St Helens to Freycinet
Written by Kelly Rillie
Day three of Tassie Smiddy Challenge was officially ‘hump’ day—with it being Wednesday AND the halfway mark of the trip—however, it was very clear from the day card handed out by Mr Smiddy that it was going to be a lot less bumpy than the past two days of hills (I’d class them as mountains).
Everyone was up before sunrise and treated to a continental breakfast prepared by the Road Crew. Everyone was in good spirits and as usual, it was all over in a flash and we were down to the front of the Big 4 Caravan Park ready to roll out.
We were treated to a spruced up Smiddy kit with Hollywood donning a pair of the finest red jocks we ever did see! Thank you to Adrian Barnett who donated $1500 in order to make it happen! I’m also not sure if it was a coincidence that they matched the red of the Spirit Jersey that Hollywood also happened to be wearing!
We were also treated to a wrath of destruction from Matt ‘Mad Dog’ Muir who took it upon himself to sacrifice Hollywood’s visor—which in the cycling world is the equivalent of wearing shiny white sneakers—for a $500 donation.
Scotty Gleeson looked great in his Spirit Jersey which he received last night for exuding the Smiddy values of Teamwork, Spirit, and Mateship on his first Smiddy challenge. Killer spoke of how only a couple of months ago, Scott turned up to a Wednesday morning River Loop in a pair of Dunlop Volleys and wasn’t too sure how to change gears.
It was a tough first two days of this ride and the determination Scott showed, and the help he asked for and graciously accepted from others, was awesome. Congrats Gleeso.
The bell to set the riders off for the day was rung by Ben Hola, our trusty mechanic, who works tirelessly fixing bikes (some with duct tape). Ben does an amazing job keeping our riders on the road and catching up to the peloton when his work is done. Cheers Ben!
The riders rolled out almost in the wrong direction, Stemmy went right and you all looked to be heading left, but you did manage to pull yourselves together and this is when the fun really starts for Road Crew.
After the pack up, we sorted our game plan; put fuel in the cars, picked up supplies and then hit the road to our first stop.
We weren’t quite sure where we were supposed to actually stop, but we ended up a little bit further than Dennison Beach (maybe we stopped for a coffee?!).
I’m not sure many of you minded as the rain held off and the coastal views were a treat.
We love seeing the Smiddy family expand and we were happy to welcome Bec’s sister and brother-in-law Tanya and Cameron all the way from Perth to join us for the remainder of the journey.
Lunch was spent at the Freycinet Winery where a number of us took the opportunity to do a little wine tasting before lunch. This was a huge treat for those who have previously done the Bottlemart Smiddy Challenge where the closest thing to a winery is a cask of not-so-fine wine from Mandy at Belyando Crossing.
Another 30 km or so and WOW what a view … we passed the peloton to a lot of cheers and cruised into Coles Bay. The mountains from the rising water was a great sight to see and the riders quickly jumped off their bikes to take in the view and get a few great happy snaps.
The huddle was led by Mr Smiddy, who reflected on his day following the peloton and the pride he has for the riders. He also thanked the Road Crew for their support from sunrise to sunset and acknowledged their efforts out there keeping all those cyclists cycling.
One great part of being Road Crew is that you get to experience many different parts of what keeps the peloton turning. Today Mon and Prue joined the rear and mechanical vehicles, experiencing firsthand the fine work Kevvy and Stemmy do, directing the traffic on the road. Prue had a number of startling moments, so I’m sure she’ll be glad to be back with the catering crew tomorrow.
The afternoon kicked off in fine form for some. It was 3.14 pm when Sharky was heard to say, “Whippsy, you’re a bad influence. I’ve had two shandies at the pub and now I’ve got a Pale Ale. I’m feeling dizzy and I love it”.
We were also joined by Andrew who was riding the scenic tour of Tassie.
It is a privilege to road crew for you bunch of extreme athletes and share in your achievements. Thank you for making our days interesting and for rolling in safely.
Our job, first and foremost, is to keep you safe and on your bikes, and well fed, so the Smiddy mateship and sweaty hugs at the end of the day are superb.
Written by Kelly Rillie
Day three of Tassie Smiddy Challenge was officially ‘hump’ day—with it being Wednesday AND the halfway mark of the trip—however, it was very clear from the day card handed out by Mr Smiddy that it was going to be a lot less bumpy than the past two days of hills (I’d class them as mountains).
Everyone was up before sunrise and treated to a continental breakfast prepared by the Road Crew. Everyone was in good spirits and as usual, it was all over in a flash and we were down to the front of the Big 4 Caravan Park ready to roll out.
We were treated to a spruced up Smiddy kit with Hollywood donning a pair of the finest red jocks we ever did see! Thank you to Adrian Barnett who donated $1500 in order to make it happen! I’m also not sure if it was a coincidence that they matched the red of the Spirit Jersey that Hollywood also happened to be wearing!
We were also treated to a wrath of destruction from Matt ‘Mad Dog’ Muir who took it upon himself to sacrifice Hollywood’s visor—which in the cycling world is the equivalent of wearing shiny white sneakers—for a $500 donation.
Scotty Gleeson looked great in his Spirit Jersey which he received last night for exuding the Smiddy values of Teamwork, Spirit, and Mateship on his first Smiddy challenge. Killer spoke of how only a couple of months ago, Scott turned up to a Wednesday morning River Loop in a pair of Dunlop Volleys and wasn’t too sure how to change gears.
It was a tough first two days of this ride and the determination Scott showed, and the help he asked for and graciously accepted from others, was awesome. Congrats Gleeso.
The bell to set the riders off for the day was rung by Ben Hola, our trusty mechanic, who works tirelessly fixing bikes (some with duct tape). Ben does an amazing job keeping our riders on the road and catching up to the peloton when his work is done. Cheers Ben!
The riders rolled out almost in the wrong direction, Stemmy went right and you all looked to be heading left, but you did manage to pull yourselves together and this is when the fun really starts for Road Crew.
After the pack up, we sorted our game plan; put fuel in the cars, picked up supplies and then hit the road to our first stop.
We weren’t quite sure where we were supposed to actually stop, but we ended up a little bit further than Dennison Beach (maybe we stopped for a coffee?!).
I’m not sure many of you minded as the rain held off and the coastal views were a treat.
We love seeing the Smiddy family expand and we were happy to welcome Bec’s sister and brother-in-law Tanya and Cameron all the way from Perth to join us for the remainder of the journey.
Lunch was spent at the Freycinet Winery where a number of us took the opportunity to do a little wine tasting before lunch. This was a huge treat for those who have previously done the Bottlemart Smiddy Challenge where the closest thing to a winery is a cask of not-so-fine wine from Mandy at Belyando Crossing.
Another 30 km or so and WOW what a view … we passed the peloton to a lot of cheers and cruised into Coles Bay. The mountains from the rising water was a great sight to see and the riders quickly jumped off their bikes to take in the view and get a few great happy snaps.
The huddle was led by Mr Smiddy, who reflected on his day following the peloton and the pride he has for the riders. He also thanked the Road Crew for their support from sunrise to sunset and acknowledged their efforts out there keeping all those cyclists cycling.
One great part of being Road Crew is that you get to experience many different parts of what keeps the peloton turning. Today Mon and Prue joined the rear and mechanical vehicles, experiencing firsthand the fine work Kevvy and Stemmy do, directing the traffic on the road. Prue had a number of startling moments, so I’m sure she’ll be glad to be back with the catering crew tomorrow.
The afternoon kicked off in fine form for some. It was 3.14 pm when Sharky was heard to say, “Whippsy, you’re a bad influence. I’ve had two shandies at the pub and now I’ve got a Pale Ale. I’m feeling dizzy and I love it”.
We were also joined by Andrew who was riding the scenic tour of Tassie.
It is a privilege to road crew for you bunch of extreme athletes and share in your achievements. Thank you for making our days interesting and for rolling in safely.
Our job, first and foremost, is to keep you safe and on your bikes, and well fed, so the Smiddy mateship and sweaty hugs at the end of the day are superb.
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