Stats for the day by Brett Goebel
Distance: 224 kms
Ride Time: 9 hours 40 min
Ave Speed: 19.9 km/h
Max Speed: 91 km/h
Climbing: 1835 metres
Min Temp: 12 degrees
Max Temp: 22 degrees
Road Kill by Eric StayKov and Roger
Road kill counters took a day off thanks to the rain and not being able to see out of sodden eyes.
Jersey Recipients
Jerseys were handed out immediately following the huddle at UQ Aquatic Centre. Congratulations to Selina Green, Eric StayKov and Ross Pink. All three won for a variety of reasons. Selina has a beautiful heart and we all saw this when she donated to each riders fundraising page on Sunday night at Jondaryan. She also deserves this award for not hating us at Team Smiddy after we put her through her pet dislikes in dirt roads, mountains, wind and rain, but Selina does sunshine and downhills!
Eric at just 24 years of age and relatively new to cycling had his toughest day today and refused to give in. Eric is a beautiful kind and caring person and always so polite and was a poplar winner of the jersey.
As for Ross; well this guy is a machine at 65 years of age and while very quiet and reserved, he had the heart of a lion when it came to riding downhills on dirt. A perfect gentlemen, great fundraiser and a well deserved recipient.
So it's Sharky back now writing the final blog from our most epic of days. A big heartfelt thank you to my guest bloggers for the great work they did in getting their blogs finished in time to read out to the group each night after such long days in the saddle.
After the hot soothing bath that I had promised myself yesterday from the very first bone-drenching downpour into morning tea, I sat down last night thinking I have to write the last blog, no I wanted to write the last blog, needed to get that crazy day down in words, but with a belly full of food and warm cuddles from my beautiful 34 week pregnant Wife Alyssa, I promptly fell asleep. Hence why I am writing this morning at five-am.
Highest Fundraiser Awards - Maria Smiddy Rainbow Socks
A special mention and thank you to Stephen Richardson for his efforts in raising over $5,000 and taking out our highest fundraising award.
The highest team fundraising went to the team of Deanna, Lance, Selina, Steven and Alex for raising over $15,000 between them. All were awarded these incredibly special rainbow coloured cycling socks that are in honour and remembrance of our beautiful Maria Smiddy.
Smiddy Roll Out
Roll out yesterday was scheduled for six-am and guess what? We actually left at 5:56a.m. But hey, before you go getting too excited at our promptness, we only rolled to the front of the Jondaryan Woolshed sign for a group photo and the ringing of the cow bell by road crew legend, sporting his proudly broken arm from snow boarding a few days prior to this event, Brett Shipp. So photos were taken by the bubbly effervescent Brooke Rose and always Smiling and happy and hard working Nick Crilly, and as Shippy rang the bell, I glanced at my watch, and yes we were back on Smiddy punctual time and leaving by 6:10a.m.
Rain jackets? We Don't Need Em!
As we rolled I noticed just a few riders had rain jackets on. As it was still dry most of us opted to start without them. I made the cardinal sin of forgetting to put my rear mudguard on. What most of failed to comprehend is that a predicted weather warning of 90% chance of rain throughout the day meant that there was a 90% chance of getting soaked! That 10% left over is what 98% of us riders put our hedging bets on to.
Another fatal flaw that we overlooked was the fact that none of us knew in advance that another Smiddy first would occur on that fateful morning. You see, we broke the Smiddy world famous time-frame (roll out to morning tea) record, for being out there for four hours to cover the 85 kilometres into morning tea at Helidon. A lot can happen in four hours and by the time we arrived absolutely drenched to the bone, and resembling more a litter of drowned rats, to thunderous applause from our welcoming road crew, the stories began spilling from the riders lips.
Jondaryan to Helidon Snapshot
A quick snapshot of those four hours included our first dirt road within ten kilometres of the start. Tired minds had definitely not woken and battered bodies were just not ready for the vibrations to come. But as I already knew, Smiddy riders are a hardy lot and mentally that toughness switch was turned on and a much needed full-on-focus came into play. Which is what was needed to stay upright and safe.
The course was relatively flat for the first 40 kilometres right up until we got close to Toowoomba. Our elevation gain from 400 metres up to our highest point of just shy of 700 hurt and hurt a lot. The Murphy's Creek decent was our reward and it was there that a few of the guys sneaked into the 90's. Thankfully with dry roads. The regrouping at the bottom of the long 20 kilometre descent saw many happy faces and adrenaline fueled stories of pace-lining with their buddies in tow.
Our first shower occurred as we rolled out and after a few rollercoaster hills we made a left onto our third significant dirt road for the morning. The rain started in earnest and by the time we reached the tar road, bikes and bodies were all a bloody mess.
Helidon to Lowood Snapshot
Killer did a remarkable job keeping us off all the major roads throughout the entire four days, especially yesterday. This is only possible thanks to the extensive dirt roads that exist. It is pot luck as to the condition of these roads. Smiddy staff do a drive over the course a couple of months prior, but wind and rain can have a remarkable affect in such a small space of time.
The next section of dirt was ten kilometres in length and came upon us not long after morning tea. It is a road that the riders will remember for a very long time. Actually nightmares will be common in the coming weeks... In the dry it would have been fine, but wet it was an absolute nightmare. There was one climb so steep and mushy that all but a few riders were reduced to walking. I took a cracker of a photo of this climb and a picture tells a thousand words so check it out on my Facebook site. The descents on wet sloshy mud required full-on-focus-mode. As each rider finished that section at the regrouping point faces told the story of what they went through. Some were elated and relished the challenging conditions - sicko's! While others were glad to escape with theirs lives.
What I found amazing by the four days on the road was just how bloody talented all the riders were in technical conditions. Not one fall was recorded over the course of four days! Thinking back on the conditions, the road surfaces, the howling windy days, all the dirt and then yesterday the unrelenting rain, the guys and girls may come away from this a little mentally scarred and bodily bruised, but heck their skills on the bike now will be 25% better than when they started their Smiddy journey last Friday. Nice work guys, you are all dead set legends and the adventure you put yourself through can only ever be good for the heart and soul. Some suffering is required in life to truly appreciate just how lucky we are!
After that piece of dirt we were all happy to be back on terra-ferma and the rest of the ride into Lowood was going without a hitch until we stopped for a pee stop alongside an electric Fence. Of course no-one knew it was electric until Julie and Selina both touched it as they leaned their bikes up against it. When they told Eric, he just could not help himself, being the boy that he is, and touched it to see if they were joshing him or not. The returning jolt frizzled his hair and it went from jet black to white and he then believed the girls! Nice work mate.
Yet again, just like before morning tea, we were ten minutes out of Lowood and the Heavens opened and drenched us to the bone for the second time. Road crew were out in force to welcome us in, along with some love ones who were braving the elements to support their rider. Welcome back to the Richardson family and the Fraser family as well there to support Bruce. Once again riders were changing clothes in an attempt to stay warm and the lunch break was reduced to allow us to get back on the bikes and stay warm.
Lowood to Ipswich Snap Shot
Of course straight out of Lowood, with full bellies and cold bodies we were treated to Telecom Hill. A 150 metre elevation gain in just a couple of kilometres. It was brutal after everything the rider group had been through but somehow we all got up and down safely to the regrouping point, all in the now constant rain. More dirt awaited us and we safely got through another two sections to finally hit tar for the remainder of the trip back to Brisbane. One cruel element as we headed to our afternoon tea spot in Ipswich, was a wrong turn that required retracing our steps up a two kilometre stretch of road that we had just descended down. What's another two kilometres on an already long day. The rider group sucked it up without complaint and we got to Ipswich with the last ten minutes, as if on cue, into a heavy downpour and once again we were stoked to the bone!
Ipswich to Brisbane Snap Shot
After lots of loving from our gorgeous caring road crew we were on our way for the final leg into Brisbane. Light rain was with us the entire way and an absolute bonus was there were no more dirt roads. What we did have was short steep climbs for the remainder of the 40 kilometres back to our finishing point at UQ pool. Tired legs felt this for sure but each rider could smell the finish and everyone was determined to get there. From afternoon tea any rider that was in the van were out again and the peloton was felt complete. Even Liam gave up his warm air-conditioned road crew car to join us and snap some shots for his world class and award winning Smiddy documentaries! (Sharky appreciation award mate)
As if right on cue, with ten minutes remaining of the ride, the sky gave us one last hooray within 30 seconds we were again a sopping wet mess, but as Brad Richardson pointed out, the bikes were now clean!
Family and friends turned out in the thousands, okay the hundreds, okay well would you believe about 50? Anyway with road crew and family the thunderous applause, under the cover of the pool balcony of course, would have been deafening to the ears, had our ears not already be deafened from the heaviest of downpours we experienced today. Anyway it was beautiful and very much appreciated by the riders. As the first riders rode through the tunnel of spectators into the pool, and got in trouble for riding on pool grounds, (naughty Smiddy riders) the feeling was of awe that we had completed it and a sigh of relief by Team Smiddy that everyone was back safe and sound.
After the usual hugs, handshakes and back-slaps, which our supporters were staying clear of for fear of getting soaked by wet bodies, the huddle was formed and all the usual suspects were thanked for their amazing contribution over the past four days. Road crew gifts were handed out and I had a brain-freeze and forgot Ashleigh's name as I called her up, typical of me at the end of a tough Smiddy tour, actually any Smiddy tour, heck they are all tough, just different tough!
And that was it, done and dusted, nearly $50,000 raised by these magnificent machines, these people that care enough to do their bit in the hope that their children will live long and prosperous lives.
As I write this, I am glad I am not on the bike today, my aging body is not happy, but there is a part of me that wants to still be riding, not for the workout, but because to be around Smiddy people is empowering. Collectively as a group it always amazes me of what we can achieve, and have achieved, in ten years of Smiddy events as we close in on the $8 million raised since I lost my mate back in 2006.
Adam would be so proud, he would have loved to do a Smiddy event, for he was just like all you guys; kind-hearted, caring, had a zest for life that was infectious and loved oozed out of him that made you want to be -have to be- his friend. Everyone that comes to Smiddy, whether as a rider, road crew, supporter, donors and sponsors, you all possess these beautiful attributes and I thank you for your involvement.
A Special Message to All Smiddy Riders
Lastly to all Smiddy riders but especially now to our inaugural 4 day Challenge riders, we all know this event, threw at you challenges that at times seemed insurmountable. But you all got through it in the end. The suffering ends at the end of every Smiddy event, but that suffering is what defines you as human beings. For the majority of our lives we live in plush conditions, to get out of that comfort zone I believe replenishes the soul. It makes us better people. In my mind -and I have a feeling you may feel the same if you get what I am talking about- the greatest gift you could ever give to a colleague, friend, or family member is the gift of Smiddy. Whether as a road crew member, rider, sponsor or donor. This is no marketing ploy to get you to help fill our events. This is emotional Shark speaking to you after sharing those four days with you. Positive energy is generated through our events, that energy is passed from person to person and over ten years hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by that energy. Keep it flowing you beautiful people. I love you all for having such big hearts and for allowing us the extreme pleasure of sharing with you a Smiddy experience.
Take care and I hope to ride with you all again at some time in the future.
Sharky.
Monday 3 October 2016
Sunday 2 October 2016
2016 / 4 DAY SMIDDY CHALLENGE - DAY 3 - STANTHORPE TO JONDARYN WOOLSHED
Stats for the day by Brett Goebel
69 windmills, 50 white horses - Windmills won!
Distance: 203.7 kms
Ride Time: 7 hours 30 min
Ave Speed: 19.9 km/h
Max Speed: 83 km/h
Climbing: 1234 metres
Min Temp: 8 degrees
Max Temp: 28 degrees
Guest Bloggers
Thank you to the Richardson Brothers and Alex for writing tonight's blog.
Road Kill by Eric StayKov and Roger
1 black crow, kangaroo, magpie, ufo, fox, lizard, fish in a tree, shag bird, 2 wallabies, echidna, ufo, 4-5 other kangaroos.
Guest Speaker
Tonight Lance Chamberlaine spoke of his journey to Smiddy from being overweight at 120 kg. The loss of close friends who lost their children to cancer, both under the age of 10.
Jersey Recipients
Lance was also awarded the category jersey tonight for stepping up within the peloton the past couple of days and helping out those riders that were struggling. His spirit, mateship and caring personality has been appreciated by riders and road crew alike.
Tonight a second jersey was handed out and this time it went to Ashleigh Muir, who is experiencing road crew duties for the very first time thanks to her mum Wendy. Ashleigh has been a real quiet achiever, just gets in and gets the job done with no fanfare, just like her Mum, and is a real role model for young girls out there looking to do something for any charity.
First of all, we all have our own battles that get us up those hills, but a big Thanks to lance, and the others who have spoken above about their tough times.
Day 3 started early once again with an amazing breakfast prepared by the road crew as all riders efficiently packed their bags, rolled their swags and stashed their goodies before tucking into the freshly cooked bacon and eggs. Everyone was prepared for the perfect 6 a.m. rollout until Double Dee realized she was missing her heart-rate monitor. In a tizz, she remembers she put it safely in the bottom of her swag, which was now safely packed in the bottom of the truck. Without even batting an eyelid, the amazing road crew went to work, located the swag, retrieved the heart rate strap, and Dee was ready to once again resume her position in the peloton.
We rolled out late thanks to Dee, but into an absolutely cracking day, albeit with negative temperatures that Stanthorpe is so famous for. There was no sign of the 30% climbs, 200m of dirt roads with moguls , or the 2000 km per hour winds as we climbed to 'The Summit', the highest railway station and postcode in Queensland, and maybe the world.
A special mention must go out to Bretty and Krista for their sparkling clean chains that blinded the road crew as they cruised passed the peloton smarting with their freshly ground coffee in hand. After a quick water stop, we commenced the remainder of our day descending from the top of the earth down another filthy dirt road. We were cruising along, wind in our hair, bunny hopping pot holes and throwing away any excess equipment (like saddle bags and drink bottles) hunting for that elusive dirt road strava segment when Selina tried her hardest to hit a kangaroo just to increase the road kill count. Despite her best efforts, it was Lance, the Yowie Wilddog who suffered on the dirt with a flat tire. This didn't phase our king of the mountain, as he seems to have made an instant recovery after his sojourn to find out "If a bear s&^*s in the woods". Yowie is now also claiming the title of time trial champion after his solo pursuit back onto the pack, however rumors has it that he may be consuming some 'peptides and other substances' that have previously been banned thanks to Lance Armstrong and a AFL football club that won't be mentioned.
It was under picturesque clear blue skies that we rolled the remainder of the 77km into and out of morning tea without a care in the world. Our perfect world came crashing down when we stopped for a water refill next to swap known by locals to breed blood thirsty dinner plate sized Mosquito’s. After some very very quick nature breaks it was the first and only time that riders were on their bikes and actually riding away before we were asked to just to escape these flesh eating monsters.
It should also be put on record that Geevse out of nowhere found his cycling kit, manhandled serge to steal his bike,, and was off at the front of the peloton to lead the group joyfully towards lunch.
On a day that Killer promised would to be all downhill, we ran into a few lumps with nasty crosswinds on our way to lunch, that felt like we were riding up the back of Coot-tha, with flat tires, on a city cycle bike. Such was the pain caused from all the torture inflicted by mother nature over the last 2 days, the sighting of the road crew at lunch after just 28 km since the mosquito infested water stop let out the creative vocabulary of a smiddy rider (who will remain unnamed) let rip with "Thank f$%& we are here". It was with 148 km under our legs at an average of 28 km per hour we all tucked into the hearty lunch prepared by the road crew.
After lunch, we were once again late to rollout because the resident skater boys (Serge and Liam) where doing tailflips and pulling 3 feet of air in the halfpipe across the road. Needless to say this was the least of our concerns, as we turned right and rode kilometers through Pittsworth before Siri realized that Geeves took a wrong turn despite his state of the art navigation system loaned from NASA.
Once we were back on track with at least 10 more superfluous kilometers on our saddle sores, we were again on our way downhill towards afternoon tea.
A further glorious 27 km downhill between lunch and afternoon tea were covered, with just enough time to refresh Eric's arms to allow him to notch up his 1000 push-ups for the day, because everyone knows that Sunday is beach muscle day at the gym right Eric?
The seesaw, swing and playground at the park got a bigger workout than everyone’s chamois cream for the next 10 mins as everyone’s inner child was on display. Before we knew it, we back on our bikes and counting down the last 30 km as we cruised to our final destination, Jondaryan Woolshed.
In total, we averaged 27 km per hour over 203 km on an absolute ripsnorter of a day, a stark contrast to the ridiculous 2 days that we previously rode. A huge congratulation goes out to all riders and road crew for an epic day, but especially to those who have just completed their longest rides ever. Sweet dreams Smiddy riders, one day to go.
69 windmills, 50 white horses - Windmills won!
Distance: 203.7 kms
Ride Time: 7 hours 30 min
Ave Speed: 19.9 km/h
Max Speed: 83 km/h
Climbing: 1234 metres
Min Temp: 8 degrees
Max Temp: 28 degrees
Guest Bloggers
Thank you to the Richardson Brothers and Alex for writing tonight's blog.
Road Kill by Eric StayKov and Roger
1 black crow, kangaroo, magpie, ufo, fox, lizard, fish in a tree, shag bird, 2 wallabies, echidna, ufo, 4-5 other kangaroos.
Guest Speaker
Tonight Lance Chamberlaine spoke of his journey to Smiddy from being overweight at 120 kg. The loss of close friends who lost their children to cancer, both under the age of 10.
Jersey Recipients
Lance was also awarded the category jersey tonight for stepping up within the peloton the past couple of days and helping out those riders that were struggling. His spirit, mateship and caring personality has been appreciated by riders and road crew alike.
Tonight a second jersey was handed out and this time it went to Ashleigh Muir, who is experiencing road crew duties for the very first time thanks to her mum Wendy. Ashleigh has been a real quiet achiever, just gets in and gets the job done with no fanfare, just like her Mum, and is a real role model for young girls out there looking to do something for any charity.
First of all, we all have our own battles that get us up those hills, but a big Thanks to lance, and the others who have spoken above about their tough times.
Day 3 started early once again with an amazing breakfast prepared by the road crew as all riders efficiently packed their bags, rolled their swags and stashed their goodies before tucking into the freshly cooked bacon and eggs. Everyone was prepared for the perfect 6 a.m. rollout until Double Dee realized she was missing her heart-rate monitor. In a tizz, she remembers she put it safely in the bottom of her swag, which was now safely packed in the bottom of the truck. Without even batting an eyelid, the amazing road crew went to work, located the swag, retrieved the heart rate strap, and Dee was ready to once again resume her position in the peloton.
We rolled out late thanks to Dee, but into an absolutely cracking day, albeit with negative temperatures that Stanthorpe is so famous for. There was no sign of the 30% climbs, 200m of dirt roads with moguls , or the 2000 km per hour winds as we climbed to 'The Summit', the highest railway station and postcode in Queensland, and maybe the world.
A special mention must go out to Bretty and Krista for their sparkling clean chains that blinded the road crew as they cruised passed the peloton smarting with their freshly ground coffee in hand. After a quick water stop, we commenced the remainder of our day descending from the top of the earth down another filthy dirt road. We were cruising along, wind in our hair, bunny hopping pot holes and throwing away any excess equipment (like saddle bags and drink bottles) hunting for that elusive dirt road strava segment when Selina tried her hardest to hit a kangaroo just to increase the road kill count. Despite her best efforts, it was Lance, the Yowie Wilddog who suffered on the dirt with a flat tire. This didn't phase our king of the mountain, as he seems to have made an instant recovery after his sojourn to find out "If a bear s&^*s in the woods". Yowie is now also claiming the title of time trial champion after his solo pursuit back onto the pack, however rumors has it that he may be consuming some 'peptides and other substances' that have previously been banned thanks to Lance Armstrong and a AFL football club that won't be mentioned.
It was under picturesque clear blue skies that we rolled the remainder of the 77km into and out of morning tea without a care in the world. Our perfect world came crashing down when we stopped for a water refill next to swap known by locals to breed blood thirsty dinner plate sized Mosquito’s. After some very very quick nature breaks it was the first and only time that riders were on their bikes and actually riding away before we were asked to just to escape these flesh eating monsters.
It should also be put on record that Geevse out of nowhere found his cycling kit, manhandled serge to steal his bike,, and was off at the front of the peloton to lead the group joyfully towards lunch.
On a day that Killer promised would to be all downhill, we ran into a few lumps with nasty crosswinds on our way to lunch, that felt like we were riding up the back of Coot-tha, with flat tires, on a city cycle bike. Such was the pain caused from all the torture inflicted by mother nature over the last 2 days, the sighting of the road crew at lunch after just 28 km since the mosquito infested water stop let out the creative vocabulary of a smiddy rider (who will remain unnamed) let rip with "Thank f$%& we are here". It was with 148 km under our legs at an average of 28 km per hour we all tucked into the hearty lunch prepared by the road crew.
After lunch, we were once again late to rollout because the resident skater boys (Serge and Liam) where doing tailflips and pulling 3 feet of air in the halfpipe across the road. Needless to say this was the least of our concerns, as we turned right and rode kilometers through Pittsworth before Siri realized that Geeves took a wrong turn despite his state of the art navigation system loaned from NASA.
Once we were back on track with at least 10 more superfluous kilometers on our saddle sores, we were again on our way downhill towards afternoon tea.
A further glorious 27 km downhill between lunch and afternoon tea were covered, with just enough time to refresh Eric's arms to allow him to notch up his 1000 push-ups for the day, because everyone knows that Sunday is beach muscle day at the gym right Eric?
The seesaw, swing and playground at the park got a bigger workout than everyone’s chamois cream for the next 10 mins as everyone’s inner child was on display. Before we knew it, we back on our bikes and counting down the last 30 km as we cruised to our final destination, Jondaryan Woolshed.
In total, we averaged 27 km per hour over 203 km on an absolute ripsnorter of a day, a stark contrast to the ridiculous 2 days that we previously rode. A huge congratulation goes out to all riders and road crew for an epic day, but especially to those who have just completed their longest rides ever. Sweet dreams Smiddy riders, one day to go.
Saturday 1 October 2016
2016 SMIDDY 4 DAY CHALLENGE - DAY 2 WOODENBONG TO STANTHORPE
Stats for the day by Brett Goebel
Distance: 113 kms
Ride Time: 5 hours 40 min
Ave Speed: 19.9 km/h
Max Speed: 73 km/h
Climbing: 1945 metres
Min Temp: 12 degrees
Max Temp: 26 degrees
Guest Bloggers
Today's blog brought to you by the MBCC LADSS (Lance, Alex, Dea, Steve & Sel). We're honoured to have the opportunity to contribute to Sharky's blog, a Smiddy institution, and we hope we can uphold the tradition with tall tales and stories from the road.
Road Kill by Roger and Now Eric StayKov
Cat x2, Possum, bandicoot x2, Green tree Snake, Sparrow thanks Alex, Budgie,
Upside down turtle, Black snake, Echidna x2, Sheep, Bags of bones
Unidentified smells x3 (megaburn?)
Guest Speaker
Tonight we were treated to two speakers in Rob O'Hanlon and Gabrielle Jones. Rob joined up initially due to a mate but then his buddy pulled out but he decided to continue. Rob has lost friends and family to cancer as well. Gabrielle touched on that she came to Smiddy thanks to a fellow Smiddy rider in Mick Farrag, and that it was good to do something for two close friends she has lost to cancer in the past.
Jersey Recipient
Tonight went to Alex Lewis for being one of the happiest and positive riders in the peloton. Also because he has skinnier calves than Sharky.
Day 2 kicked off with warmer temps than expected, clear skies, bowls of bacon and the beginning of what were to become gale force winds... We suspect these may have been curtesy of the dutch oven in Lance's swag. Some were well rested, others a little worse for wear after spending the night trying to make a sleeping bag from their Smiddy arm warmers - hope you've found the sleeping bag stash for tonight Rob!
We rolled out to the tolling of Kevvie's 500 year old cow bell rung by our awesome host Tony from the Woodenbong Hotel. There was an unconfirmed world first Smiddy roll-out of only 5 minute post schedule, the only point today we were anywhere near on time!!
We quickly met our first climb of the day and Lance proved that wild dogs do crap in the woods. So, if anyone is wondering whether bears really sh*t in the woods... Just ask Lance. P.S. Big thanks to Lead car for the most expensive baby wipes ever!!
Today was a day of dropped chains, rough roads, dodgy bridges and water bottle recovery missions! Dea (the road racer not the crit racer) was fantasising about being a tour rider and threw three bottles just so her team car could deliver the sticky bottle back to her. Meanwhile... Poor old Lance Armstong had to retrieve his own from Kevvie's door.
We started out the day thinking the potholes were big and the road rough. and then we found the bridges! It's unconfirmed, but the holes in those bridges were big enough to swallow bike & rider whole... Has anyone done a headcount yet?? #Note to Eric... Add missing rider number to road kill tally...
Loose teeth and missing filling abounded, we've got some physios... Do we have a dentist??
Morning tea arrived not a moment too soon, after two big climbs, and we can safely say everyone was very glad to see the yellow shirts of our awesome road crew as we rolled round the corner into Legume. There was however, not a lentil in sight or a bar without nuts; but rather more delicious home baking and massages for those who were feeling the k's. Bruce was introduced to the cyclists best friend, evil inflictor of pain, the foam roller in preparation for what lay ahead.
We all know it's a long standing Smiddy tradition to add a bit of gravel into the ride, but today took things to a whole new level, with 160km of gravel, aptly named Lunatic Road. Well, the sign said 16 but this is NSW and they do get things wrong... Not to mention, at least one turtle was noted to have met his maker along this stretch, rumour has it he was riding a bike at the time of his passing.
The first section of our gravel journey followed standard bunch riding etiquette with calls of 'hole left', 'hole right', 'hole centre' albeit with some rather high pitched voiced from the guys, this quickly deteriorated into calls of 'holes left, right, middle, holy sh*t!! Lunch boxes were battered but there were some fantastic bike skills on display as people slid and bumped their way across the corrugated gravel - the bigger the lunch box the harder the fall. Serge loved the gravel so much he pulled up a pew and settled in for the night. It took much encouragement to get us all on the road for the final roll in to lunch.
Lunch was such a welcome sight that an unapproved breaking of ranks occurred when Rocket heard the bell and hit the gas, however, gas prevailed and Wild Dog 'exploded' for the second time today taking line honours!! Serge was so relieved we'd made it he went straight from his bike into the foetal position, not surprising after the 5000km/hr headwind along the 1000km stretch of gravel! An expert eye may have noticed the Smiddy Generals in a top secret conference and soon the one who drew the short straw (not that we're comment on the size of Killer's straw - there was enough lunch box discussion yesterday!) started the all important discussion of rider safety and whether to cut the day short due to the 10000 km/hr winds... Safety first! Speaking of safety first, the lunch break saw many trips to reapply Chamois cream before the all important call was made to cut the day a little short and roll directly into Stanthorpe after lunch; is anyone else regretting that second sandwich...?.
Everyone was relieved with the downhill roll into Stanthorpe, Strava averages were up with KOM's all round and a properly sealed road gave lunch boxes a much needed rest!
We finished the day in the traditional way with hugs all round and a Smiddy huddle. However, we note the huddle was short and sweet and many of our number were soon safely ensconced in front of the footy grand final... Hang on... Was that why we cut the day short...?
There was wine, ciders and beer all round but one face was notably missing... Eric, fresh from his sleep-in this morning, disappointed with not doing the full 1000kms, and weighed down with the responsibility of being road kill monitor for the day was noted to be bonding with the clothesline doing countless chin-ups... When we wandered past on our blogging mission he was noted to be counting 1001, 1002, 1003 ... And it's so unlike a Smiddy rider to exaggerate things!
We hope we have done the blog justice and you've enjoyed our recollections of the day - tall tales or not - we look forward to tomorrow's 2200km ride, with more gales force headwinds and hope it's downhill all the way.
Distance: 113 kms
Ride Time: 5 hours 40 min
Ave Speed: 19.9 km/h
Max Speed: 73 km/h
Climbing: 1945 metres
Min Temp: 12 degrees
Max Temp: 26 degrees
Guest Bloggers
Today's blog brought to you by the MBCC LADSS (Lance, Alex, Dea, Steve & Sel). We're honoured to have the opportunity to contribute to Sharky's blog, a Smiddy institution, and we hope we can uphold the tradition with tall tales and stories from the road.
Road Kill by Roger and Now Eric StayKov
Cat x2, Possum, bandicoot x2, Green tree Snake, Sparrow thanks Alex, Budgie,
Upside down turtle, Black snake, Echidna x2, Sheep, Bags of bones
Unidentified smells x3 (megaburn?)
Guest Speaker
Tonight we were treated to two speakers in Rob O'Hanlon and Gabrielle Jones. Rob joined up initially due to a mate but then his buddy pulled out but he decided to continue. Rob has lost friends and family to cancer as well. Gabrielle touched on that she came to Smiddy thanks to a fellow Smiddy rider in Mick Farrag, and that it was good to do something for two close friends she has lost to cancer in the past.
Jersey Recipient
Tonight went to Alex Lewis for being one of the happiest and positive riders in the peloton. Also because he has skinnier calves than Sharky.
Day 2 kicked off with warmer temps than expected, clear skies, bowls of bacon and the beginning of what were to become gale force winds... We suspect these may have been curtesy of the dutch oven in Lance's swag. Some were well rested, others a little worse for wear after spending the night trying to make a sleeping bag from their Smiddy arm warmers - hope you've found the sleeping bag stash for tonight Rob!
We rolled out to the tolling of Kevvie's 500 year old cow bell rung by our awesome host Tony from the Woodenbong Hotel. There was an unconfirmed world first Smiddy roll-out of only 5 minute post schedule, the only point today we were anywhere near on time!!
We quickly met our first climb of the day and Lance proved that wild dogs do crap in the woods. So, if anyone is wondering whether bears really sh*t in the woods... Just ask Lance. P.S. Big thanks to Lead car for the most expensive baby wipes ever!!
Today was a day of dropped chains, rough roads, dodgy bridges and water bottle recovery missions! Dea (the road racer not the crit racer) was fantasising about being a tour rider and threw three bottles just so her team car could deliver the sticky bottle back to her. Meanwhile... Poor old Lance Armstong had to retrieve his own from Kevvie's door.
We started out the day thinking the potholes were big and the road rough. and then we found the bridges! It's unconfirmed, but the holes in those bridges were big enough to swallow bike & rider whole... Has anyone done a headcount yet?? #Note to Eric... Add missing rider number to road kill tally...
Loose teeth and missing filling abounded, we've got some physios... Do we have a dentist??
Morning tea arrived not a moment too soon, after two big climbs, and we can safely say everyone was very glad to see the yellow shirts of our awesome road crew as we rolled round the corner into Legume. There was however, not a lentil in sight or a bar without nuts; but rather more delicious home baking and massages for those who were feeling the k's. Bruce was introduced to the cyclists best friend, evil inflictor of pain, the foam roller in preparation for what lay ahead.
We all know it's a long standing Smiddy tradition to add a bit of gravel into the ride, but today took things to a whole new level, with 160km of gravel, aptly named Lunatic Road. Well, the sign said 16 but this is NSW and they do get things wrong... Not to mention, at least one turtle was noted to have met his maker along this stretch, rumour has it he was riding a bike at the time of his passing.
The first section of our gravel journey followed standard bunch riding etiquette with calls of 'hole left', 'hole right', 'hole centre' albeit with some rather high pitched voiced from the guys, this quickly deteriorated into calls of 'holes left, right, middle, holy sh*t!! Lunch boxes were battered but there were some fantastic bike skills on display as people slid and bumped their way across the corrugated gravel - the bigger the lunch box the harder the fall. Serge loved the gravel so much he pulled up a pew and settled in for the night. It took much encouragement to get us all on the road for the final roll in to lunch.
Lunch was such a welcome sight that an unapproved breaking of ranks occurred when Rocket heard the bell and hit the gas, however, gas prevailed and Wild Dog 'exploded' for the second time today taking line honours!! Serge was so relieved we'd made it he went straight from his bike into the foetal position, not surprising after the 5000km/hr headwind along the 1000km stretch of gravel! An expert eye may have noticed the Smiddy Generals in a top secret conference and soon the one who drew the short straw (not that we're comment on the size of Killer's straw - there was enough lunch box discussion yesterday!) started the all important discussion of rider safety and whether to cut the day short due to the 10000 km/hr winds... Safety first! Speaking of safety first, the lunch break saw many trips to reapply Chamois cream before the all important call was made to cut the day a little short and roll directly into Stanthorpe after lunch; is anyone else regretting that second sandwich...?.
Everyone was relieved with the downhill roll into Stanthorpe, Strava averages were up with KOM's all round and a properly sealed road gave lunch boxes a much needed rest!
We finished the day in the traditional way with hugs all round and a Smiddy huddle. However, we note the huddle was short and sweet and many of our number were soon safely ensconced in front of the footy grand final... Hang on... Was that why we cut the day short...?
There was wine, ciders and beer all round but one face was notably missing... Eric, fresh from his sleep-in this morning, disappointed with not doing the full 1000kms, and weighed down with the responsibility of being road kill monitor for the day was noted to be bonding with the clothesline doing countless chin-ups... When we wandered past on our blogging mission he was noted to be counting 1001, 1002, 1003 ... And it's so unlike a Smiddy rider to exaggerate things!
We hope we have done the blog justice and you've enjoyed our recollections of the day - tall tales or not - we look forward to tomorrow's 2200km ride, with more gales force headwinds and hope it's downhill all the way.
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