Robe to Mount Gambier – 145kms…but not for me…

 

Well it happened…the awful weather we’ve been riding in plus going into the tour with a bit of a cold has hit me…and hit me hard.

When I was awakened by my alarm this morning I felt like death. I could not move. When I tried to sit up I felt that I couldn’t breathe properly. When I finally stood I was dizzy and soon sat down again (before I fell). I tried every trick I knew…hot shower, asthma puffer, warm water…nope I was gone. I dragged myself down to the meeting place and located the medical team. After a quick chat it was decided that I wouldn’t ride today.

I was devastated. Not for the first time since the start of the tour I shed a tear. I have been working so hard for this opportunity to ride. I had trained hard. I had fund raised hard…and now all I could do was sit in a car and watch the bunch ride away.

 

So I had two options…sit and feel sorry for myself or take the time to view the tour from a different perspective…and maybe even help out in ways that I couldn’t whilst riding the bike.

 

Now most people who know about the Tour de Cure think about all the riders passing through the beautiful Australian bush whilst raising awareness of living a healthy lifestyle and giving money to organisations who are trying to assist people who have cancer. They might have seen ‘Baretts’ or ‘JT’ on Sunrise sharing their journey on the tour (and yes they ride as hard as any other member of the team).

 

Well there’s more to it…much more.

 

Think of a duck swimming on a beautiful pond gracefully moving from one side to the other. Underneath the water its little webbed feet are frantically moving backwards and forwards to keep the duck moving. In the tour we have our own webbed feet…they’re called the Support Crew.

   

Behind the scenes of the Tour de Cure there is another 50 individuals working hard to make sure everything goes to plan. They are often up before the riders and off to bed late at night.

 

Some roles (not all…because there are so many) include:

• Drivers and navigators
• Cooks and coffee makers (very important for me)
• Logistics person/s who ensure accommodation, specials dinners, and school visits is organised
• Truck drivers to transport all the gear
• Laundry (Orange Sky Laundry rocks) washing 100 sets of cycling clothes every day
• Massage and sports therapist
• Bike mechanics
• Media team – taking photos, making videos updating blogs
• Medical team (who I got to visit today)
• And much more

 

These awesome people are constantly setting up or packing up things. They feed the riders, clothe the riders and put the riders to bed. Without these amazing individuals the Tour de Cure would not exist.

So a BIG thank you to the Support Team – you guys rock

 

Seeya tomorrow (hopefully back on the bike)

 

Kent

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