Post Script to the Posts

It is now over 24 hours since we all dismounted for the last time ... there has been some excitement for the team:

• a presentation to the Rotary conference by Graham, with the team on stage as well
• Graham impressed the audience by telling them the total raised by the riders over 3 years has been over $50,000 !
• a award to one of our riders for "Rotary District 9790 Sportswoman Award for 2011" - which is great recognition for cycling! The award was not given for navigation, it appears.

... but at other times the riders have been seen wandering vaguely around the conference , murmuring "ding ding" or "car back" from time to time.  They seem restless, and reluctant to sit down.  Whenever they see Margaret or Sandra they become much more animated, and only then do they begin to smile or talk.

Medical opinion is that they are clearly sufffering from  a disorder known as Bike Separation Syndrome.  There is only one known remedy for this disorder : get back on  your bike !  It is only 364 days until Ride to Conference 2012 - which will be Wangaratta to Moonee Ponds (no doubt the long way) ...   so,  Dear Reader/Supporter/Friend why don't you join us? - you will be guaranteed  beautiful scenery, great company, fabulous organisation and a really worthwhile cause.

Thank you once again Graham and Margaret and Sandra

from the 2011 Team,

and thank you to our generous sponsors

You have helped to ...

There were mixed emotions on the morning of our last day Riding to End Polio 2011

• elation : we had almost made it !
• apprehension : we still had 92 km to go though
• sadness : we would soon have to say goodbye to each other
• excitement : about the multiple photo shoots planned for today,  the end-of-ride celebrations, with DG Alan Anderson attending, press conferences and even a fly-over !
• pride : in raising over $19,000 for a great cause - eradication of polio is within reach
• hunger : is breakfast ready, John Gatt ?

Highlights of the day
It was a superb day for riding along the rail trail out of Wangaratta - green pastures glowing, blue hills beckoning, magpies warbling, kangaroo grass shimmering, cleats clicking,  riders puffing.
We thought of Our Little Mermaid completing her 900 th 50 m lap !
We were joined today by David Wohlers, who rode until he punctured and then wasn't seen again.
Glenda graduated from a tractor to a light plane and buzzed us over our morning tea stop.
Katrina and Bruce somehow missed the Beechworth turn off - 25 kilometres later, and several hills later,  it dawned on them that they had gone to Myrtleford instead,  and so they had to cycle back all those extra kms again ...they had wasted all that uphill effort, and  missed out on a chicken and avocado focaccia and a vanilla slice, and they had only one tiny muesli bar between them and this was the one day Katrina did not put jelly beans in her pocket .... but she  did not make any of these comments of course, but rode on bravely, trying not to think of Woori Yallock ...
However the two haplesss riders rendezvoused with the Angels, who even  brought the aforementioned  focaccias and vanilla slices, and smiles were restored all around.
Luckily there was still time for the now-traditional visit to the Sam Miranda winery and obligatory photo of The Boys in their Sam Miranda caps ( Secret Men's Business).
Then followed the final leg, a triumphant coast into Wangaratta - to be greeted by the DG, the press, tearful families and a stray dog.
Congratulations Graham "Ernest Shackleton" Brown on getting your Team safely to its destination after 600 km of sweat, blood, tears, grease,  Gatorade, a lot of fun .... and a great cause.

Day 5: Cobram to Wangaratta

Day 5 of The Ride seemed to dawn unfairly early, but our reluctance to leave the comfortable beds of the Charles Sturt Motor Inn  was tempered a little by the smell of the eggs and bacon being cooked by ...The Boys ... yes the author had to rub her eyes to verify the fact.  Margaret and Sandra were so elated they put some flowers in their hair and threatened to ride bikes today ... until they heard the details of the route.  The extra nutrition assisted us for some of our early kms, but we required frequent boosts of energy  - it was Hot, Hard and Hilly , and it was Horribly Long - the promised  108 km was "rounded up " to 110.
We have had some changes to The Team - Joy of Joys - Lance (Trevor Smiith) is back ! ( Alberto looks a bit worried).  Phil Liggatt left us for media duties, but we have been joined by Glenda MacKay, Dave Barrat , Rob Wallace and Eilish Wallace.   These four have all been assigned to our Domestiques - ie they are supposed to help the rest of us get where we are  going. This is a great honour for them, of course, but they don't seem to realise what their duties are.  Glenda has been swanning  around-  in the sag wagon or just cruising on her bike or even  on tractors. (!)
Rider Of The Day award does go to Eilish (age 14)  who rode brilliantly without any Fancy Schmancy Bike or Lycra.
Alberto and El Nino disppeared completely from view today - doing some sort of macho bonding thing in the Warby ranges --both wearing knicker bockers, they apparently think they look cool, but we wonder what local farmers may have thought had they discovered them ?  Having wandered off they then proceded to complain over dinner (or was it boast?)  about the extra kms and extra climbs they had done blah blah blah ... yes we are all impressed ...

Day 4 : Rutherglen to Cobram

The cyclists had an event-packed day today, as they continued their celebrity tour.  Phil Liggatt commenced with an early radio interview - as it was at 6.30 am it was heard only by Graham ...but Graham pronounced Phil's  voice as "mellifluous" and his presentation as "flawless".  The Riding Team were then taken on a tour of Rutherglen, which involved a greet-and-meet for the assembled fans, and much autograph signing.  They were to have been given the keys to the city, but apparently ... no-one could find the Master key.   The team then proceeded onto the Rail Trail , into NSW once again (it is a multi-state tour after all), and then for a household visit to Don and Wendy Burrowes.  The Burroweses won this celebrity opportunity in a raffle : first prize was half an hour with The Team, second prize was an hour.    The Burrowseseses had spent weeks preparing their garden and home for this very special day- "They even ate my scones" said Don "all of them ... and all the jam and all the cream".
Lunch was at Mulwala by the Lake - a welcome cool breeze and shade, for the ride was getting hot.  Another 20 km, and The Team stopped for yet another photo shoot.  Katrina suffered a puncture - of her bike tire that is, and possibly her pride ...when Bruce wrote an unkind caption to the relevant photo (see slide show 15 March).   The team arrived in Cobram  hot and tired after an 86 km day.  Accommodation was  in Cobram's Ritz - where some riders were later seen enjoying the pool . Paparazzi are strictly banned from the hotel.  Screaming girls gathered in the streets outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cadel or El Nino in wet lycra. 
Tonight it was Graham's turn to perform : the Team attended a meeting of the Rotary Club of Cobram, and Graham spoke very emotionally about The Cause.


Alberto :"Io knackered"
(Spanish  for "I am a bit tired")

 Our Little Mermaid, Eileen swam 8 km today, and now has  a total of  29 km, for this trip !

Night has now fallen, cycling tops are strung on trees outside motel rooms, bikes have been lovingly put to bed, and their Riders are lying blissfully horizontally, giving certain parts of their anatomy a rest and some fresh air ! Tomorrow there is over 100 km  to do ...

Snappy haps

Happi Snaps

Day 3 : Culcairn to Rutherglen

From Rosemary and Katrina : in comparison to Day 1 it was easy riding !  The riding conditions in the morning were ideal with cloud cover, no wind and cool temperatures.  First morning tea was at Walla Walla - some of us were not quite sure if this was in NSW or Victoria - and second morning tea (yes!) at the wonderfully named Burrumbuttock -this is a hybrid of two European and Aboriginal words meaning "multiple buttocks in padded shorts".
Photo quiz : Match the burrumbuttocks to the correct team member




  Lunch was  at an idyllic riverside park at the appropriately named Howlong (?NSW or Vic). 




 

Too long !



We were joined today by an international rider - Jon Grundtmann - from Sweden. As there don't seem to be any Swedish cyclists of note, we asked Jon to suggest a new name for himself , and he has modestly suggested "Awesome"..... Awesome it is !




Awesome



 Graham, being a local, met lots of friends along the way ....



Friend of Graham





We are now at Rutherglen and staying at the historic and evocative Victoria Hotel.  Our hosts Sarah Pilgrim and Sean Morris,  have won an award for being a most cycle friendly hotel ...



El Nino and El Nina



As promised, we feature today our riders Alicia and Tony Thomas .  They ride 3 times a week.  Alicia has Italian heritage- in honour of that, and their dogged devotion to cycling, they are to wear the Nino Borsari badge of honour - and henceforth will be known as El Nino and El Nina ... photo to follow.



The legendary Nino Borsari, cycling champion of Italy
and well known cyclist of Melbourne



Borsari's corner, Lygon Street

Tsunami

The Riding to End Polio team is devastated to hear the shocking news of the tsunami.  We can't imagine the horror of it.  We will continue cycling, and be grateful that there is a simple prevention for the scourge of polio - all it takes is will and money - and in this case, it has been the community that has done it.  Eradication of polio from the face of the earth is achievable; sadly prevention of tsunamis is probably not.  Our thoughts, prayers and sympathy to all those affected in Japan.

Day 2 : Walwa to Culcairn

ward round

The day started with Graham suggesting that we round up our 92 km ride to 95 km - not quite sure of the reasoning - hope he doesn't decide to round up even further tomorrow (also could be contravening some ACCC legislation concerning rounding ??). So instead of leaving Walwa directly we had a tour of the Murray River, Jingellic and whatever else Graham felt like.  Cadel soon figured out what was going on and decided to do a ward round of local farms instead.

He claimed to not have time to see all the patients waiting for him.

We have a couple of new celebrities on our ride : the first is a media personality known for his silver tongue and readiness to share his extensive knowledge on a range of subjects (including cycling) - Ray "Phil Liggett" Terrill.


"Phil Liggett" in the limelight, taking yet another media call

The second is  John "Alberto Contador" Fry.  John has earned this title after demonstrating impressive endurance - he has ridden the last 2 days with a broken spoke on the rear wheel - meaning he hasn't been able to brake on the back wheel.  Rumour has it that  this was a strategic move to foil Cadel - as the ancient Romans did with spikes on their chariot wheels.


Alberto and chariot wheel

Two riders who have kept a low profile to date are Alicia and Tony Thomas from Yarrawonga Club - but rest assured they will be exposed in tomorrow's blog.

The ride itself took us through tranquil pastoral vistas, though our reveries were interrupted by a couple of killer hills between morning tea (Lankey's Creek) and lunch (Holbrook).  Aforementioned killer uphills were followed surprisingly by a massive downhill.  Alberto , on front brakes only, recorded a terminal velocity (almost literally) of 68 km/hr .

The team is based at Culcairn for the night. The dinner at the Culcairn Hotel was excellent, and we were regaled by John Gatt describing how he wooed Eileen.  Apparently he inducted her into Rotary, then installed some software six months later.  The hardware installation came later again.  Incidentally, we hear he has changed his knobblies to slicks.

The highlight of the day was the discovery of a box in the hotel  containing some long standing charitable donations.  The proprietors told us these had been donated for disabled children, and they have decided to direct them to Polio Plus.  We thank Paul and Patricia Watson for their thoughtfulness.



 

Paul and Patricia Watson, with Ray Luck





Our wonderful cook and our generous hostess at the Culcairn Hotel



Australia Felix



Australia Felix



Dear Friends,

Your intrepid Riding to End Polio team is somewhat weary tonight after 115 km on the road today - it was a most beautiful riding day over a full Hume Weir, through lush pastures, full of fat cattle - truly Australia Felix. There was the occasional change in gradient - termed by some an undulation , others an incline, others a hill and the realistic ones a mountain  .

A few details from the day :



Pick the DG



media scrum



• We were farewelled in Albury at 8.30  by Past District Governor David Cooke, and gingerly negotiated the media scrum. 
• Most team members obeyed instruction of "small soft sided bag"



John "Cadel" Paton's small soft-sided bag

• We now have  two angels - Chief (?arch-) Executive Angel (Margaret) and Asst Angel (Sandra)
• The traditional cheering crowds lined the route, and our team  responded with waves and kisses.... at least initially.  Morning tea was at 32 km at Talgarno. By lunch at 68 km at Thologolong  ( I kid you not)  some members were suffering cramps , some stomach pains , and some, shall we say, heavy weather in the nether. Waves and kisses were less frequent.   I would suggest that one of the crampers , at least, needs to slow down and not try to keep up with the Young Bloods. 
• Rosemary and Michael have received offical monikers - since they never stop talking about  all their European cycling, they will carry the revered name of Hubert "Oppy"- and  they will be known as Opperman and Opperwoman.
• We are now in Walwa - we have increased the population here by about 100%.  We had a great pub dinner, tops and knicks are washed (Bruce, have you washed yours ?), and most of the team members are gently snoring and dreaming of another 90 km of bitumen tomorrow.

Chief Executive Angel

Thank you Friends for your support and interest.

The Man from Mt Stromlo

At dinner in Albury on the night before our bike ride we encountered some local yobbos (see pic) - purporting to be relatives of Katrina - obviously anxious to garner some reflected fame and glory.  They claimed they were on their way to the 3 Peaks Ride to act as supporters and crew ....a likely story ...we know all they'll be supporting is the cappucino machine .

We also met a bicycling legend - the Man from Mt Stromlo - who told us how he did a 360 over a kangaroo, still in his cleats ... made contact with the kangaroo with his head, and with the road with his face ... gave the facio-maxillary surgeons and  the orthopods some work.  he now has a beautiful smile - see photo.  So does the kangaroo.

It's amazing what plastic surgeons can fix

The Man from Mt Stromlo is undeterred and was passing through Albury on his way to do the 3 Peaks Ride - now that is a Real Man.

one more sleep ....

Rosemary and Michael and Bruce carbo loading

Dear Virtual Riders,
Our big ride starts tomorrow ... we are in Albury ...and have met 2 of our companions for the next 555 km -Rosemary and Michael  ... who not only have carbon fibre in their bikes, but seem to have cycled the whole of Europe .  Not to be outdone, we told them of our massive epic ride from Lilydale to Woori Yallock AND BEYOND (for some) ...

two bikes at the Hume motel - all ready for the Big Ride

medicinal purposes only... getting rid of the nerves

So it will be an early night, as we contemplate 115 km tomorrow !  We will have a joyous reunion tomorrow with our Bike Support Angel Margaret Brown, and our resolute leader Graham Brown.  Plus we will meet the rest of the group - yes ... Cadel will be back, and our King of the Mountains and the Little Mermaid (in-jokes for 2010 blog readers) ....and some new riders - a group of ten in all - this could be the beginning of a song ...ten green riders etc etc
Hope I am not the first rider to "accidentally fall " (behind)


 Katrina

Servicing

From Katrina :
 As we approach our big ride my mind turns to servicing - should I take my bike to be serviced ?  What about Bruce - should he go in for a service too ?  They could go in together -two for the price of one - or should we do it ourselves ?  I dutifully google "bicycle service" ....   and I discover that many items in a bike service could apply to Bruce as well, as follows  - (where you see the word "Bike" substitute "Bruce" ....)
.. the italics are my notes !

Cleaning -- It is important to start with a clean bike (or Bruce). Keeping your bike clean will extend the life of your components. As you clean the bike take the time to inspect everything (their words not mine). Look for cracks or other signs of wear that could cause future breakdowns or part failures (we definitely don't want that).  Clean the chain, chainrings, cassette, derailleurs, etc. with a biodegradable cleaner.  Use an old tooth brush and clean everything (Would you like a soft, medium or hard brush, Bruce ?). Use as little water as possible (Bruce will approve of that ). Clean the pedals, the brakes, tires, rims, and the frame. Remove the seatpost from the frame and wipe off any dirt. (this could be a bit uncomfortable, be brave Bruce). Wipe the inside of the frame where the seatpost slides into (ouch).  Apply a very small amount of good grease (only the best of course) to the post and reinstall.

Brake System -(Bruce has brakes on most of the time - except when on the way to Woori Yallock - so brakes do need checking) Check the brake pads. Unfasten the brake cable and look at the brake pads closely. The pads should be wearing evenly. If you have a ridge in the pads then your brakes may need to be adjusted. If the pads are worn or not smooth then get some new pads. Old brake pads tend to harden and If the pads are ok then reconnect the straddle cable and squeeze the brakes.(just take deep breaths, Bruce). Do the pads strike the rim at the same time? You can adjust the brake arm tension screw that is usually on one of the brake arms so the brakes are even (awake now Bruce?).

Wheels - Clean the rims with a cloth and rubbing alcohol, beer won't work (sorry about that )! Check the rim for pits or grooves in the sidewall of the rim. Spin the wheels. Do they go around straight or do they wobble -? You can make minor adjustments to the wheel with a spoke wrench (wrench , not wench Bruce). For major tweaking take it to a shop or use a truing stand and get it back in true (that means tell the truth about W. Yallock, or you will be put onto a truing stand and given a major tweak).

 Drive train -- Elevate the rear wheel and spin the pedals. This is where a stand comes in handy. Shift through all the rear gears. Shifting from gear to gear should be smooth. If it skips try adjusting your rear derailleur(skipping unlikely - has anyone seen Bruce skipping lately ?) If this fails to correct the problem your chain, cogset, and chainrings may be worn. The chain is the first to go. Chains last from 6 months to a year. A good chain only costs $15-40 and is well worth the investment. Examine your chain closely for side slop (see photo) and stretch which are signs that your chain is wearing out. If your chain is worn it can prematurely wear on your cogs and rings. In the front try shifting the derailleur. Adjust your front derailleur if needed. Check the front chainrings for excessive wear or missing teeth (yes, some are).  Small chainrings wear out much faster your larger ones. If all is well your bike will now shift perfect (  Bruce will shift perfect-ly, for sure ....but he would never shift perfect).   Apply some fresh lube of your preference (we'll lash out and get some Vaseline).




cold this be early side slop?



Tires -- If the brake pads were out of alignment they may have damaged the tires. Check tires for splits, cracks, or tears in the sidewall. Check the tread of the tire for worn knobs (no danger of that !) , uneven tread wear, or excessive wear. Replace the tires if needed. There is nothing worse than having a tire blow out because it needed to be replaced ( I think  Bruce has learned that lesson - see last year's blog!)

Lube -- Apply lubrication to the chain. It should be applied so there is an even coat on the inside and outside of each link and between the pins and rollers. Leave it one for a few minutes, then wipe off the excess lube with a rag. A few drops should be added to the cables at the nipple end (we'll let Bruce do that bit himself).. Gore-Tex and other Teflon cables should never be lubricated. All the pivot points on the front and rear derailleur should be oiled. (derailleur Bruce, whch is different from derriere - both words may be from the same language,  but they have quite different meanings).  Apply a few drops to the brake lever pivots and to the exposed brake cable.

Is everything tight? Check all nuts and bolts on the bike. Do not over-tighten any of the quick releases or bolts. For Shimano torque specifications click here. Congratulations if you made it through and completed your spring tune-up (are you still there Bruce ?  oops he's gone !  ....Back to Woori Yallock I suspect)

The Cog Blog

Many of our readers will know that Bruce occasionally edits a weekly newsletter "The Cog" for the Rotary Club of Heidelberg. On our bike ride this week we found a special place for Bruce.



Not Gog and Magog ...but Cog and Blog !!
(same hairdresser ??)



...a land of drought and flooding rain ...and great coffee at the Cog bike cafe !




Bruce in top gear
( preparing to speed away from his loyal riding companion ?)



where - y - yallock ?

Dear Readers
Below pls find two versions of our training ride this week
the Authorised Version (from Katrina) and the Alternative ("In your dreams, Bruce") Version from Bruce:
Authorised Version : 
10 am : Bruce calls, and asks if I would like to do the Lilydale-Warburton Rail Trail - of course I agree with alacrity -  Bruce says he would be picking me and  bike up at about 12 midday.  
2.30 : Bruce arrives, and so we do not make the beginning of trail til 3.30.
3.30:  Bruce  decides we can only do half the trail - maybe to a place called Woori Yallock and back.  Bruce announces airily he is leaving his phone in the car.
3.40 :We set off companiably, riding together as might be expected when you are going for a ride together. 
3.45: We have a coffee at "The Cog" (see next post) then continue on together for a while.
4.00: Suddenly, without any warning, Bruce speeds up and peddles off into the distance.  I realise he is wanting to "gallop" for a bit after cantering /? trotting/? walking along with me and think to myself he will stop after a while .... I think we are getting close to Woori Yallock, though don't really know,  and feel sure that Bruce will wait for me there .  
5.00 : After about an hour more of riding I wonder where Woori Yallock can be ?  A turn off to a few shops appears - I explore up there - but no Bruce, no visible bike .  I continue on the main trail ... till it runs out. 
5.15 : I find myself on a major road - no bike trail - no Bruce .   I have to peddle along the shoulder of this highway for a few km until I come to what seems to be a large town.  I find a few teenagers on skateboards in a reserve, and ask them (feeling quite embarrassed) what the name of this town is ?  Fortunately they don't laugh audibly, but tell me it is Yarra Junction - a place I have heard of , but have never been to.   So I call Bruce's phone and leave  him very polite messages  as to where I am and  what I plan to do - turn back and ride back to the car, hoping I will make it before sunset.  I buy a packet of jelly beans and eat the whole lot -do not save even one for Bruce.  That makes me feel a bit better.
5.45: Finally, Bruce calls - he has gone back to the car, retrieved his phone and decided to make contact with the person he was supposed to be riding with ... what was her name again ?
6.30: Bruce picks me up at Launching Place (half way beween Yarra Junction and Woori Yallock apparently).  Not much conversation on the way home - I must have been tired .

Rotary helping everywhere ....
except at where-y-yallock ?

Alternative Version :

The Facts :

• There were some unavoidable delays at the start of the day
• Planned ride was altered to Lilydale - Woori Yallock and return
• Approx 3km from Woori Yallock Bruce accelerates from 15km/hr to 30km/hr in order to improve aerobic fitness and find place for coffee in Woori Yallock
• Bruce rides 500 metres from Woori Yallock station (pictured below, how could she miss it?)  towards shops and then back to the station and waits, and waits
• No sign of Katrina; has she had a puncture, fallen off the bike or thrown a wobbly and gone back to Lilydale? 
• Bruce rides back towards Lilydale for 3km but no sign of Katrina
• He returns to Woori Yallock station and waits, still no sign so he cycles at high speed to car in Lilydale and receives several voice messages from Katrina who is where? Yarra Junction first then Launching Place! What the...!
• Katrina is then rescued by gallant companion - quiet trip back to Melbourne