmed from a drunken bet with his brother and culminated in a clearly sarcastic remark to me yesterday at kilometre 85 when he said “I don’t actually like riding. In fact I hate it. I (insert favourite cuss word here) hate it”. I find sarcasm the hardest form of wit to understand…As I was discussing this astonishing brand of comedy with Tim Russell at Coominya at 1535 this afternoon, Sean decided to take his life into his own hands by taking on the Columbians at 2km/hr. Wheel first.

Chappy. The President of Organisation. You’ll find the Pres. riding at the back of the pack for purely selfless reasons. Ride after ride after ride. Enough said….except….when there’s a climb. Doesn’t matter if it’s up or down. The President is impeached, and he goes off reservation. Chappy taunted me up the hill from Esk, and then taunted me down the hill to Esk, 5 hours later. Then rubbed it in. Then bought me a coke. Thanks Chappy – all is forgiven, but not forgotten…

Anna Tate. Anna is doing the Midi Smiddy in 2 weekends time. She took up the bike 2 months ago and rode the entire 200km today. What is even more miraculous is that it took me, the Smiddy Serial Bike Pest, 173km to actually have a conversation with her. The other 41 riders probably know what I’m talking about.

Dave Colahan. In his own way, he buried himself at the rear of the pack. Assisting, supporting, pushing, teaching. There was an unofficial descending class coming down from Ravensbourne towards Esk in the afternoon expression session. The word on the street is that it was well received, and based on the size of the smile, the enjoyment-meter was maxed out. Loved your work today Holly.

Last word

There were a number of riders today who clocked up their longest ride. The rides with the Smiddy Family tend to reframe what constitutes a long ride. They also reframe for me the spirit of cyclists in general. Today’s route was a challenge to maintain the Smiddy pack riding style due to the rolling hills, close shoulders and sometimes sporadic burst of motor vehicles. There were a couple of moments of Smiddy rolling magic for the 50km after the Esk afternoon stop, but for as long as it took to ride as a tight Smiddy pack, there was a distinct Smiddy Spirit from the first kilometre. Thanks to the 42 riders and 4 support crew who came out for a cracking day.

Sharky I know you weren’t there – first ever training ride you missed. I talked up the weather – it rained all day. I talked up the group – no-one really enjoyed it – no smiles or laughter all day. I talked up the traffic – people were buzzing us all day. I talked up the lunch – everything was made of cured pork, even the cake. I talked up the group in the afternoon – no magic “I love you guys” moments there. It was a good one to miss Brother Shark and I hope you had a great day enjoying your family. Happy Birthday mate. We missed you out there but I hope we did you proud.

SMIDDY HALF DAY 5 REPORT

HALF SMIDDY - DAY 5
Toowoomba to Brisbane
210 kilometres


This final blog is dedicated to the Smiddy riders of this tour that helped to raise a staggering amount of money, and along the way showed amazing qualities that have made their loves one proud.

It is now Monday morning and my body clock has me up at the usual time of five-am. I gave myself the night off last night from blogging as I needed a break. But I have just had nine hours sleep and I am ready to blog away about another most successful Smiddy event that managed to raise a staggering amount that looks like topping $120,000! Welcome to my final entry for the 2012 Smiddy Half Challenge, where I am pleased to be able to tell you that all riders and road crew made it safely home to Adam Smiddy Park yesterday spot on time at four-pm.

David Smiddy's surprise visit
Now Captain Kev always stays at my home the night prior and after an event. We were both exhausted from a long five days on the road and the decision was made, and agreed upon unanimously, that a bottle of Jacob's red was to be opened and consumed (by Kev only as I don't drink) while chilling out and watching a movie. Kevvy loves a red and never watches movies. Last night he sat through and enjoyed the first installment in the Bourne Identity trilogy. We would occasionally pause the movie for a top up of red, or in my case to scour for more food. On one of these pauses I admitted to feeling extremely bad about one of the biggest stuff ups that I made on the trip. You see the peloton rolled into the finish at Adam Smiddy Park to a rousing reception from our supportive family and friends. Emotions were high and riders, road crew and loved ones were swapping hugs, handshakes, high fives and congratulations with as much gusto as a premiership winning NRL team. Then out of the blue I feel a tap on my shoulder and blow and behold it was David Smiddy, the Father of who this ride is all about. Now David lives and works in New Zealand and as far as I knew that was exactly where he should have been right at that very moment. My complete and utter shocked but happy surprise could not have been more absolute!

The Smiddy huddle
Now fast forward ten minutes from that one moment with David. All riders, road crew and supporters were asked to join in for our final Smiddy huddle for the 2012 Half Smiddy. We all linked arms and formed one gigantic circle of friends. I explained to the group the significance of the huddle and why we do it. Back in 2007 it was brought in as our way of being grateful for getting everyone safely home each day, and also for honouring lost loved ones. It is a very moving finale after each tough day on the road, and none more so than the final stage at Adam Smiddy Park. My role in this final huddle is to acknowledge and thank the road crew with three cheers, the supporters, the riders and to finish with a chant of "Smiddy Smiddy Smiddy." Which I can tell you I got through quite successfully. The riders were then asked to assemble so that we could acknowledge our appreciation to our amazing road crew with the presentations of thank you gifts. It was at this point in time that Rowan pointed out Mr David Smiddy. I had neglected to acknowledge the most important person there, and while I still managed to introduce David to the throng of people as the huddle was breaking up, I was still upset at myself. David, of course, was fine about it, but just the same I still felt like I had disrespected the Smiddy family by my unintended snub.

The road crew thank you
Rowan and Jess then took over and one by one the road crew were called up individually to be presented with their thank you gifts brought by the riders to show our appreciation. All received a hearty reception and now it was Rowan's turn to miss out on one person in our rider-mechanic Toby Hood. The only difference being Rowan picked up that I left Smiddy out while I didn't pick up on Toby's omission. Luckily just as we were wrapping up the big Smally man, Simon Small, said a few words and acknowledged the Smiddy organising team, Peter Dyer and the amazing support that Toby had provided. Thanks Smally! The team at Smiddy always aspire to put on events and not leave any stone unturned, but we are human and occasionally make mistakes. I know David and Toby are fine, but still, I do hope by mentioning it through my blog, that it makes amends and shows how much we respect and admire you both.

Sharky wrap of the final day
Well you already know how the day ended, this is how the day day started... We rolled out of Toowoomba at 6:15am on our chilliest morning start of the trip at just six degrees. Win TV were there giving our cause some publicity and we were joined by two new day riders in Angus Blackwood and John Kazakoff. The descent down Flagstone Creek road is super fast and treacherous -and at speed's of up to 80km/h- bloody freezing! The first 40 kilometres into Gatton is either down hill or flat and the riders tired bodies appreciated the easy start to the day. From Gatton we have a ten kilometre section called 'The Smiddy Smash'. The riders can go at their own pace over a very lumpy section of road and it gives the fast guys a chance to have a hit out. The sprint finish, as witnessed by Katie and Donna, was taken out by Toby by a half wheel to Rowan, with Gavin taking out third position. After the sprint we rolled into Blenheim just down the road for morning tea. The day was now a beautiful cloudless free, dazzling blue sky, Autumn perfect day. We could not have been happier.

To lunch, afternoon tea and the finish
Just a half hour out of morning tea the group climbed the Grandchester Range, a 2.5 kilometre gentle climb and then a four kilometre descent into Grandchester itself. Once again this was a go at your own pace session and the sweaty excited faces at the finish suggested all had enjoyed their last hit-out for the day. From this point in time the group never separated for the remaining 140 kilometres. Lunch was at Harrisville, 127 kilometres into the day's stage, and it was here, while everyone sat under the shade of a huge tree, munching on the delightfully yummy sandwiches our road crew had prepared, that Katie did a superb job in reading out my day four blog. From Harrisville it was a fast dash (the riders could now smell home and the pace had quickened) to our final stop of the day for afternoon tea at Springfield at 173 kilometres. A quick safety brief ensured we were all on the same page to get through the busy traffic for the remaining 30 kilometres into Brisbane. We had one final stop just prior to Coronation Drive to let our oldest rider, Al Provost join the group for the finish into Smiddy Park. Al had to sit out most of the tour as he had some serious back problems that prevented him from riding. But we wanted him to share in the excitement of rolling in as a group to the finish. We start together - We finish together!

Sharky's final words
This year's Smiddy Half will definitely be remembered for the outstanding weather. Last year we suffered like 16 year old arthritic dogs, with four out of the five days being rained on. This year the event was held one month earlier and our average daily temperature was 24 degrees and clear blue skies with bugger all wind. In one word - PERFECT! The stand out performances in the riders were Tim Byrne and Julie Herholdt. Both with so little cycling to their name, yet with a happy determination to get the job done and no complaints along the way. Both Julie and Tim were always so positive and an absolute joy to be around. As were all the riders. I am again lucky to have met so many fine people on this amazing Smiddy journey. On behalf of the team at Smiling for Smiddy, to the riders, road crew, supporters, sponsors and our so very important donors, we are in awe of your contributions and dedication to our cause. Please keep spreading the word and encourage anyone you can to get involved in a future Smiddy event. Just send them to www.smiddy.org.au and our contact details are there.

Take the very best of care and know that you are all so extremely special for showing the world that you care!

Big Sharky hug to you all.

Sharky

PS Don't forget if you enjoy these blogs then join up at my site at: marksharkysmoothy.blogsite.com.au/

In one month's time we have the three day Midi Smiddy and I will be blogging away as usual.

SMIDDY HALF REPORT DAY 4

HALF SMIDDY - DAY 4
Warwick to Toowoomba
156 kilometres

Today's blog is dedicated to our enthusiastic, energetic, gorgeous, handsome and amazing road crew!


A perfect Autumns Day
Sitting here writing my blog in the bright warming sunshine on a perfect Autumns day at four-pm in Toowoomba. The sounds of contentment drift lazily to my ears as a few of the lads sit outside drinking a bottle of red or a beer, and reflecting on day four of their Smiddy adventure. While other riders are showering and enjoying the chance to catch up with love ones on the phone or just taking the time to chill out. As for the road crew Sammi-Jo and Wendy are inflicting comforting pain as they massage the soreness and tiredness out of the riders legs. Jess is busy writing up a road crew perspective for my blog, Andy is running around sorting rider bags, while beautiful Katie is lying on the grass chatting to Pierre Grandjean. Pierre works for Sealy Posturepedic in Sydney and is doing the last two days of the ride. Our ambulance girls, Maryanne and Lauren, are tending to the wounds of Peter Dyer, who was involved in the first serious fall of the trip when he came a cropper and took his Brother Mike down with him. Now that is Brotherly love. Pete and Mike are all good but minus some bark. Donna and Wendy are tending to the washing and old Captain Kev is enjoying some down time chatting with Smiddy rider Julie Herholdt.

New road crew member
Yesterday we were joined by Rebecca Knight, who is the wife of Smiddy rider Peter Knight. Bec drove for seven hours from Gladstone to catch up with us at our afternoon tea stop yesterday in Killarney. Bec will help out over the next few days and is a welcome inclusion, not just because of her 2011 Smiddy Challenge experience, but because she brought a heap of home made sweet delights. The riders loved her instantly!

The safest peloton in Australia rolls out of Warwick
Leaving Warwick at seven-am after being spoilt with a hot breakfast thanks to our wonderful hosts in Gary and Jo, we pushed off with two police escorts, one ambulance, Kevvy in the follow vehicle and Rebecca in her 4WD with bike racks. At seven-am, on a Saturday morning, with a blanket of eerie fog, and not a car on the road, we definitely felt incredibly spoilt by all the attention -and infinitely safe. A huge thank you to the Warwick police, who support Smiddy events each and every time that we pass through town. To get to Toowoomba via the highway is 90 kilometres. But nothing is ever that straight forward in a Smiddy event, as today's course weaved its way through small country towns such as Allora,Clifton, Pittsworth, Biddeston and finally Toowoomba. Once the fog banked was burnt off by the warming rays of sunshine, a day was revealed that can only be described as perfectly brilliant.

The easy day of riding that was hard
It was one of those days where it would have been criminal not to be on your bike. Being an easier flatter day of 1200 metres of climbing over the 156 kilometre day caught a few riders off guard. I think we were all expecting a cruisy day, but with the accumulative effect of riding for three days and nearly 500 kilometres, eventually has to catch up, especially after yesterday's epic day, and for some, today was the day when the aches and pains and tiredness refused to go away. Not helping things was when Pete and Mike's fall occurred around the 80 kilometre mark, which was the usual scenario of sudden braking by a rider in front, a touch of wheels, and down Pete went. Mike, following close behind, had nowhere to go, so attempted to bunny hop Pete, but actually landed on his bike, did a track stand momentarily, took one look at his younger Bro on the ground, and said; "make way Pete, I'm coming to join you"! Mike was okay to continue, but Pete, who hit the tarmac the hardest and was clearly in shock, was told by Captain Kev that he was in the van until lunch. Which luckily was just 14 kilometres away, as Pete was chomping at the bit to return to his beloved peloton.

So besides the crash the ride was pretty uneventful except for the sudden appearance of a fast moving kangaroo crossing the road just in front of the peloton, and a wrong turn that lead to a rough dirt road and a muddy crossing that none of us wanted to traverse, so an about face was ordered and we found the right road soon after. The lunchtime stop at Pittsworth saw the owner Michael Carpenter once again put on a beautiful fruit platter, muffins and drinks for lunch, while the road crew provided the sandwiches. Michael supports all of our events and we are indeed humbled by his constant generosity for three years running with our two events a year. Thank you Michael and also for the donation of over $200 that was made up of coins in the two Smiddy money tins.

The most common complaint today from the riders was of tired legs, sore backs, necks and shoulders and just generally feeling fatigued to the point of making it hard to concentrate fully while in the peloton. Which is about normal for this stage of the game. Eventually we rolled into Toowoomba, arriving spot on our scheduled time of three-pm. Sammi-Jo was invited to lead the huddle and she did a wonderful heartfelt job. While three cheers were reserved for our youngest ever Smiddy helper in Shak, who at just six years of age did a great job of helping out her Mum Rebecca to look after the riders. Tonight I was joined by my family for the speeches and journal reading. Mum and Dad turned up for dinner before heading home early, while my Brother Terry and his wife and their son Craig joined for the after dinner activities. It was an emotional night with Jess sharing the story of her Auntie just being diagnosed with cancer, and Simon Small sharing his inspirational story of serving with his best mate Gordy in the armed forces and that in a very short space of time his mate will pass on. Julie did a fine job of reading the blog and Row was awesome as usual giving a rundown of the day in his own unique cheeky way. Pete Dyer also spoke about prevention through regular check ups, the value of giving blood, watching what we eat and please don't smoke. No problems on all those fronts in this group mate.

Get to know our exceptional road crew
To finish with I wanted to give you a sneak peek at our road crew. So I asked Jess to give us a rundown of each of these beautiful people who have given up five days of their personal time to support the 20 strong peloton who are cycling day after day on this 900km journey. Each road crew member has contributed in an individual, exceptional  way - a way that won't soon be forgotten.

Wendy McQueen
This lovely lady is a full time pediatric physiotherapist at the Royal Brisbane Hospital, and has a personal history with cancer.  Wendy generously gave up her time to join the road crew, and has contributed endless support, delicious treats, hugs and massages to our riders and crew. Wendy's beautiful cheery disposition and calm 'can do' manner has kept spirits high throughout this ride, and we will be forever grateful.  

Sammi-Jo
There is not one member of this ride who has not been touched by Sammi's infectious energy and gorgeous smile. Sammi is an exceptional massage therapist who has been only too happy to use her healing hands (and sometimes knees and feet) on anyone in the team who needed it. Sammi has managed to make everyone's heart lighter on this physically and emotionally challenging journey.

Donna McMahon
Donna is one of our few experienced road crew members on this journey. Donna is the Queen of the lead vehicle, and excellent on road commentary. Offering amazing support to all riders on the road, and working tirelessly to keep the peloton safe - Donna is an integral part of this team. The riders and crew have been incredibly grateful for Donna's ongoing support and expertise.

Katie Cahill
Katie has brought along her big heart, and beautiful smile to lend a hand on this challenge. Traveling all the way from Hamilton Island, Katie has experienced a challenging last few months, but with that big smile and patience, has offered nothing but support for all of the riders and crew. It should also be mentioned that Katie has also been a very active fundraiser, and even managed to auction herself off as a date for the evening.  

Andy Loney
Andy has worked with Sealy for 13 years, and has been a friend of both Peter and Mike Dyer for just as long. This generous, loving man is a keen cyclist himself although an upcoming knee replacement has prevented him from joining the peloton on the road. Andy has put his hand up to assist with any task that has been required and has become known affectionately as 'tomato man'  for his prowess with Sao preparation at morning and afternoon tea.  

Maryanne Szwinto & Lauren Jackson
This dynamic duo have worked tirelessly on the road with the peloton, following behind with the ambulance and providing invaluable support. It is a great assistance having the ambulance with its beautiful flashing lights, and not one, but two trained paramedics on board to assist with any injuries that may occur. Luckily no significant injuries have occurred, but just in case... Touch wood.   

Kevin Enchelmaier
Uncle Kevvy, as always, is on board following the peloton all the way. Kevvy is always on hand for a cuddle and a bottle of red (and a telling off if you are not behaving yourself). Kevin gives up his time for Smiddy for every challenge, and works tirelessly with the crew and the riders to make sure everyone has an exceptional time whilst on the road. A million thank you's would never be enough for Kevvy's ongoing support and love

Jessica Ebelt
Jess has been with the team at Smiddy for just two months now and with the Half Smiddy being her time to show what she is made of, she has stepped up to the plate and delivered a winning home run. Her happiness and genuine interest in helping people has really shone through over these past four days.

Well that's it for now, one more blog to go and then I have earned a sleep in on Monday morning, as have everyone here from riders to road crew. Tomorrow we are joined by two new day riders in Angus Blackwood and John Kazakoff. With a 210 kilometre day to finish with it should be an eye opener of a day for them being part of the Smiddy peloton. I know for the sure the group will welcome them with open arms.

Take care everyone and I welcome you all to come and cheer in the riders when we finish at Adam Smiddy Park, Park Road Milton, this Sunday, tomorrow, between 4 and 4:30pm.  

Sharky
10:45pm - Getting better!

HALF SMIDDY DAY 3 REPORT

Half Smiddy, Day 3
Casino to Warwick 222.4km's


An early start
The riders left Casino right on six-am thanks to the great work of the road crew and the riders to work together as a team. The reason to get away by then was due, not only because of the incredible distance we needed to cover, but due to the enormous amount of climbing that was in that distance. All up we climbed over 2565 metres in those mentally tough and physically draining 222 kilometres. Just think about that for a second; for those reading this that are familiar with Mt Kootha in Brisbane, that amount of climbing is equivalent to climbing to the top of Kootha 12 times over! The 20 riders already had 350 kilometres of riding in their legs, they were fatigued going into this day and very nervous at what lay ahead. Eleven and a half very long hours later, the group arrived into Warwick, having finished what they started and their bonding as friends stronger for the adversity.

My mate Adam and courage I can only dream about
There were so many epic stories of courage, mate-ship and suffering today that I could write a book about what went on today, but it is late and I am tired for some reason, so these few words will have to suffice for now. What I witnessed today at times brought tears to my eyes. When I think of courage and selflessness I always think back to the last time I saw my mate Adam Smiddy alive. Five days before he passed away I paid Adam a visit in hospital; here my mate was dying, yet he wanted no sympathy, he was still positive and smiling, and the last thing he whispered to me, as I bent down to give him a Sharky Hug, was this; "Sharky I am worried for my parents, "I wish I could do more to ease their pain." Maria and David were present, being their usual strong selves in front of their son, but inside you could clearly see the strain it was putting on them. I felt so hopeless and when I walked out of there I thought I would see Adam again on the weekend. I remember thinking, 'could I be that strong in that same situation?' I didn't think so. The next night Rowan paid Adam a visit and he had deteriorated further, yet Adam was nothing but cheerful and positive. Four days later our mate passed away and in typical Adam fashion he requested three day out from his passing, no more visits to anyone but his family. For he did not want his friends to see him in the state he was in; he wanted us to remember him for the person he was before the cancer so cruelly robbed the world of one of the most genuine human beings you could ever hope to meet.

That Smiddy spirit that all our riders possess
The reason I wanted to share that Adam story with you was because that 224km's that we traversed today saw the Adam Smiddy spirit shine through in so many ways today that I was continually reminded of my mate and how much I miss the big guy. The road crew that followed the riders today on some of those 18% climbs got to see what I wish everyone reading this could see. Each and every Smiddy rider doing any of our events, shows, in their own special way, that little bit of courage that Adam displayed to us in his hospital bed. Many of us today had some bad moments where it felt like we could not go a pedal stroke further, yet we did, and why we continued was because of a stubbornness to get the job done, to not hold up our mates any longer than was necessary, to not let all our supporters, family, friends and donors down. But the main reason is because of that Smiddy spirit that comes out in extreme times and that spirit is seen through riders helping other riders and our very own special road crew pulling together and forming the tight knit team that we have become over these past three days.

Tim Byrne - Inspirational King of the Mountain
Normally I try to do my bit to help out when riders are struggling, a push here, an encouraging word, a pat on the back.Today on the last two climbs of four kilometres at 18% and 2.8 kilometres at 16%, none of that was possible. If I had of tried I would have fell off my bike and taken the other rider with me, as my climbing speed was no faster than six-km/h! But I did see the quiet achiever in Tim Byrne achieve his goal of riding all the way to the top without any walking at all. Tim was the last rider to conquer the Queen Mary Falls climb, but surely was the most courageous. Tim's longest ride prior to this event was 100 kilometres. He only started riding last October, with the blessing of his Wife Claire and their two children Adam and Oliver. But what he lacks in preparation he more than makes up for it with that raw unfathomable pool of talent that Tim possesses. Tim lost his Dad to Prostrate cancer and a very close friend, Jodie lost her battle with cancer at just 36 years of age. Tim is amazingly quiet, polite and a real listener, but once on the bike he shows such a steely eyed determination not to give in, and in his no fuss quiet way, just gets the job done. Tim shares those same qualities that I saw in Adam Smiddy all the time that I knew him. Tonight Tim was awarded a pair of cycling socks in recognition of conquering that climb.

James is a legend!
James 'Jimmy' Buttleman showed another sort of courage that is different but just as important to the overall success of the team. James was struggling right from the start this morning. At the 80 kilometre point he made the difficult decision to have some time out in the van. He did not want the group to fall behind schedule, but most importantly he knew if he continued he may well jeopardise the last two days of the ride. James rejoined the group to take on the two hardest climbs and then did more than his fare share of work out front for the final 32 kilometres into Warwick. It takes courage to make decisions such as these, and all of us here respect you immensely mate. On a side note, James was road crew last year and this year returned as a rider and is getting a completely different and ultimately, more painful perspective.

How good are our road crew?
I do not have the space to list all the reasons they are good, but possibly a special mention for their efforts today will suffice. Besides performing all their normal duties, all of them went out of their way to be there for the riders at some of the more tortuous sections of the course. The cheering was loud, infectious and most appreciated by the tired riders. At the food stops nothing ever had to be asked for, they were there, ready to give us what was required; sometimes even before we even knew what we needed! My heart went out to them and at the end of this Tour I am taking them all home to live with me forever.

Mike and Peter - Smiddy riders share their stories
Tonight we had two very inspirational speakers in Mike Dyer, who lost a close cousin to a curable cancer if detected early, and spoke on the merits of getting checked and encouraging friends and family to follow likewise. And our old mate from New Zealand in Terry McDowell, who shared his story of surviving testicle cancer. A huge thank you to both lads for having the courage to share their stories with the rest of the crew.

Jess the snake saver
Road crew member Jess Ebelt surprised the other girls in the road crew when she was seen to be trying to remove a snake from the road. The snake had just been run over but was clearly still alive and pissed off. All of Jess's efforts were in vain and she had to leave it where she found it. Donna later confirmed it was hit a second time and was indeed no longer a carpet snake but a tarmac canvas. Sorry Jess.

Jo, Gary, Stacey and Anna at the Horse and Jockey Hotel Motel
Long time supporters of our Smiddy events and owners of the H&J, Jo and Gary Lawrence, always look after us with cheap accommodation, meals and donations back to the Smiddy cause. Each time we visit they open the kitchen early from five-am, where Anna, who has worked there for 10 years, prepares a feed fit for a king. Tonight Jo joined us for our journal reading and to hear the lads talk. Afterwards all the riders retired to bed and Jo treated me to the nicest cake I have ever tasted in my entire life - A cherry ripe chocolate cake with ice-cream! I devoured it faster than Toby pace-lining a rider back up to the peloton, rushed back to my room, which I was sharing with Rowan, and like any good mate, boasted about what he missed out on. Thank you to Stacey Bartley, who works in the kitchen at the H&J and is the creator of this delicious cake. Stacey is not only a good cook but also good at fighting successfully against her own bout with breast cancer.

Anyway I am struggling to make sense of anything that I am writing now, so time to call it a night. A lot of the riders tell me that family and friends are following these blogs so I would like to finish by saying that in two days time you can have your beloved partners back. Until then please know that they are leaving no stone unturned out here, and each day they are a testament to what a few individuals can achieve if they band together to take on a seemingly insurmountable goal (who rides 222 kilometres in a day) and rise to the occasion.

Lastly thank you to Smiddy rider, Jo Stewart, who took charge of the Smiddy huddle this afternoon. Your words were heartfelt, genuine and very much appreciated. Jo is the bike kit supplier for all our events. Her brand is called Tineli www.tineli.com.au and the kits are sensational!

Want to donate to your favourite Half Smiddy rider? Please visit www.smiddy.org.au.

Good night and thank you all for your support.

Tired Sharky.
11:00 PM.

PS If you wish to get my blogs automatically just enter your email address at my blogsite http://marksharkysmoothy.blogspot.com/ I cover all the Smiddy events throughout the year.

HALF SMIDDY DAY 2 REPORT

Half Smiddy, Day 2,
Byron Bay to Casino
Distance 138km's


How lucky am I?
I awoke this morning at five-am in a reflective mood. I had set the alarm for six-am, so instead of getting up straight away and actually giving myself half a chance to not be the last person ready, I decided to lay there and think about how lucky I am. How lucky am I to be surrounded by such great family and friends that support everything I do in life. How lucky am I to be in a position where great sums of money and torrents of inspiration can be handed out through what I love doing - Which is simply, riding a bike. How lucky am I that each Smiddy event we always seem to attract such unique special human beings to either participate as riders or to help out as road crew. Smiling for Smiddy events enter their seventh year of existence in 2012. Since 2006 I have been surrounded by the most amazing bubble of positive energy that continues to grow and grow each year. Every event is the same; we start out as strangers and end up as another chapter in the incredible Smiddy story.

The story of incredible human kindness, of bravery, which is shown each year by the Smiddy family in allowing these events to continue, even though each event brings back the memories of losing a son. Maria and David Smiddy follow every Smiddy event through my blogs and let me share this with you; they are blown away by what you do in the name of their son. If Maria was here she would give you the biggest Smiddy hug and you would feel safe and secure knowing that you have managed to take away a small amount of pain from the Smiddy family by your selfless contribution to the Smiddy cause. David may not hug you but you will know by his handshake and his eye contact that you have his utmost and deepest respect.

The story of family and friends of all the riders and road crew, who give their support, allowing them to not only do the event but train and fundraise for it also.

The story of the generous donors out there, who, each and every year, donate the much needed funds required to fund cancer research and awareness.

The story of the incredible enthusiasm of the Smiling for Smiddy team in Tim, Steve, Jess, and especially my good friend and co-worker Rowan Foster. Row has been there right from the very first year that I pushed off from the university with Ron Steel and Oliver Bodak. Row could not join us that first year but without everything he did behind the scenes that first ride may never have happened. I am in awe of my mate Row and without him and his guiding light Smiddy would not be one of the most successful charity rides in all of Australia.

The story of the community support, which never ceases to amaze me at each of the towns that we either pass through and stop at for the night.

And finally the story of our amazingly generous sponsors, who without their support and their sharing of the Smiddy vision these events would not be financially possible.

My only regret
There is only one thing in life I feel I am not lucky about; that I only knew Adam Smiddy for five short years before he was rudely taken from this world. While Adam's legacy will live through these Smiddy events, I would swap every dollar ever raised these last seven years to have my mate riding by my side. Adam loved to ride and he would have absolutely loved everything about these rides we now do in his name. I know he would also be embarrassed by the attention as he was never one to take or want the limelight.

With that final thought it was now time to get up, get changed, slap the chamois cream on, have breakfast and once again turn up as the last rider ready to leave on day two. As a ride director I sure do suck at punctuality!

No dirt roads today boys!
Today's 140km leg into Casino would see us weave our way along the coastal road taking in the majestic views of the Pacific Ocean and the amazing white shimmering sandy beaches that beckoned us to stop and cool off. The trip to Wardell and Evans Heads saw us take in some stunning flatland country scenery, especially as we crossed over the Richman River via the friendly ferry man. The highlight today has to be the traverse on the eye-opening nine kilometres of dirt road that had some of the riders soiling their pants, while the mountain bikers in the peloton were whooping it up with howls of delight. Two punctures occurred here, the same as last year, and our ever-reliable rider-mechanic in Toby Hood was rubbing his hands in glee. If you puncture only you and Toby stop, the peloton continues to roll. To get back on you take a ride in the car with Kevvy, or you take a ride with Toby! You see our old mate Toby loves a chase and loves to pace-line anyone who suffers the misfortune of a puncture back up to the peloton. Meaning pain for the guys on the back of his wheel and a grin from ear to ear for Toby. The man just loves to ride fast, but also, will be the man at the back, pushing anyone who needs it, up a hill. We are very fortunate to have Toby on board. The whole day I kept thinking, ' How good is this!'

A quick wrap of today's events
Tomorrow is a huge day and it is all the riders have talked about over the last two days. As I write this I am sitting in my hotel room at the River Park Motor Inn in Casino. It is nine-pm and tomorrow's roll out is set for 5:45am due to it being a ten hour day in the saddle. I need more sleep than what I have been getting so the pressure is on to get this blog done as soon as possible.Tonight I am sharing with Al Provost, who spoke so passionately last night about his great mate Graham. We have just returned from a sumptuous dinner at the local RSM Club, where Rowan shared the highlights of the day with the group, Donna McMahon read out the journal that I wrote last night, and our lead vehicle driver in Katie Cahill, shared her sad story of losing her Mum to cancer just a few short months ago. I applaud Katie's strength for getting up and talking about something that is still so very raw. The tears flowed freely from Katie, as they did from many others in the room. It is the one thing that I love about each and every Smiddy experience. The bringing together of people who all share that same pain of losing a love one, but the garnering of strength within the group because of it. We all come from all walks of life but we all share that one thing in common; we are here for the sole reason of doing something that will definitely impact on another persons life. And who knows, that person that is saved due to our efforts could very well be within our own network of family and friends. Surely reason enough to ride 900 kilometres over five days.

More highlights and special people
92 kilometres into today's stage we stopped in to visit a hundred primary school little people. Our visit included an educational talk on sun safety and what to wear while riding a bike. Rowan then pumped up the kids into a frenzy with the seven kids applying as much zinc as possible to six volunteer riders in a 60 second time frame. One kid went through an entire zinc stick on poor Julie Herholdt, who was nearly knocked out in the process. But the loudest cheer by the kids declaring the winner went to Mathew Turner, just edging out the cheers for Julie and her over-zealous fan. Toby then put on a three minute display for the kids -and some of the adults- on how to repair a puncture.


Road crew member Sammi-Jo
Sammi-Jo shared her story today with me that her great friend Dorothy lost her battle with cancer three years ago on this very day. Sammi carried on throughout the day her usual cheery and helpful self, but with a heavy heart and thoughts of her friend. Sammi also lost her Dad to cancer and is here to support her partner in Walter Svic, who is doing the ride.

Walter Svic - and his purple suitcase
On a lighter note,Walter Svic, wins the award for having the largest hard cased bike boxed size suitcase. All the riders were asked to bring a backpack only for their overnight bag. But Walter misread and thought we said; "if you are moving house please bring everything, including the kitchen sink on this trip."

Road crew member - Wendy McQueen
Wendy McQueen joined the road crew as caterer and most importantly for the riders, as a physio/masseuse, and let me tell you Wendy is one very popular lady! Wendy is married to Lex for 25 years and got involved through Peter Dyer and because her hubby had melanoma and she lost her Sister in-law to cancer.

Mathew Turner - Smiddy rider
Mathew Turner did us the pleasure of taking on the tradition of doing the huddle at the end of the day. Matty is a cancer survivor himself, having the huge scar to show just how much skin they need to remove on his chest if diagnosed with a melanoma. Matty was not well coming into the event and has gotten successfully through the first two days. Three to go mate, hang in there!

Stats man Gavin Herholdt
Gav has taken on the role of providing stats for each days stage. So besides riding 138.8 kilometres at an average speed of 28.9km/h, in 4:48:48, in temperatures ranging from 17 to 28, he also threw in a couple of randoms, but I am so tired I cant remember what they were!

The smallest man in the peloton
Finally we have the 'Small' big fella in Simon Small. This unit of a man stands 8ft 6", weighs 130kg of pure muscle, served in the army for 14 years in far off places, and if I say anymore on those places he will have to kill me, and I really need to get this blog done so I am zipped! Simon has two beautiful girls, Jordan 11, and Sienea 5, to his gorgeous supportive wife Sam. Simon's passion for riding is he is going to lose a mate of 26 years to Melanoma shortly. It does not get any more real than that. Hats off to you old mate. I may have exaggerated slightly on his size.

Final words by Sharky
Thank you for following these blogs. The more we spread the word of what we are achieving at Smiddy the quicker we touch more lives and make an impact. Please share these blogs with your family and friends and know that our thoughts are with everyone who is part of this amazing Smiddy experience. What the riders will go through tomorrow can only be described as self torture. I still have vivid memories from last year's tour. But the riders are a tough lot and I know tomorrow I will be reporting that all made it safe and sound, although, no doubt, a little bit worse for the wear.

Take care.

Sharky

PS: I also suck at being able to think and get my words down fast when tired. It is now 11pm! Goodnight.

2012 HALF SMIDDY DAY 1 REPORT

Half Smiddy, Day 1, May 2 -2012-
Distance 189 kilometres


I awoke to the sound of rain and my heart sunk. I knew we had to repack the five support cars and the thought of doing this in the rain was not a task I looked forward to. The 30 minutes drive to the start saw the rain come down the entire way. But within two kilometres of arriving the rain stopped and Sharky was a happy man. Welcome to the 2012 report of the second annual running of the Half Smiddy. An epic 900 kilometre ride taking in Byron Bay, Casino, Warwick, Toowoomba and back to Brisbane, all over a 5 day period. Numbers for this first up event saw 20 riders and nine road crew members come together ready to tackle anything thrown at them. The decision to move this event forward by one month proved to be the right decision, as last year when we left in June the extreme cold weather saw many riders retire with injuries, predominately with Achilles problems.


Our police friend Davin keeps us safe!
The leaving point for today's first stage of 188km's to Byron Bay was the Anaconda Super Centre at Logan. This site was chosen due to being far enough out to miss the majority of the Wednesday morning rush hour city traffic for our 6:45am roll out time. Thankfully the weather was very kind to us with the rain stopping completely, and while the roads were still wet, the temperature was a balmy 20 degrees. Once again we were extremely lucky to secure the services of one very passionate police motorcyclists in Davin, who escorted us for free last year for two hours. This year he was even more enthusiastic staying with us for three hours. Not only did he get us through all the busy roundabouts as we sped along the main artillery road next to the Gold Coast Highway, but he was seen to stop at certain parts of the course to remove small debris in his effort to keep the riders safe. Davin joined us for morning tea at the Gold Coast before having to go on his merry way. But not before the giggling girls in the road crew got excited photos of them sitting on his bike. We all got a group photo with Davin and sent him off with a rousing and hearty three cheers to thank him. The Half Smiddy road crew excelled in their very first morning tea break with a selection of home baked goodies, fresh fruit and the obligatory Sao's with cheese and tomatoes.


Lunch at Kingscliff, Pete's Coffee
The next leg into lunch was at Kingscliff, 107 kilometres into our journey, and once again the delicious fresh meat and salad sandwiches served up by the road crew were eaten in record time by the ravenous riders. It was during this stop that the portable generator and coffee machine were used for the first time, brain child of rider/sponsor and all round top bloke, Peter Dyer. Pete loves a cup of coffee and last year nearly killed him when he was averaging a fix only once a day. So he took matters into his own hands, hence the generator and coffee machine, and now Pete is happy and that should be sufficient to keep Sealy sponsoring this event for the next 50 years!


Captain Kev's infamous whistle and cow bell
Coming into lunch we were running behind schedule so our allotted 40 minute break time was reduced to 30 minutes. Now one of Captain Kev's duties is to be time keeper, he has a whistle, a very loud whistle, and when this whistle is blown by 'Old Cap', it cuts through the air with all the subtleness of a jumbo jet passing overhead, signaling five minutes until we are on the road again. Kevvy and his whistle and his infamous cow bell has been in the family for 100 years, the whistle not so significant as it was purchased at Big W! But that cow bell is extremely and delicately special; it signals the start of each days stage, and a special person is chosen each day to ring it. Over the past six years so many people, who's lives have been touched by cancer, have rung that bell and it truly is something special. That whistle and the Cow Bell are tasks Kevvy takes on with great passion and enthusiasm, and let me warn you -right here and now- you do not mess with the timing of any of these two great traditions. If you do, you risk seeing Kevvy angry, and that is something you do not wish to see!


The afternoon wrap
The final 80 or so kilometres into Byron saw one major climb of three kilometres and lots of rolling hills and a few great descents thrown in for good measure. We left Logan at 6:45am and rolled into Byron, very content with our first day efforts, right on 4:30pm. It is a long day in the saddle but the frequents stops definitely help break up the day and keep the body from tightening up too much. We finished our first day with the meaningful Smiddy huddle and the 20 riders and nine road crew members celebrated a most successful and fun filled day together. Each night the group come together for dinner and a Rowan Foster recap of the day. The road crew finished off a very busy first day on the road when they prepared their fourth and final meal of a very nice barbecue of meats and salad, and of course beer and wine.


To finish with I will just list a few of the highlights and a few special people that deserve a mention.


First and second puncture of the day goes to yours truly. As Rowan pointed out tonight when talking to the group, we recommend and wear Maxxis Refuse tyres for all our Smiddy events as they very rarely puncture. I was wearing Continentals today so I deserved the ribbing.


First fall of the day was a dead heat when the only two girls in the Peleton, Jo Stewart and Julie Herholdt, collided while stopped dead in their tracks at a traffic light. They raced each other in a too close to call fall to the tarmac.
While on the subject of firsts; Julie also goes down in the Smiddy history books as the first rider to have a rear-vision mirror on her bike.


While in another first, and second, and third, and finally a fourth time, the road crew member that led the peloton the wrong way on four occasions goes to none other than rolling, rolling, rolling lead car navigator extrordinare "I was only following the map" Donna McMahon.


The first time I have been sent a text and a photo of an empty glass of beer, just 30 minutes after completion of today's ride, with the following caption; "400 metres down the road hydrating." It was from Smiddy rider Simon "Smally" Small, protesting against non-alcoholic beer by heading straight for the pub?


In a final first but surely the greatest different first, the 2012 Smiddy Half will always be remembered for rolling into our accommodation at Byron Bay, after getting very wet for the remaining 20 minutes of todays ride, to be greeted with an esky full of non-alcoholic beer. Once again the brain-child of Pete Dyer, who managed to get six cartons of a German non-alcohol beer donated called Erdinger. Surprisingly it actually tasted quite good.


Our inspirational speaker
Each night a person in the group is invited up to speak of why they are doing the Smiddy Half. Tonight we were honoured to hear Al Provost speak about how he lost his mate Graham Duffy back in 1978, who died at just 26 years of age. The significance of the story is that on day three of this ride we will pass by the exact area where Al and Graham used to hang out as best mates. Al's dream is for all the riders to stop at that spot and get a photo with the crew as a remembrance of his mate. We, of course, are only too happy to oblige.


Our married couple in the peloton
Of the 20 riders we have one couple in Julie and Gavin Herholdt of Hamilton Island riding in the group. Gav and Jules have been together for 16 years and married for the last five. While Gav has the experience of a seasoned pro, Jules just took up riding five months ago. Gav completed this ride last year and talked his beautiful wife into riding with him this year. Julie lost her Father Alan to cancer when he was 62 years of age, so this ride is in honour of her Dad. And I just know Alan would be so proud of her.


Road crew feature - Andy Loney
Each year we are fortunate to attract great people who are not bike riders, but wish to still do their bit to help out in the Smiddy cause. Andy Loney is one of those special breed of people. Andy has been married to wife Alison for 33 amazing years and they have brought three beautiful children into this world. Andy lost his Mother-in law to Melanoma and he supported his best mate Rod Hughs in his fund-raising efforts for last year's eight day Challenge up to Townsville. He told me he will be supporting Smiddy now for a very long time to come.


Maryanne Szwinto and Lauren Jackson
These two beautiful caring individuals are never more than a hundred metres from the riders. They are our medical team and have permission to use a full on emergency response vehicle from the Queensland Ambulance Service. The vehicles emergency lights are always flashing and motorists are extremely patient and tolerant thanks to their presence. The riders are extremely grateful to the girls and their continued presence.

Anyway that's all from me for now, all are asleep and it is now 10:30pm and time for this Shark to go do some fishing in his dreams. But before I go one last honourable mention must go to my sleeping mate for the night in Mike Dyer, backing up for his second Smiddy Half and drawing short straws at having to share with me. Mike is now sleeping, or trying to sleep, in a bed just an arms width away and has endured my tap tap tapping of this keyboard! Sorry old mate.

Sweet dreams.

Sharky