My Champs-Élysées

Today the Red Shield Ride came to an end in Elizabeth Street Mall in Hobart! 

Being only 20km long, this was the shortest stage of the last six days of riding.  In many respects it was never going to be difficult, after all, almost all of this stage is part of Stuart's and my regular Saturday morning ride.  However, Major Steve Miller was set to join us today; not being a cyclist himself and having not done very much training for the event, I was unsure how the ride would ban out - particularly up Bonnet Hill.

With Major Steve Miller and Stuart Foster at The Salvation Army Kingborough/Huon

 I was woke up feeling really unwell.  My stomach was churning and for a little while I wondered if I'd be getting on the bike at all today.  I'm still not sure how much of it was nerves or anxiety about the media launch that was scheduled to take place at the end of the ride, but I had a feeling that once I was on the bike, things would come good - and so they did.

A few early wobbles for Steve

 After a bit of drama over night that meant the bike Major Steve was going to ride was unrideable, he was able to hop on Nicole's mountain bike.  It was hardly ideal for the road riding we had before us, but we pumped up the tyres nice and high to get the best possible roll out of them and then after a few early wobbles and Steve getting his head around the gearing, we set off!

Major Steve; what a machine!  Powering up Bonnet Hill

This last stage was something special for Stuart and I.  Major Steve hadn't ridden a bike since 1998 (I think, though it may be longer).  But thanks only the small part of it!  This time last year, Major Steve was undergoing his first treatment of chemo.  For most of last year, Steve was battling cancer; in all that time I didn't hear him complain once, he just soldiered on trying to encourage other all the way along.  Today's climb up Bonnet Hill (2.5km with 160m elevation) was no different.  Steve didn't complain once.  He just kept peddling, shouting out encouragement to Stuart and I and even singing at one point.  He was and is a hero!

A nice easy ride up Bonnet Hill

  At one point, as Steve was apologising for holding Stuart and I up (for the third or fourth time), he asked whether we'd be normal going twice as fast as we were up the hill.  As I looked down at our speed, I nodded to myself - more than twice as fast normally.  But please let me be clear - that was totally not the point of today.  Steve encouraged us to leave him to it a couple of times - we were due in the city by 12pm) but Stuart and I were adamant that we were riding with Steve all the way today.  In the end though, the ride up Bonnet Hill was the easiest, slowest and most relaxed I've ever done (Stuart too, I think); it actual felt really good!

A relieved Major Steve Miller at the end.

 The last stage of the Tour de France isn't really a competitive stage, rather it is more of a relaxed and enjoyable ride to end the event.  Today's stage was much like that; not too long, not to hard, but lots of fun and enjoyment - even the hills didn't seem to offer too much resistance.  It was a great way to end 6 days of riding.

Since Saturday, Stuart and I have ridden: 466.6km, climbed: 4858m.  The website for fundraising remains open, so if you haven't already sponsored one of the riders, please be generous and head over there now and do so; every dollar raised is invested back into the community to help those who need it most.  You can find the fundraising website by clinking here.

All over!  Bit of an anticlimax not being able to ride into the Mall.