At Dawn – We Ride…

Respect then onto the giggles.

The reason for my blog is to keep family and friends back home in Blighty up to date with my ride, bringing them with me on this journey of discovery so to speak – NO! They want to know the pain I’m going through for their sponsorship as I was a right royal pain in the backside as a kid growing up as the youngest of five. With that in mind, I have just completed the weekend qualifier, the last hurdle on my way to the 1000ks 4 kids. Tough riding for two days as a team of 62 riders and full support crew – the plan for Day 1:

• Meet at Jayco 6:15 am.
• Start rolling at 7 am.
• Cruise along the Pacific Highway to Bulahdelah – lunch.
• Conquer the Booral Climb.
• Do the Stroud Town Climb.
• Get over the Stroud Hill Road Incline.
• Navigate the Stroud Road full of potholes.
• Roll into Dungog.

All went according to plan with everyone fit for September, BIG TICK IN BOX.

However, it’s not all-about-craig.blog but respect and thanks to King (aka the Fairy King) and his team.  The day went like a well-oiled machine, and it was obvious the amount of organisation that has gone into this ride.  For someone who has never done anything like this before, it was impressive.  So, who’s who?

The Support Crew: they do everything for you off the bike, prep all the stops with hot food, drinks, nutrition, supplements and water refills.  They control the three safety cars front and back and were on several occasions dressed as chickens and clowns singing motivation songs as you cycled up mountains, take photos, drone shots, mechanical fixes if needed, medical needs if required, organised all the sleeping arrangements, evening meals and of course breakfast.  They are the last to bed and the first out of it – absolutely fantastic job from the CQ crew and the returning volunteers.

The Team Leaders: working with the riders to ensure that we stay in formation, making sure we all work as a team.  They naturally find a position within the group so that riders have someone to follow and work with during long distances.  The motivation was appreciated with a primary task of keeping us safe, and that was at times challenging especially when there is a rolling line of single file riders on busy roads.

The Yellow Jerseys: eight gun cyclists whose job it is to keep the group pedalling and if someone drops out for a reason, they fix it and ride in formation back to the rest of the group.  They are responsible for road safety and traffic management by stopping traffic at roundabouts and junctions, and there are a lot of junctions and roundabouts in a 140ks I can assure you.  Excellent job and I felt safe as a Newbie.

The White Jerseys: GUNS! two of them cycling ahead to organise the oncoming traffic ahead of the yellow jerseys.  On many occasions can be seen cycling along with the single file bike train offering advice and ensuring we are safe.

King:  Leads from the front, organised each section and holds briefing sessions at every stop.  All the above teams have radios and are in constant communication with King, who makes all of the accountable calls.

So that’s the ride team now for my blog on Day 1 of the Weekender, be warned I may exaggerate a little, but there should be enough comedic value to muster a giggle.

Up at daft O’clock (sparrow fart for the Brits), that’s right 5 AM.  Drank my shake made of fresh bananas and Zymil milk and head out to pack my car and who rides past, Phil, my neighbour – so I throw abuse at him for getting up even earlier than my good self – these skippies are crazy.  All loaded and I head off to Jayco in Heatherbrae where I unload the carbon fibre stallion, drop my man bag with the safety car and my overnight bag with the van.  Formed an orderly queue to be breathalysed, put on my gear then a quick check to make sure the undercarriage was still attached because it was brass monkeys out there – found the Orchestra Stalls in my armpits keeping warm.  All good so let’s get this party started, yellow and white riders deployed to get us onto the highway without being taken out by a lorry (or truck for the skippies).  We are underway, and with 70ks of highway cycling and the formation training begins, the Legends were like the Russian Olympic Synchronised Swimming team of 1928 who won 5 Golds in Amsterdam, Google them they were impressive.  Anyone (well me) who dropped out of formation for mechanical reasons were quickly surrounded by at least four yellow jerseys and team leaders, repaired, then made to ride the tyre of one of the Guns at high speed back to the pack with the objective of not puking.

On our arrival at Bulahdelah, bacon and egg butties washed down with coke (sugar intake), fill everything up, take a nature break and check the old orchestras are where they should be – all good, lets hit the road again.  Meander through the countryside until things start to get steep culminating in the Stroud Town Climb – now remember I mentioned chickens and clowns singing motivation songs, well as I progressed slowly up hill in my lowest gear I thought that’s good a welcoming committee to clap me in – NO, I WAS HALF WAY.  Anyway got to the top and had a break ready for the downhill section to Dungog.

Now downhill after a bloody long climb means speed in my book, King wants everyone to go single file in your own time as the road is full of potholes.  POTHOLES it was like the Tour of Flanders, I was shaking that much I lost a filling, and the old orchestras took a battering.  Well, I got through it, and we all rolled into Dungog as a Team of Legends to be greeted with beer, chip butties and scallops (my only concerns was we should have ordered $300 worth of scallops and a small chips).  The support crew allocated our rooms, had a shower which I had to run around in to get wet, changed, evening meal, cheeky pint then off to bed.  I shared a room with a teammate who six foot something and the beds were straight out of the set of The Hobbit.  I slept like a baby, he didn’t but all refreshed to do it all again tomorrow but that’s another blog.

I have recorded Day 1 of the Weekend Qualifier ENJOY!