Day 3 – Grafton to Glen Innes – 160kms
Last night’s dinner was hosted at the Grafton District Service Club and there was an excited vibe about the place. It may have been partly due to the rider’s delirium that comes with riding over 200km.
Lots of community members came to show their support and none was more inspiring than Sam. At 11 years old Sam is a brave, cool dude. After undergoing a brutal 12 months of chemo Sam was finally able to ‘ring the bell’. This bell hangs in the cancer ward and is only ever rung when a patient makes it into remission. I’m sure tomorrow, when the hills loom large, the thought of Sam ringing the rope off that bell will help give us the kick we need to make it to the top.
Sam was followed by Jason, who accepted the $10,000 donation on behalf of Grafton Base Hospital Oncology. Jason reflected on the impart that TDC has had on Grafton. ‘Without TDC, stories like Sam’s wouldn’t be possible.’ Cue tissues.
Not surprisingly, the coffee crew was inundated. With the longest day of the Tour yesterday, the thought of the mighty ‘Gibraltar’ range loomed large – the steepest and a true test of our resilience.
The tour set off at 5:30am, whilst some stayed behind for Sunrise duties the rest of us powered on to race the sun to Glen Innes. Clint had me in the lead peloton again and then had me drag him and the crew up the hill. It hurt..but I (secretly) loved every minute!
As the gradient increased, so did the enthusiasm of the support crew. Dotted along the 18km long (3km high) climb were flag waiving, pompom toting bundles of energy. Right around each of the steepest corners we found the boost we needed.
It might sound funny to say but the mountain climb was relatively easy. It was the biggest climb I had ever done – 1,000m over 18kms!
Cruising over the top, ahead of time, we were greeted by a pretty flash lunch. A quick 15mins to fill our bellies, and we were off again.
The afternoon was tough. Tired legs were met with a cold front, carrying heavy rain and gusty winds. The group battled for 65 long, slow kms. The morale in the peloton was high.
Crossing the finishing line was quite a moment. The longest and steepest days – both done!
Until tomorrow – Grafton to Coffs Harbour…
I’m off to bed – I have just been informed I have to be up at 5.30AM – the Sunrise crew have called….
In the meantime some pics from the day….
Chris Richardson
Rider #100 – 2016 TDC Signature Tour
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