Hastings Point – 29th April 2016
143kms, 1,106m elevation
Recap Day 0
THis is help of TDC- Willi makeit as I am so tired and are heading to bed for a 4.20am start tomorrow.
Well, it’s finally here, Day 0 of the 2016 Tour de Cure!! Strangely enough I found myself a little lost without my bike this morning (maybe because I was away from normal life and family). When I signed up to ride the 2016 Tour, just 9 months ago, I never thought I’d actually make it. But here I am! All of those early morning training rides, stretching sessions and fundraising events have left me slightly exhausted, but excited to get rolling tomorrow.
Arriving in Brisbane early this afternoon, I was greeted by a sea of black TdC shirts. WE unpacked the truck and help with bikes. Then realised my friends phone was stolen. The day started out helping friends and then moved to the gut wrenching feeling of all Jodi’s major cards, money and phone was stolen by someone a day before tour, we could see them take it to the units but police could not find it. It was an upsetting start to tour for poor Jodi and I felt her pain. Fortunately she had a spare phone and sim to use for tour.
Geoff, Sam and Gary (TdC founders) gave a quick briefing just before dinner, which really reminded me of why I’m riding. We were told that to date, TDC has funded over 200 cancer projects! As well as cancer support and prevention, these projects have led to 18 cancer research breakthroughs! 18!! Having personally been touched by cancer, and seeing the devastating effects it has on everyone it touches, it’s comforting to know that my fundraising efforts are making a difference.
At dinner I was told I need to ‘eat for tomorrow’. Apparently we’ll be burning so many calories that we’ll need to pre-load our bodys’ fuel stores every night. One look at the amazing food on offer and I was happy to oblige.
Tomorrow we’ll start our 1460km journey to Sydney (at around 6am O_o). We’ll visit schools, climb hills, share stories and hopefully give cancer a good kick in the pants.
I’ll touch base again tomorrow evening with a few more pictures, stories and hopefully some exciting news on the fundraising front.
Until then, I’m (a very tired and very full) Willy Maykit.
Day 1 – Brisbane to Hastings (137km)
Last nights dinner was quite an emotional experience. The highlight for me was the address by Sally McAuliffe, who shared the story of her son Connor and his brave battle against cancer. There was not a dry eye in the room, but the overwhelming message from Sally was one of gratitude, perspective and positivity.
Sally was followed by the category jersey presentation, which awards 6 coloured jerseys, each of which correspond to values we all strive to exhibit before, during and after tour. The respective winners for Day 0 were:
Green ‘Awareness’ – Simon McCarroll
Orange ‘Doer’ – Anastasia Siridopolous
White ‘Focus’ – Murray King
Blue ‘Guts/Grit’ – Ben Yoffa
Pink ‘Inspiring Others’ – Meg Nuttall
Yellow ‘Attitude’ – Malcolm Heath
This morning began early (5:45am) with a hint of rain. But, a potent combination of Day 1 nerves and Vittoria coffee kept us warm and had us all rearing to get on the road. Photos, food, hugs and high-fives were the order of the morning and I even managed to get my face on Channel 7 Sunrise, just behind the charismatic Mark Beretta.
The 1,470 km coastal journey from Brisbane to Sydney is set to take 10 days and to be honest, I’m equal parts excited and terrified. The route is an absolute classic Aussie road trip, full of white beaches, breathtaking coastline and notable ‘big’ things, however tackling it on a bike is sure to be a little less leisurely.
Day 1 is always tough with so much traffic, first ride together and so much nerves and adrenalin kicking around. It’s always quite nerve wracking and nice to get into the end of the ride and finish Day 1 safe and sound.
IT wouldn’t be day one without rain and some wind but not as bad as last year.
Great team and group of amazing people. So much love for a great cause and I am so grateful to be part of this for the 4th time.
Today was a slightly wet 137km, winding our way from Kangaroo Point to Hastings. As always, a major focus of the TDC is spreading the message that 60% of cancer deaths are preventable. We spread this message by stopping in at schools, handing out special ‘cancer packs’ and engaging with the next generation. Ultimately, they are the ones best equipped to spark real change.
Today we stopped in at Greenslopes, MacGregor and Oxenford State Schools, and holy moley were we greeted like rock stars!
The smiling faces and waves of excitement soothed our aching legs and lifted our slightly damp spirits. This stop was the first time I saw the Flipman presentation. It’s a super fun, interactive, kinda quirky cancer prevention talk, using our cartoon super hero Flipman. The kids learn all about being Fit, Healthy and Happy, and are then given take home ‘cancer packs’.
Nomes
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