Day 10: Wyong to Sydney (THE FINAL LEG)
This is it Willie – one final update from you mate and you are done. Take it away…
Giddyup – let’s do it!
Well, it’s a strange feeling waking up on the final day of tour, partly because it’s 4am and my sleep deprivation has well and truly caught up with me. I’m running on a potent mixture of adrenaline and caffeine, which makes me super freakin pumped….to get to the end and have a nap.
We rolled out of Wyong in the pitch black. In tow was JT and a select group riders, who had volunteered to help get him to Ettalong Ferry Wharf in time for his first live tv cross.
As you might expect, the only riders crazy enough to volunteer for such a task were guys who thought it might be a good chance to ‘stretch their legs’. I tried to tell them that the Vittoria coffee van wasn’t working, worried that adding extra caffeine would only make these overly-enthusiastic nutters even more competitive. It was no use.
A few double macchiato’s down the hatch and we were off. The crew of 8 riders set a furious pace, averaging over 40km/hr over the first half of lumpy terrain. Being held up by traffic lights near the end only slowed the overall average marginally, as we completed the 39 km leg in an hour and 2 minutes. If you’re not sure how fast that is, check out JT’s glazed-over eyes in some of the early morning pics.
The Ferry to Palm Beach would have to rate close to the top of my tour experiences. We managed to squeeze everyone onto the same ferry, which made for a very intimate trip. To think that just 10 days ago some of these people were strangers is slightly hard to comprehend. The support, camaraderie and friendships I’ve experienced on tour is greater than I could’ve ever imagined.
On our final leg across the Harbour Bridge, the question at the tip of everyone’s tongue was – ‘will you be coming back for another tour?’ The best answer I heard was,
“I hope I don’t have to. I hope we find a way to cure cancer, so that one day these tours are about nothing more than cycling and mateship. But until that day, you’re damn right I’ll be back!”
And over the past 10 days we have been proud to have granted $10,000 each to the following very deserving projects;
- Cancer Council Queensland: to help supply an upgrade to the Charles Wanstall Lodge which provides a home for remote cancer patients while they receive treatment.
- Oncology North Coast: the grant will fund clinical assessment equipment for a new cancer clinical trials unit. This consultation room for the trials unit needs sophisticated clinical assessment equipment and an electric bed for examination.
- Grafton Base Hospital Oncology: grant will help purchase a new chemotherapy chair to provide countless patients optimal care & support.
- CanAssist: $10,000 to both the Forster and Glen Innes branches of CanAssist. These grants will go towards financial assistance for families affected by cancer allowing up to 40 families to access funds.
- Quest for Life: help sponsor a three day workshop facilitated by Quest for Life in October of each year. The workshop is held at Yaraandoo Eco Lodge, near Ebor.
- Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation: grant will support a cancer outreach clinic which services Coffs Harbour and surrounds. The clinic is a branch of Sydney Children’s Hospital Foundation. It provides essential follow-up treatment to around 16 children who have received bone marrow transplants.
- Camp Quality: will help fund a family camp in Port Macquarie in 2016. This camp provides children and their families living with cancer a break from the stresses of home and hospital. It is designed to help families recharge, reduce stress levels and strengthen their resilience and ability to cope.
- Cancer Council (Erina): grant will facilitate the production of a Cancer Care Diary – designed and printed for use throughout Hunter and Central Coast to support local cancer patients and carers to keep track of appointments, medications, questions for health professionals and access to Allied Health services.
- Coast Can Care: This grant will contribute to Coast Can Care’s wellness program. Coast Can Care hosts workshops designed to enhance the quality of life for cancer patients.
Signing off for another year,
I’m Willie Maykit, and I made it…again!
Kudos to you Willie. A job well done.
And to wrap up things from me, the early morning fast dash to the ferry was indeed one way to start the heart and wake you up. We all piled on the ferry across to Palm Beach – fair to say there were no spare seats.
JT did a couple of his Weekend Sunrise weather crosses from onboard the ferry and I was sitting behind these chaps as they lost their hair on air to raise money. One of them had the world’s best mullets. Take a look below;
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
The ride from Palm Beach through the northern beach suburbs was amazingly scenic, and also amazingly opulent. You get to see where the rich and famous have their holidays houses (= mansions).
One of the highlights of the tour would have to be riding across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Not every day you get the chance to do this! We all regrouped up at the Sydney Observatory then cruised down into Darling Harbour to the finish line…at last…to a massive reception. What a finish! What a tour! I need to lie down 🙂
Before you read the final stats update below there is a must watch highlights reel of 10 days crammed into a few minutes, with some very impressive camera/drone work.
Donation tally update:
Over the past week since returning from the tour more donations have come in and the total currently sits just shy of my $20,000 target – at an incredible $19,118!!!
Final stats update:
Distance ridden: 85km (1,541km in total)
Elevation climbed: 840m (12,590m in total)
Time ridden: 3 hrs 19 min (57 hrs 44 min in total)
(And for the last day, no punctures!… )
– See more at: https://www.mytourdecure.com.au/darena/?p=566
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