The End Is Nigh

What a great and unpredictable last day it was today for the Red Shield Ride 2017.  Another 70km in the legs - just for good measure - with some decent hills too.  The day was full and challenging to the end.

The Red Shield Ride 2017 pedals to its last stop in Elizabeth St Mall with (LtoR) Scott Haas, Craig Exon, me, Shieldy, Stuart Foster and Joshua Snead.

In three years, I've only succeeded once in making the last day of the Red Shield Ride relax and dare I say, a little easier than the rest of the event:  It wasn't this year!

Somehow, today's alarm went off earlier than any of the other four days of riding.  I simply wasn't willing to get up at 5:45am as my phone chirped into life in order to get me to do the same.  With the bus feeling surprisingly full, we picked up Stuart walking down the hill to my place and headed into the city to collect Ultra106Five's Scott Haas who would be joining us for the final day.

Hounville - Final Start for 2017

After a quick shower before sunrise (crazy hey? Sunrise!) the clouds started to lift slowly as we headed south towards Huonville.  Things were looking great until we pulled into town and the fog settled; damp and cold.  I didn't even want to get out of the bus to get ready to ride - I was think about how good it would be to get ready in the bus and ride straight out the back like David Hasselhoff used to do in Knight Rider.  It was cold.

Now the idea was;  we've got about 80km to go.  So start early and give ourselves plenty of time; we can ride at a fairly easy pace maybe even stop for a bite to eat.  No worries!?

The pace was very easy; the ups were tougher than they should have been, but I figured it was cold and once the sun came up - things would get better.  It took a while, but things did get better. 

Josh leading Craig up Nicholls Rivulet

Craig looked as strong as ever and Josh didn't give a hint of struggle at all.  Cygnet came and went with some great views of the Huon Valley.  The days biggest climb over Nicholls Rivulet started well for some and become tough; for others it was the other way around.  I sat with whoever was hindmost to encourage them on keeping one eye on the clock and regularly recalculating our E.T.A into Hobart.  It was the same last year too; regardless of how well or not we rode at any point, the minutes tick by with constant regularity.

A rare shot of all five of us

As we hit the Channel Hwy south of Snug, I told the guys we needed to lift the average a bit - still hoping to stop for a bite to eat, and maybe a decent coffee for Craig.

On we went, sometimes struggling, other times zooming along.

The ace I'd kept up my sleeve for today was a short cut that would avoid a couple of good climbs and shorten the road by 10km should we need it for any reason. 

As we pressed on towards the point at which the two ways split, it was becoming clear to me that while the pace had picked up, we were going to be putting ourselves under a lot more (too much for my mind) pressure if we stuck to the original route - we'd take the short cut, time was starting to press on.

Me and Scott Haas from Ultra106Five radio

Not long after we passed the turn off for the original longer road Scott broken a spoke on his rear wheel.  He'd been through a lull and was finding his legs again when his bike started making noises that said things weren't good.  I had just begun to think "we're back on track!"

No sooner had Craig and I done a quick fix and set off again and my rear tyre went flat!  I pulled over and told everyone to head on; Bonnet Hill was still in front.  The last thing I wanted today was to have to race up Bonnet Hill.  Thankfully, the tyre change went well and quick and I was off again in no time catching the guys fairly low on the hill.

Pit Stop

I was just thinking, we're back on track; we're going to be able to get that stop in when a second spoke on Scott's rear wheel went 'ping'.  Nearly at the top, it wasn't easier to sit on Scott's wheel and watch it start to inevitably develop a buckle.  A couple of phone calls on the up side had got the rest of the guys ahead of us to pull up at a cafe just over the other side of the hill.  So we all pulled in for about 20minutes for a bite to eat and a drink.  It was actually really good to relax and talk for a little while.   

More conscious of Scott's wheel slowing us down more than anything else, we set off again for our final leg.  I wasn't convinced the wheel would hold up, but it did.  In the end, we arrived into the Mall 5minutes early and that was that.

Welcome Home

 The sun shone as we rode into Hobart; a great Autumn day!

This really I upped the ante on the challenge and it was tough.  We've ridden over 600km and climbed up some pretty awesome hills.  The ride has come to an end, but the fundraising hasn't.  The Red Shield Neighbourhood Appeal is on this weekend right across the country.  As far as the Red Shield Ride is concerned, we're not yet at our goal for fundraising and would love it dearly if you'd be willing to sponsor.  The website will remain open for a while, but it would be magnificent if the total could go up.  Josh and I still need to reach our goals, as too does Scott.  

What we (The Salvation Army) are about; bringing Hope where it's needed most.  Every dollar collected helps us to keep on fighting against hopelessness in the lives of everyday Australians, Tasmania and people of any other culture who find themselves in need.

Please take a couple of minutes now to head over to the website by clicking here to make a donation to a great cause.

Just rode from Launceston to Hobart

Today was the big day of the Red Shield Ride 2017.

When it comes to cycling, on any level, a 200km+ ride is a decent effort.  Today Craig and I rode from Launceston to Hobart, via Poatina and the Plateau.  But in so many ways, today belonged to Stuart!

Stuart Foster; non-stop up the climb from Poatina

As we sat in our accommodation last night thinking about todays ride, Stuart hit on a plan for him so that he could hit some of his goals for todays epic Launie to Hobart ride.

While Craig and I depart from Launie at 7am, Stuart would hop in the bus with Dennis and drive out to the base of the climb at Poatina and begin climbing.  Meanwhile, Craig and I would ride out to the climb and chase him up.

Me; riding up the wall

When Stuart finished, he'd hop back in the bus and with Dennis, they'd drive back along the road until they found the two of us.  Then Stuart would ride from the top to Bothwell.

Good plan!  So that's what we did and it all went swimmingly!  Stuart conquered the climb; riding all the way this year, while Craig and I set to it ourselves, at our own paces once we arrived.  

Craig; riding up ahead of me

The ride out from Launceston had been great.  A pretty fresh start, but dry and fair.  However, at no point could we see the climb while riding towards it.  In fact, even when we were on it, we could bearly see any of it; the fog was dense and wet.  I knew pretty quickly there'd be no PB's going up this year!  

Halfway up, I came across a happy Stuart and Dennis - Craig was some way ahead of me.  Their encouragement really help me to finish well.  

We paused to have something to eat at the top and refill our bottles only to discover it was freezing cold and we'd left the chicken rolls we'd made at the accommodation.

The thing with the next stretch of road is, while you've 'finished' the climb, the road continues to rise for about another 20km.  The going was slow to begin with, but once we made our left turn at Hwy 5, Stuart suddenly started powering up!  And away!

That tiny little red dot is Stuart Foster!  I'm just in front of Craig who is at the back at this point!

As Craig and I starting making jokes about Stuie's time in the bus and his obvious employment of EPO (jokes!) it quickly became clear that neither of us could or would catch him without a mammoth effort that neither of us had in us.  He was simply a machine for the next 45km, so much so that he pulled up and waited for us!  (It's still making me laugh now!)

Craig and I heading for Melton Mowbray

After a leisurely lunch in Bothwell, we made some route adjustments, opting to head directly towards Melton Mowbray and the Midland Hwy rather than tackling the much hard (and into a headwind) road to the Lyell Hwy.  Craig and I then indulged in a complete kit change, and headed off again - so much more comfy, dry and happy.

Expecting some rain on the way into Hobart, we took a fair soaking coming into Bagdad.  But the pace remained high and the road - thankfully after so many months of work - really smooth.

Sun starting to set

We farewelled the sun in Brighton and kept on going.  Bridgewater came and went and Stuart rejoined us on familiar road for the roll down the River Derwent to the Cenotaph.

This final stretch was so much fun!  I felt great and was in good spirits - causing some jokes and comments from my riding buddies.  

As we cruised down the Intercity Cycleway, saying happy 'Hellos' to all and sundry, a thought started to form in my mind.  How good would it be to set a PB on a section of the Cycleway near Josh's school?  After 210kms, in the dark and wet - a PB!?

New PB after 210km; in the wet and dark!

So I did!  Knocked 9seconds off my time!  Bahaha - So GOOD!

Needless to say, Stuart and Craig were to mature to revert to such silliness, and so I had to sit and wait for them so we could finish together.

It's been a great day on the bike!

The km's didn't total as expected, I'm not entirely sure why, but as Craig said; "we just cycled from Launceston to Hobart!" - fair point!  

We have one more day to go tomorrow.  Scott Haas from Ultra106Five is joining us and Josh will be back on the bike too!  It's going to be a good day.

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored a rider and to those who have donated on the way!  If you haven't done either yet, it would be great to reach the $5000 mark by the end of the ride tomorrow!  Just click here and pick a rider!

Tired, wet and stoked to be in Hobart tonight - thats the Tasman Bridge faint in the background!

A Red Shield 'Hard' Ride

Third start from Burnie in three years!

For the third year in a row, we started a stage of the Red Shield Ride in Burnie, at the Salvos on Wilson St.  As I think of that now, each year though the route we've taken from Northwest has changed.  This years ride was the most ambitious so far; 140km and almost 1400m of climbing.

The first couple of hours were great - on par with yesterday if not a little better.

Leaving Burnie behind again

We took an early lunch in Devonport and then set off at another good pace.  The next hour heading over to the Rubicon River saw us making good time.

Then the halfway mark came and went and that, was that.  We entered the third quarter of the ride and each of us found ourselves on struggle street at some stage over the next 30-40kms.

Beautiful Northwest coastline

The next hour and a half were pretty dark for me.  I rode with Stuart for about 10km and struggled to watch his energy levels drop.  A lot goes through your mind when you're watching your good mate and regular riding buddy not being able to switch to the big ring to put a bit of speed down on the descents:  Do you say something?  If so, how do you do it?  I was (and still am) sure that Stuart could go the distance, the trouble was that our average pace was dropping at the same rate our E.T.A. was extending to the end of the ride.

Not easy watching a mates energy levels dropping

At the 80km point, Stuart decided to rest up until we got to Exeter, and I blowed on.  It wasn't long until I was struggling too though.

Craig and I kept going, and as we pedalled on, all with the hope of a quick rest at Exeter before the final dash down the West Tamar Highway; I recalled to Craig the ride along the Fingal Valley last year.  I was pretty close to being that down again today.

We pushed when we could; coasted when the gradient allowed, and ground our way up the inclines whenever they appeared.  All the time up to the 100km mark I was thinking "we're not even at the halfway mark of tomorrow's ride!"

But then these words of Jesus popped right into my head: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34).

Craig and I simply pedalling - hurting too

So then, it's no use thinking about what's still to come tomorrow; but at the same time, we couldn't just ignore it either.  If we went too hard and to deep into our reserves today, tomorrow might turn into a none event?

A little while later, the sun came out just as a song from church at Launie Salvos yesterday came back into my head; suddenly I was back in a better place again.  Not long after that, we rolled into Exeter.

Dad bought me Ginger Beer, Stuart gave me a couple of snakes and I found some corn chips; even better, we only had 24km to go to the finish.

Stuart got back on the bike, and off we headed for a final effort.  The vibe on the bikes was good, and so was the pace and scenery.

Heading south down the Tamar Valley

We've covered over 340km in the last three days; that a first for both Craig and I; three consecutive
days of 100km+.   Tomorrow will really test us, but we'll worry about that tomorrow.

We are over half way through the Red Shield Ride 2017 in every way except in metres climbed - that'll change tomorrow!

Thanks to everyone who has sponsored any of us riders so far, but I'm still not halfway to my fundraising goal.  It would be so awesome to have exceeded by the time we head off tomorrow.  So please head over to the website and be generous? 

Change of Plans

Okay, so last night, when all was done and we were eating some apple strudel - yeah you read that right; we doing this in style!  Anyway, after finishing into headwind yesterday and having 'the Bom' declare them to be "Light Winds"; and thinking ahead to 240km tomorrow:

We've made the decision to drive to Burnie this morning (leaving really soon) and pedal back to Launceston.  There are a number of advantages to this; we get the benefit of any sort of wind rather than its potential hinderance; the stops work better for feeds along the way; we finish just down the road and will only spend five minutes in the bus at the end rather than two hours.

Flip the start and finish icon's - that's todays ride now!

So the route is the same, the distance is the same, the elevation is the same - we're just doing it backward to the original intention.

Sometimes life offers choice and we're exercising that choice to making things a little easier; not so much for today, but certainly for tomorrow - it's called 'forward thinking.
'

Adventure Time on the Launie Gran Fondo

Waiting for the green light in Launie

If you ask Stuart, today was the best day for riding since we started Red Shield Riding three years ago.  After my earlier comments of fog, by the time we cleared Launceston and began heading out on the country road, the sun began to shine and it pretty much continued all day.

The first couple of hours just hummed by; it was just really nice riding.  A sustainable pace along level and quiet country roads not us out to Longford for a bite of lunch - and a cup of tea!

I confess I ate a chunky pie - don't tell Josh.

Cyclocross on the Red Shield Ride

The third quarter blues hit right on cue.  After passing through the lovely Evandale, Stuart's energy levels gave out; he's been battling a dodge stomach since before starting yesterday.  But his pulling up stumps when he didn't impress Craig or I when another 200m down the road, the bitumen gave out and we went off road!  YAY!

Unseal road was unexpected - pretty sure
Stuart knew it was coming...?

The surface was pretty good on the whole, just slighty wet which prevented us from getting much of a roll on.  The other thing working against our momentum was the 12% gradient we had to climb as well.  Definitely the hardest part of the any Red Shield Ride that I can remember - but oh so fun!  Aaron would have loved it.

I estimate that we were cyclocrossing for about 6km.  By the time we turned back onto the good stuff, I think Craig and I were quite happy it was all over.  I remember thinking how our little adventure mirrored life - in a small way:  There we were, humming along, optimistic and then BAM the road gives out!  It wasn't expected and wasn't even really unwanted, but it did take it's toll.

Despite a headwind of 'light winds', we still managed to push up the average over the last 20km which included a nasty little sharp climb at about the 90km mark.  We put our backs to the wind for the last two or three kms and that was that!

We are over 200km through and the legs are feeling good!  The bikes needed a good wash this evening, but now we are all washed and clean and about to eat!

Thank you those who've sponsored us today, if you haven't yet, please do.  There are plenty of people that are walking along unsealed roads of life everyday.  The Salvos camp out on these byways to help in any way we can but we need your help to keep on helping others keeping on!

You can sponsor a rider here.

Today's Ride

This morning is looking a little foggy here in Launceston.  But I'm up and ready to got rolling.

Today's Gran Fondo: 102.5km, 1050m elevation

Today's forecast offers a little hope to the rider who can get a bit of a shift on - if only we were starting earlier!?  I'll have to talk to the bloke organising this thing. 

We're in for a good day I think!

Hobart Gran Fondo

We are 106km down and have now reached our accommodation for the next few nights.

In a eventful day on the bike, a couple of things really stood out.  Joel Clifford and my son Josh (14) completed their first 100km rides.  Both of their stories from today speak to their determination and resolve to keep going.

First 100km Ride for Joel and Josh 

We set off from Derwent Park Drive this morning and I was happy to finally be underway.  We had a couple of reproters and cameramen from WIN and Southern Cross come to see us off which was nice. 

Our pace wasn't too bad for the first hour or so and then we hit the first climb of the day.  All five of us coped well and the thought of a rest at Richmond drew us up and over.  It was really here that Josh and Joel's stories started to be written.  

Joel found an early groove and just kept plugging away up and up.  Josh took the hill by storm and chased Craig all the way to the top - he did well too.

Josh storming up Grass Tree Hill

Josh and I did some drafting on the way into Richmond - so much fun!

Brinktop Hill Road on the eastward road out of Richmond is one of those fairly short climbs that just keeps kicking up and up and up.  We'd spread out a bit coming out of Richmond; Craig set himself upwards and off he went.  Josh and Joel headed off together at a good pace, while Stuart and I headed off in pursuit after a short delay.

By the time I got caught upto Josh and Joel, I found Josh off the bike having just drifted a little off the verge of the road into some sand and then he'd hit the deck.  I told Joel to push on - keep in that groove again - and then coaxed Josh back onto the bike and up and over.  

The Red Shield Ride; "bringing hope where it's needed most!"

The next 20km's were probably the worst for Josh.  While there was immediate pain to get through, I think it was more about riding through the psychology barrier for the young fella.  It isn't easy to not think about the pain.  But he got through it and started laying down some good speed.

Having clearly enjoyed the descent down the other side of Brinktop, Joel was going fine until we started getting further into the third quarter of the ride.  I often think this is the hardest period of any ride.  I confess that I thought we were coming pretty close to Joel pulling the pin, but after a quick stop at the 85km mark, Joel somehow just kept plugging away.

And that was it; well almost.  Having just cleared 100km, Stuart legs put up a really fight, but credit to the man, Stuart stretched; stamped and ground those legs into submission.

On the whole the weather was too bad except for the last hour where the rain set in solidly.  but it was all smiles as we pulled back into the DHQ carpark.

Craig, Stuart, Joel, me and Josh at the end of Day 1

So proud of the Riders today.