Day 9 - Sandy Hollow to Muswellbrook

Day 9 started out a little slowly - everyone had a very late night, but awesome fun.   The Sandy Hollow pub had never seen so many people.   After the success of completing the 144 kms into Sandy Hollow, everyone was on a high and were keen to party and some of them didn't get to bed until 2.00 a.m.

The Denman Lions Club arrived, set up and cooked everyone a yummy hot breakfast.  The riders slowly dribbled into breakfast all looking a bit weary.   This morning the riders didn't have to leave to start riding until 9.30 a.m. as it was only a 40 km ride into Muswellbrook.

The riders got into Muswellbrook at about 11.30 a.m. and arrived at the Park opposite the accommodation where the wonderful Muswellbrook Lioness Club once again provided an incredible lunch and their awesome homemade cakes - we love visiting these lovely ladies each year.

As today is Family Day, there were lots of families waiting to greet their loved ones and they all stayed all afternoon and some stayed overnight and the riders went and had the night with their families.

We had a wonderful BBQ tonight cooked by Bill and Ben and the jukebox was blaring out.  Everyone is on such a high with only one more day to go before we are home.

Tonight's Jersey winners get to keep their Jerseys as they are voted on by their fellow riders and they have the privilege of wearing them tomorrow and across the finish line tomorrow.

The Rider's Joker Jersey went to Warney
The Rider's Most Supportive Jersey went to Jarrett
The Rider's King of the Mountain Jersey went to Kate and Sally L
The Support Crew Joker Jersey went to Bill and Ben
The Rider's Most Supportive Jersey went to Davey

Fines for tonight were handed out by Big G once again - some of them were:-

The runners for going for a run after riding each day
Greg for a carrot incident at last night's after party
House just because
Reno Ricky for flicking a shrub into Bully's wheels
Redgrove for jumping to the front of the food queue
Damo for dancing to the spice girls

The final winner of the Team Tally is Team Subtilis and they will be the ones leading the pack to cross the finish line - congratulations.

A new award was introduced this year where the Support Crew get to vote who is their favourite rider of the tour and the winner was Jarrod B - loved by everyone.   Jarrod's trophy was a tiny bike that needs to be bought back each year to go to the next winner.

Lots of thanks and goodbyes were said and now everyone is enjoying some last drinks and time with each other before the last day of the ride tomorrow.

Can't wait to cross that finish line, see all our family and friends and announce our final tally.

Until tomorrow.
Donna. x

Day 8 - Gulgong to Sandy Hollow

Day 8 and everyone is up bright an early in anticipation of the big day ahead - almost 143 km peddaling into Sandy Hollow and there are already some very sore butts.

Support Crew had a big breakfast of bacon, eggs, toast, cereal and yoghurt ready for them and Yas had the coffee machine fired up.

They were so eager to get on the road that they left 15 minutes early.  We didn't visit any Schools today as it was such a big day they just kept riding.

First lunch stop Kath and Maree and Bill and Ben had yummy wraps set up for them - the girls and Bill and Ben have been doing an awesome job of keeping them all fed and hydrated.  The wraps and sandwiches have been so nice and fresh and everyone has loved them.

The riders set off again until they came to a second lunch stop at Merriwa where once again The Supply girls and their assistants Bill and Ben had hot chips and scallops with bread rolls ready for them to eat.   They were very excited to see this and it was like a pack of seagulls grabbing the chips!

Then it was back on their bikes again for the last 30 km stint into Sandy Hollow Caravan Park where we are all staying tonight.

Once they all arrived there were cheers, hugs and high fives all round - they are so amazing and despite the fact they must be really hurting, you don't hear a word from them.

Team Belmore Hotel and Team Subtilis have given money tonight for us to purchase beers, wine and champagne for everyone when they finsih today and they were glad to grab a nice cold drink when they arrived.

The usual afternoon of showers, massages, rests and lots of chatter started up and everyone sat around in the sun enjoying each other's company.  Support Crew were hard at it doing all the laundry for everyone, preparing tonight's dinner (BBQ), filling up cars, etc. ready to go again tomorrow.  The Support Crew are so amazing and everyone of them goes above and beyond to make sure all the riders are looked after - amazing people.

Tonight's dinner is a BBQ cooked by our awesome Support Crew - steak, rissoles, potatoes and salads - everyone really enjoyed it.

After dinner the Jerseys were handed out as follows:-

Support Crew Joker Jersey went to Bill (Ian) for leaving his $9,000 hearing aids in Gulgong.
Support Crew Most Supportive Jersey went to Doc and Kelly for being new to the Ride but doing such a brilliant job of looking after people behind the scenes.

The Riders Joker Jersey went to Fatty for falling off his bike just as he finished for the day.
The Riders Most Supportive Jersey went to Dan for chasing, helping and generally being first there to do whatever needs doing.
The Riders King of the Mountain Jersey went to two people.  One to Cody for coming on the Ride even when his partner Phoebe pulled out, for riding the Qualifier by himself, for being called "rowdy" each day on the ride - because he is so quiet but just taking the ribbing in true CQ style.
The second Riders King of the Mountain Jersey went to Sally for going from Support Crew to rider, for coming back and training hard after a very frightening accident, for fitting in all her training around the kids and working full time and for kicking King's butt on the hills.

The Team coming first is Team Subtilis.

Big G handed out fines tonight and his little mate Brody helped him by collecting people's money:-

Dan for walking to the top of the mountain and back without shoes on.
Sally R for swearing in front of Brody.
Lucy for having a double flat tyre.
Greg for not eating with the group last night.
Ian for leaving his hearing aid in Gulgong
Clive for blocking up the toilet.

We were going to do Miss Sandy Hollow tonight, but due to the cold weather (and the fa t the Swans are on tonight) it has been put off until Muswellbrook.

That's it for tonight.   We are all tired little vegemites so am signing off.

Talk tomorrow,
Donna.

Day 7 - Wellington to Gulgong

After lots of rain during the night, we were happy to awake to a clear day this morning, however it was very windy.

The Support Crew appreciated the sleep in and then sorted out everyone’s breakfast.  Bikes were moved out, water bottles filled, sun screens lathered on, photos taken, bags packed and then it was on their bikes to take on Day 7 which thankfully was a reasonably short day of only 75 kms, given how cold and windy it had become.

There were some lovely signs made especially for Greg as we were on our way into Gulgong:

There was only one School on the list to visit today and that was in Gulgong.  The poor riders were freezing by the time they got there and a lovely Pastor opened up the Church Hall for everyone to gather for lunch before it was time for the Puppet Show he even put on the heaters and boiled the urn – so lovely of him.

 

After some nice warm soups and salad wraps, everyone piled over to the little School of 40 pupils to watch the Puppet Show and visit with the kids.  The School visits have been such a highlight for all the riders and support crew and we have loved having our two awesome Puppeteers, Chris and Shanaye spending the last 4 days with us.  They have joined in all the fun and games and even been fined a few times.

Tonight we are staying in a lovely little Motel called the Ten Dollar Motel and directly opposite it is a Pub so dinner will be there.  Everyone has had nice warm showers, massages, some walks around town and just generally chilling out.   The days are flying by and it’s hard to believe we are already on Day 7

Tonight's Jersey Winners were:-

Rider's Joker Jersey went to Bully who took everyone half way up a hill they didn't need to go up and ignored the Support Crew's directions.

Support Crew's Joker Jersey went to Big G who snuck off to bed when a beer was waiting for him.

King of the Mountain Jersey went to Lucy who got up all the hills with such determination encouraged by the beautiful Sarah.

Rider's Most Supportive Jersey went to Nathan who took on the radio on road today, drove to Dubbo to sort out Toddy's bike wheels and constantly helps out riders and support crew.

Support Crew's Most Supportive Jersey went to our amazing Clivey who does SO much for Camp Quality not only on this Ride but through esCarpade, Wescarpade, Golf Day, etc.  he donates his car to use and is always bringing in balls and gifts for the kids of Camp Quality.  Most importantly he makes awesome scrambled eggs.

 For the third day in a row Team Glencore are the No. 1 Team and will lead out again tomorrow.

Big G handed out fines to:-

Paul E for putting a can of drink on top of the piano that had a specific sign saying "no drinks on top of the piano".
Ged and Nick Newton for being "too cool for School" and not wearing their jackets and then complaining about the cold.
Doc Bec for running over JD's foot
Bruce because he was out of uniform with no beanie on.

Nugget who left his phone in the room back in Wellington and Steve had to drive back and get it.

After this Scotty Sam got up in front of the gang and spoke to everyone about his family's journey through his daughter Hannah's cancer treatment and how they come to be involved with Camp Quality.  It was such an honest account for such a quiet achiever like Scotty who doesn't normally say too much and you could have heard a pin drop in the room.

Everyone has gone to bed early as tomorrow is the biggest day yet with 143 kms to ride into Sandy Hollow - fingers crossed the wind stays away.

Keep those Messages of Support coming through - they love hearing them each night.

Until tomorrow.

Donna. x

Day 6 - Parkes to Wellington

Welcome to Day 6 !

After a tough afternoon yesterday riding into a strong headwind, everyone slept well despite the cramped conditions including 15 of the Support Crew who slept in the Function Room together.  There was a permanent light on, the buzzing of a big fridge and the dulcet tones of snorers, but we all managed some sleep as well.

This morning breakfast was a little earlier as Fairy King wanted to get the riders on the road as there was a chance of some rain later in the day.

The morning was once again abuzz with breakfast being served, Nick our awesome Mechanic sorting out bikes, water bottles and snack boxes being filled up, coffees being made (thanks Yas), bags and airbeds being packed up and rooms being checked for lost property.

This morning the riders are on their way to St. Columbus School in Yeoval – this is only a little School and today happens to be the Principal’s birthday!   This little School only had about 18 kids and they were very excited to see everyone arrive.

A couple of kids had some funny questions including wanting to know “how old are the riders”?

One little boy wanted to know all about colour “why have you got different colour shirts” “why have you got different colour helmets” “why are your bikes different colours” ?

When it was time to leave, the kids lined the road to wave all the riders off – it is so much fun for everyone going along to the Schools.

The weather was lovely today and the riders were even dodging kangaroos that were hoping in between them.

Meanwhile somewhere on what should have been a straight road into Wellington for 100 kms, Bill and Ben got lost – we still have no idea how that happened but they had our lovely supply girls in a spin for a while as they had the food for lunch that they were supposed to be setting up for the riders before they got to the School!  They finally got there and everyone got fed so it all ended okay.

On leaving the School, they all made their way into Wellington to our accommodation where Massages were started, KFC was eaten and lots of showers were had.  The weather was lovely today and it was a great opportunity for everyone to sit in the beer garden and talk about the day together.

The Cow and Calf where we are staying tonight is a really nice pub and has a jukebox and pool table which is getting a workout.

Our Special Jersey Winners tonight are:

Support Crew Joker Jersey went to Bill and Ben for getting lost on a straight road and almost not making the lunch stop when they had all the lunch.

Riders Joker Jersey went to Warney AGAIN.  He has set a new Ride record with the first person ever to get the Joker Jersey three times.  He lost the Joker Jersey last night, then today forgot to put it in the wash but snuck it into the clean stuff hoping nobody would notice - of course though someone did - there are spies everywhere.

Riders King of the Mountain Jersey went to Sophie who has improved so much over the Rides she has done in relation to riding, approaching hills, skills improvement and most importantly so many less meltdowns than in years passed !   Well done Soph x

Riders Most Supportive Jersey went to Jarrett for being up the front of the pack most of the day, helping the girls out and distracting them with his stories.  He is always happy and positive.   With Jarrett winning this Jersey tonight it means that every member of Team CSA has won a Jersey this year which is another first for the Ride.



Support Crew Most Supportive Jersey went to Brian as he is always there for anyone and everything that needs doing in relation to CQ, he is so protective of all the riders on road and takes his role very serious.

The Winning Team for tonight was Team Glencore for the second day in a row - well done everyone.

Some of the Fines that were handed out were:

Yas for forgetting to plug the coffee machine in this morning.
Luke and Jaydo for falling asleep at the School
Cody for having an annoying squeaky chain
Nugget because his bag is too heavy
Housie just because
Todd for spilling a drink all over Ian
Steve for bad navigation
Bill and Ben for using up too much of the fuel donated by Elders Rural because they are always lost.

Well that's it for Day 6 - tomorrow is a lot shorter day and we are actually getting a sleep in for an extra 15 minutes which is awesome (Yay!)


Chat to you all tomorrow,
Donna.

 

Day 5 - Cowra to Parkes

The morning started with the Support Crew cooking an awesome breakfast again for everyone and then it was time to jump on their bikes and start for the day.

Team Harry led the way today and first stop was Gooloogong Public School where 16 kids were so excited to see all the riders and support crew arrive.  Often when the riders get to Schools the kids form a guard of honour but today the riders and support crew formed one for the kids – there were high fives all round and everyone had a massive smile on their face.

The kids got to see and touch all the bikes before going inside to see the Puppet Show.  When this was over, they were on their bikes again and headed to Eugowra where the CWA Ladies had a massive feast of pies, sausage rolls, hot chips and homemade cakes awaiting everyone.  Such lovely ladies and so friendly and welcoming.  As we spoke to the ladies, all the kids from the Eugowra Public School (all 20 of them) came across the road and had a $2.00 coin from each of them for Camp Quality.  They spent the next 20 minutes chatting to all the riders and support crew – it was so nice to see them.  When they were asking questions, one little girl said to Shari “Are you proud of what you do”?   Another one asked Fatty “how often do you need to go to the toilet”?   Another little one who found out Simon's nickname was "Nugget" said "my mum's chicken is called "Nugget"

With a big Thank You to the CWA, they were on their bikes and off again heading to Parkes to go to the Nurture One Pre-School.   The tiny kids are so much fun and some of the questions they ask are hilarious.

Following the Puppet Show at the Pre-School, they jumped on their bikes again to make their way around to the Coachman Hotel Motel where we were staying for the night to start nice cool showers, massages and rest time before we gather at 5.00 p.m. for Fun Therapy.   It's been so warm today (27 degrees) - quiet contrary to yesterday when we were washing ice off the windscreens !

The lovely people at our accommodation served us all up a yummy baked dinner, we played a funny play dough game for Fun Therapy with Team On Road Yellow taking out the bragging rights.  

Jersey winners tonight:

Rider's Joker Jersey - Warney for stopping in the middle of the road to fix his chain when it came off, for falling off his bike at the School
Rider's King of Mountain - Rose for just recently completely cancer treatment, still suffer the after effects of it, but never complaining and still riding every day.
Rider's Most Supportive - Richo for helping all day with case backs, for riding in the wind in the front and for having the best temperament and attitude.
Support Crew Most Supportive - Big G for looking after the rider's safety so well and for all the work he and Sue do for Camp Quality all year round, not just at Ride time.
Support Crew Joker Jersey - Davey for the Grinder prank.

There is currently a three way tie between Team Subtilis, Team Harry and Team Glencore.  Team Glencore will lead out tomorrow.

Tonight we had a special guest appearance (one night only) from the old Fine Master, Brian Fulmer.  Everyone wanted to fine Big G, but Big G quickly reminded us that there were still another 5 days after Brian's guest appearance that he could get back at people!

Cody was fined for missing an appointment with the Massage people.
Ian was fined for "passing the buck"
Ross and Bruce were fined for being the only two riders who were attacked by Magpies.
Meady was fined for falling off the top bunk of the Love Bus
Hodgy was fined for falling asleep at the Preschool
Doc Bec was fined for being the worst driver ever on the Ride
Ged was given IMMUNITY for one day because the Fine Master thinks he has been picked on !

Well another day draws to an end.   It is very squishy accommodation tonight with all riders crammed intio rooms and 15 support crew members all sleeping on blow ups in the Function Room - lets hope the snoring doesn't get too loud.

Until tomorrow,
Donna.

 

Day 4 - Cootamundra to Cowra

Today is Day 4 on the Ride and what a day it was – the weather started off extremely cold with us having to remove ice from our car windows when we woke up.

Breakfast this morning was supplied by the Cootamundra Lions Club – it almost didn’t happen as the guy with the Lions Club Van slept in and the rest of the Lions members were not happy.  But eventually he arrived and they quickly cooked up an awesome feast for everyone.

Then they were off on their bikes again with Team CSA leading them out today.

First stop this morning was St. Mary’s Primary at Young where the riders watched the Puppeteers perform to 380 kids and then answered questions from the kids before leaving there and heading to Bendick Murrell to have some lunch provided by the lovely Maree and Kath.

After lunch they were back on their bikes and riding to Koorawatha to meet up with all 30 students who attended the Koorawatha Public School.  It was such a lovely little School and our amazing Puppeteers did another wonderful show for the kids.  At the end of the show Chris our Puppeteer said to the kids, “ok we now have some questions for you”.  One little girl was so funny when she yelled out “bring it on”.   Another little girl interrupted Shari when she was explaining to them about the ride to say that “she had lipstick on her teeth”.

After hearing the story from the riders about how JD accidentally put dishwashing liquid on her pancakes, a little girl put her hand up and then said “my mum is a bad cook but my dad makes good pancakes”.  The kids are so funny and the riders and support crew love visiting the Schools.

When they left here they then headed into Cowra to the accommodation where we were spending the night.  Drinks and KFC were had on the grass while Massages started and everyone lay around enjoying the warm sun.

Around 5.00 p.m. we all walked up to the Hotel where we were having dinner tonight.  The meals were really lovely and filling which was great.

Tonight we held our ReGifting Auction which is always a highlight of the Ride each year – one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!   All the riders and support crew were so generous and lots of money was made for the children !

Special Jerseys were today awarded to:-

Riders Joker Jersey – went to Nugget who was leading out the ride pack and got the directions completely wrong.

Support Crew Joker Jersey went to Jarrod – after telling certain support crew members that he needed to go to the Dentist as he had chipped his tooth eating a Muesli Bar, they sent him an anonymous text saying it was the Dentist and that given the nature of his problem, he may need to pack a bag in case they needed him to stay overnight.  Poor Jarrod packed a little bag and took it with him not knowing any different !

The riders King of Mountains Jersey – went to Paul Elkin who as a new rider has bought a bike, worked hard on skills and is excelling on the road.

Support Crew Most Supportive Jersey went to the beautiful Supply Van girls Kath and Maree for supplying everyone constantly with awesome meals.

Riders Most Supportive Jersey went to Jaydo as he is doing an incredible job as a new Captain, always asking King if he can help out, ran the skills sessions, etc.

Fines were aplenty tonight, with a few of them being as follows:-

Jarrod for taking the key with him from his room

Cody for talking too much!

Nick Newton for going to the ladies toilet

Warney for making Bec have a drink that had milk in it which caused her to be sick !

Chrissy for walking all the way to Target without her wallet and having to come back

Hodgey because his shower cap he was wearing on the road flew off and hit Mick O in the face.

The Winning Team as of Today is Team Harry !

Thanks for reading and following our journey and please keep emailing us Messages of Support.

Until tomorrow.

Donna.

Day 3 - Wagga Wagga to Cootamundra

Day 3 saw us have a sleep in before cooking breakfast.  Instead of having to be up at 5.45 a.m. we could sleep in until 6.15 a.m.   Because everyone had been getting up so early, I threatened them last night that if you were a rider who was up pacing around before you need to be, then you had to come in Support Crew with me and if you were a Support Crew member up before you need to be then you had a ride the bike for the day (ha ha!)  They must have all been scared as everyone slept this morning !!

Once we left Wagga Wagga, there was a brief stop at Junee Memorial Park for a toilet break before setting off to Bethungra where the amazing Junee Lions Club provided sausages, onion, cold meats, salad and fruit for everyone.

It was such a beautiful day today with the sun shining brightly and canola fields on both sides of the road as they rode along.  Once the Lions Club were thanked, the call came out from Fairy Queen for 5 minutes till we leave.   Everyone jumped on their bikes as they were keen to ride then into our accommodation for the night which was going to be in Cootamundra. 

As we do every year on 10^th September, we celebrate today as Harry Day in celebration of the life of Harry Dunn.  Team Harry led the way today and all the riders wore their black armbands to pay their respects.

Once they all arrived, the Support Crew had a table set up of lots of pies and cakes and sugar – Harry’s favourite foods – permission to each lots of rubbish today !

Sara and Dean’s family members also arrived last night and are travelling with us for a few days to be here with us for Harry’s Anniversary.   They had lots of green balloons around today and it was an awesome vibe amongst everyone.   Sarah got up and thanked everyone for today and told them how much Harry loved pies and cakes so we should eat them till they are all gone !

Everyone then spent the afternoon having showers, massages and sitting around in the sun together enjoying each others company.

All the Support Crew are doing an incredible job and I am so proud of how they help the riders and each other all the time.   Bill and Ben got lost again today but thankfully I have now given Maree and Kath the job of looking after them.

Tonight we had a buffet of Garlic Breads, Chicken Wings, Lasagne, Fettucine, Penne Bosciola and Dessert for dinner.  Because we have 4 people having birthdays on this trip, we are having a Birthday Night tonight with a “MASSIVE” Cake – a Cake so big that it would only fit in the boot of the car as they didn’t have a box that it would fit in and the lovely Bakery did it so cheap for us.

In true party style we also played a game of pass the parcel.  Once the music stopped and you unwrapped your paper you had to wear whatever was inside it for the rest of the night.  It was hilarious seeing the boys in earrings, headbands and granny undies !

Our birthday boys (Nick, Nick and Jeremy) blew out the candles and we all enjoyed cake together.  It is also Brian’s birthday, but he had gone to bed early so we ate his share of the cake !

Tonight’s Jersey winners were:-

King of the Mountain Jersey – Reno Ricky who was concerned that he wouldn’t be able to do the Ride, but is doing a great job.

The Support Crew Joker Jersey went to JD for accidentally putting dishwashing detergent on her pancakes !

The riders’ Joker Jersey went to Sally Rainbow for brushing her teeth with butt cream (she must have been tired)

Another Joker Jersey was handed out to little Luke Dunn who thought Fatty’s beanie hair was real hair.

The Support Crew Most Supportive Jersey went to Massage Jarrod and Scott for working so hard in their roles and offering lots of help outside of their role.

The riders’ Most Supportive Jersey went to Hodgy who did lots of chase backs helping out across the past three days.

The Fine Master handed out lots of fines tonight, the funniest being:-

To Bill (Ian) for leaving his pyjama pants at the lunch time stop, for putting the cold pasta salad in the van cupboard for 3 hours instead of the fridge and for scaring Kath and Maree when they walked into the girl’s bathroom and found Ian in there in his undies as he had gone to the wrong bathroom (yikes !)

Thanks for the Messages of Support again today – the riders and support crew LOVE getting them.

Until tomorrow,

Donna.

Day 2 - Albury to Wagga Wagga

After a lovely night of listening to the Delarue Family share their journey with Camp Quality last night everyone went to bed reasonably early.

This morning the “generator alarm” woke everyone !   The generator for the coffee machine needs to be switched on about 40 minutes before breakfast to get the machine ready and so this seems to be many people’s alarm clocks.  The sensible people have earplugs in and so don’t hear it but from around 5.30 a.m. it seems to be a hive of activity while Support Crew is preparing breakfast !

After breakfast everyone was on their bikes for the morning briefing and then were led out by Team MPFP today.

Everyone made their way to Culcairn where the wonderful Lions Club put on the best spread for us of sandwiches, wraps, fruit, homemade donuts and cupcakes, etc.   It was a wonderful feast and the riders were very excited to stop and refuel themselves again.

After a chat and a photo with the Lions Club, the riders were back on their bikes to make their way to Mangoplah where Kath and Maree, with the help of their assistants, Bill and Ben prepared them lunch.  Everyone is travelling well and there is lots of banter, fun and jokes happening.

Following a yummy lunch and a bit of a rest in the sun, it was time to hit the road again for the last leg of today’s 128 km journey.

They were back on their bikes and heading into Wagga Wagga where the Logistics Crew were at the accommodation sorting out all their luggage, washing, bike storage, dinner, etc.

The riders were riding really quickly and in time today and ended up arriving at the accommodation in Wagga Wagga almost 40 minutes early – well done everyone, great team work.

The afternoon was full of stretch sessions, Massages by the amazing Sara, Jarrod and Scott, warm showers, washing, refuelling and watching as several brave souls braved the cold pool water to help their aching muscles !

We then made our way over the RSL for an incredibly yummy buffet which was full of seafood, salads, baked vegies, ribs, breads and desserts.

With full bellies, it was time to start the formalities for the night.  The Team who are currently winning the points system is Team Subtilis !

Tonight’s Jerseys went to:-

Rider’s Joker Jersey – Ged for going to the right side of the road instead of the left when he got a flat and trying to get brownie points from other riders to win “Most Supportive Jersey”!

Support Crew Joker Jersey – Jack for flying his drone into a tree while filming.

King of the Mountain Jersey – Kate for training lots on her own because she lives in the Blue Mountains, made an effort to get to all the Qualifiers, came from Blue Mountains to ensure her bag and bike were dropped off on packing day and has been in some pain today with her hip but has still ridden without complaining.   Well done Kate.

Rider’s Most Supportive Jersey – Deano for helping out with chase backs several times throughout the day.

Most Supportive Jersey – Jez for always asking how he can help out.  Nothing is ever too much trouble for Jez and until 4 weeks ago was a rider but due to a medical condition had to pull out but still wanted to come and be a part of it and do the support crew role.

Big G had lots of fines to hand out today, which always creates lot of laughs amongst the group.

Davey was fined for hitting Mumma C in the head with a sleeping bag.

Hodgey was fined for having too much product in his hair !

Michael O was fined for having his lights on the wrong way around

Sally Rainbow was fined for accidentally using butt cream as toothpaste.

Cody and Fatty were fined for eating all the ice cream.

Well another awesome day has been had by all.  I am so proud of everyone’s efforts, both riders and support crew.  Everyone constantly helps each other out and all are here to make a difference in the lives of our kids impacted by cancer.   They are all special people.

Don’t forget to continue to send through your Messages of Support – we love reading them out each night.

Until tomorrow,

Donna. x

Day 1 - Albury Here We Come

Well everyone was up at the crack of dawn this morning – they were obviously all very excited and a little anxious about hitting the road for the first day.

The lovely Benalla Rotary Club came along at 5.30 a.m. to cook us a BBQ of bacon and eggs and Yas had the coffee machine fired up, which is getting heaps of use.

It was a brisk morning but everyone was in high spirits.  After three cheers and a big Thank You to the Rotary Club, everyone got onto their bikes for the morning briefing.

Then it was time to get this ride started!  Front Car led them out and they were off on Day 1 of the 1,000 K’s for Kids Bike Ride for 2017. 

They all look so awesome in their Team colours on the road.  The on-road Support Crew left to guide and protect them on the road and the other Support Crew stayed behind to clean up before leaving.

They stopped for a quick break and photo opportunity with Ned Kelly in Glenrowan and then jumped on their bikes to make their way into Beechworth for their first lunch stop.

Meanwhile at the park in Beechworth where lunch was going to be served, our illustrious Supply Van Girls (Kath and Maree) took a wrong entrance into the Park and ended up in extremely wet grass which caused the vehicle to get bogged.  It was the funniest thing – poor Kath was in the van freaking out and Maree was double over, crossed legged laughing her head off.

Well eventually help came in the form of Bill and Ben (Roy and Ian) and they removed the trailer attached to the van to try and get rid of some weight, however then the trailer sank a little and also became bogged.  Now along comes Davey and Jez in the Ark and it was decided to unload the Supply Van, unhitch the Ark from Ian’s 4WD and then use the 4WD to pull out the Van.  This worked for a bit until Jez drove back up over the wet patch and the Van got bogged again !  Long story short and after lots of ideas and laughter, we finally got everything out – just in time before the riders arrived for their lunch.   I think Kath and Maree could be up for a big Fine tonight somehow !

After lunch, the riders all jumped back on their bikes and started heading to Albury School to meet up with the Camp Quality Puppeteers and see all the kids.

The riders really enjoyed seeing the Puppeteers and it was lovely to visit the School where Nick’s niece and nephew were.  Several of the riders then went to Elders Rural where they got some photos and were presented with over $700 that they had raised for us through their raffles.

Then they all arrived at the Fountain Court Motor Inn, where some of the Support Crew had organised all their luggage to their rooms so they could go in and have their hot showers.

After this we all went over to Sodens Hotel for dinner.   We were lucky enough tonight to have the Delarue Family come and speak to us about their journey with Camp Quality, which was very inspiring.

We then started our Jersey winners and fines.

Riders:

King of the Mountain Jersey went to Ross for extra training, completing a lot of the Qualifiers in quick succession after being away and for doing a lot of chase backs today.

Joker Jersey went to Reno Ricky for locking him and his room mates out of his room this morning and after breaking in, then finding it in his back pocket.

 

Most Supportive Jersey went to Meady for helping everyone on the road.

Support Crew:

Joker Jersey went to Kath and Maree for getting the supply van and trailer bogged today.

Most Supportive went to Davey for always helping out, lining up for 40 minutes to get everyone KFC and spending hours looking for the Medical bag that was later found already in the Medical Car.

Big G, our Fine Master then took the floor to hand our fines, including:-

Nugget was fined for having the heaviest bag on the trip.

Lots of people were fined for drinking out of non Camp Quality drink bottles and there were bulk fines for anyone who had a flat tyre today!

Fatty got a fine for his “amazing” dress sense.

The Team who is winning the Team Challenge as of today is Team CSA – go CSA !

 

We are all now back at our accommodation and getting ready for bed.  It’s another big day of peddaling into Wagga Wagga tomorrow and everyone is very keen.

We are all having a great time.  Please remember to keep sending through Messages of Support to read out – we really love getting them each night.

Until tomorrow,

Donna. x

Welcome to Benalla and the start of the Ride

So after a year of training and fundraising the 1000 K's 4 Kids Bike Ride starts tomorrow.  The Support Crew drove from Maitland to Benalla on Wednesday and spent an awesome night together.

We were up bright and early this morning to get all the support cars ready, packing the Ark, washing cars and then cooking lunch for when the riders got here.

At 1.00 pm the bus pulled up and the riders jumped out all excited about getting started. They settled in, ate lunch and we then all walked up to the Benalla Bowling Club for a Team Challenge of indoor bowls.  It was so much fun and you would have thought they were playing for a house - the stakes were high !!!!  After a tense grand final the winner of the bragging rights was Team Subtilis Engineering.

Following this we all went into the dining room for a briefing and lovely meal.

It was then time for presentation of Special Jerseys, advising the current winner of the Team Challenge and Fines !!

The current winner of the Team Challenge is Team Subtilis Engineering – a great start !

Jersey winners were:

King of the Mountains Jersey went to Paul “Hair” Brownlee for not only getting the Platinum Sponsor onboard (The Manshake) for $30,000.0 but for not giving up there and still fundraising another $5,000.00

The Joker Jersey went to Shane “Warney” Nilsson for bringing his bike on a training ride with one wheel missing !

The Most Supportive Jersey went to Simon “Nugget” Morris for arranging training rides, being a first time Captain, constantly asking King if he can help with anything, etc.

The Support Crew Joker Jersey went to Roy “Ben” Dorahy for walking straight past the pub where everyone was having dinner and kept going another 15 minutes up the road to the next pub and then ringing to ask where everyone was.

The Support Crew Most Supportive Jersey went to Massage Sara who not only raised her required amount for fundraising but then took up three other sponsorships and asked that they be given to riders who needed them.

Big G, our Fine Master then stood up to hand out the day’s fines – this is always a fun part of the night and everyone got their coins out ready.  Fines tonight were handed out to:

Ged – for looking like 50cent

Nick Curtis – because it was his birthday

Housie - just because

Brian – who went to the women's toilet instead of the mens

Ged – for telling Donna that if she wanted to get any of his Team to do jobs for her, she needed to check with him !

A double fine went to Nugget for being on the phone and for wearing a Hardcore Hat when we are not on Hardcore.

After lots of laughs, the night drew to an end and everyone then started heading back to our accommodation to get a good night sleep before the big start tomorrow.

A massive Thank You to Quarry Mining who sponsored tonight's Team Challenge Event and our Dinner.

Please remember to send through Messages of Support or emails to donna.george@campquality.org.au so we can read them out to everyone at night.

Until tomorrow,

Donna. x

Messages of Support

Messages of Support may also be sent through to Donna George. Email donna.george@campquality.org.au to be read out at night to the riders and support crew.