Day one: Sydney to Bundanoon
Anyone who was under the impression that day one would provide the riders with a nice soft introduction to the 2014 Tour de Cure were sorely mistaken today. Not only was it a big day on the bike with circa 150 kilometres covered that included 1,800 vertical metres of climbing, but conditions could only be described by one word – wet! The first half of the ride was fairly hairy as we travelled along Sydney’s motorways to make our way through Sydney and it’s surrounds. The second half of the ride was incredibly picturesque as we made our way through the southern highlands passing through some beautiful towns like Moss Vale, Bowral, Mittagon, Exeter and finally our destination Bundanoon. The mechanics were also kept busy with no fewer than ten punctures, including one for yours truly half way up one of the main climbs for the day (the so called “Razorback” just out of Camden). Any cobwebs I may have accumulated during my quiet week leading up to the tour were well and truly blown away in the subsequent chase for the main group after the puncture was repaired. Note to self: Always get punctures on downhill sections of road.
The highlight of the day was without question the school visit to St. Paul’s Primary School. As we entered the school gates, I wasn’t sure whether I was at a primary school in Camden or at a fully packed MCG such was the noise the children made for us. As those of you who followed my blog during last year’s tour would know, Tour de Cure visit primary schools to spread their “Be Fit, Be Happy, Be Healthy” message to the school children. With the statistic that 1 in 3 cancer diagnoses are preventable by making the correct lifestyle choices, the aim of the visits is to educate children at a young age of the importance of making these lifestyle choices. In many cases, the best cure for cancer (and perhaps the only cure) is prevention.
At tonight’s community dinner, we heard from John Rasko, an extraordinarily intelligent professor of haematology from Sydney who outlined how a laboratory he runs has made use of the funds Tour de Cure has provided him with. The funding was used to purchase equipment that enabled his laboratory to undertake groundbreaking research into gene expression that provides clues into how tumours form. The research was subsequently published in the renowned journal Cell, and has received world wide attention. It is a great example of how the money we are raising is making a real difference.
Tomorrow sees us travel 150 kilometres to the nation’s capital. A special guest ride by the PM perhaps? I might have to wear my blue tie.
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