Day 6: Coffs Harbour to Crescent Head
Another day under the belt. Willie, what have you got for us today?
I must’ve aged 20 years overnight, because according to my roomie I was making ‘old man sounds’ as I crawled out of bed this morning. It seems as though the hills have finally caught up with me. My legs are sore and my brain is tired.
On Day 1 a TdC vet warned me, ‘each person has their hump day, your valley of despair day.’ He wasn’t kidding. Lying in bed this morning, wishing away my alarm, I found myself thinking about burning my bike in a ceremonial farewell to the entire sport of cycling.
The thought of another 160km of ‘rolling’ terrain was about as appealing as an old-school prostate exam. While I’m on the topic, if you’re over 40 (and male ;)) now is the time to get your PSA levels checked. These days it’s just a simple blood test, so no excuses!
The mood at breakfast was slightly subdued, despite the stunning setting by the beach at Coffs Harbour. By 7am we could already feel the pinch of the sun. But still, the Vittoria coffee crew were in hot demand – pumping out over 100 coffees in just 90 minutes!!
We rolled out sluggishly, headed for Macksville Public School. This was a day for the TdC veterans to step up, and boy did they ever! With no great fuss, they took charge of the engine room (front 3 pairs of riders) and tapped out a smooth, consistent pace. More importantly, they kept the chatter up. On the quieter sections of road they told jokes and sung old rock classics amongst other things. This really helped to lift spirits and pass the time.
Before we knew it, we arrived at Macksville Primary School. There were definitely a few frazzled looking riders limping into lunch, myself included. A good feed and a stirring pep talk by our peloton leader Robbo was just what we needed.
After lunch we snaked our way through luscious green countryside, dense forest clearing to reveal farms that’d been lost in time. There were more than a few ‘WOW’ moments.
We arrived at Crescent Head just before 4pm, giving us enough time to jump in the (cold) pool before dinner to help get the lactic acid out of the legs. As I type my mind flashes back to a conversation I had with one of our support crew members a few days ago. She shared with me how she had lost her mother to stomach cancer just a few months earlier. I was touched by her story, but the part that really stuck in my mind was when she said,
You know, you never really appreciate the little things until they’re gone. My mum said me she’d never really appreciated the simple joy of eating until they had to feed her with a tube…and I never fully appreciated time with my mum until she was gone.”
For me, these are the moments that make tough days like today all worth it. It’s not just the money we raise, or the people we help, it’s the chance to share our story, to let the memory of our loved ones live on, if only for a brief moment.
Until tomorrow,
I’m Willie Maykit.
Thanks Willie. Hope you can see the light at the end of the tunnel after defeating your ‘hump day’.
Not sure what happened but the peleton that I was in departed last of all, and somehow we managed to ride over 10km’s more than specified on the schedule, and we arrived well and truly after the sun had gone down. So no pool recovery for us, and we were late for dinner. I can tell you it is pretty tough when you set yourself mentally to ride 160km, then it creeps up to 165, to 170, ending at 174km! Not what one needs at this stage of proceedings. Perhaps we took the more ‘scenic route’.
Anyway, our morning start from Coffs was nothing short of stunning. Beautiful weather and a vista on the beach. Here we line up ready for the Channel 7 Sunrise cross as we depart (makeup, camera, action!!!). And the superb weather prevailed all day. Big focus on hydration given the unseasonal heat in this part of the country.
A quick stats update…
Donation tally update:
Still sitting at approx $16,750. Thank you to everyone who has kindly donated so far!
Stats update:
Distance ridden: 174km (996km in total)
Elevation climbed: 1,150m (8,615m in total)
Time ridden: 6 hrs 44 min (38 hrs 15 min in total)
(No punctures for me today… ? ? ? ? ? 🙂 )
Leave a message for me:
If you want you can even spread the word and post it on facebook.
