Sharky's Oz 7in7 The Final Leg
Nimmitabel to Bungendore Day 5
Distance: 177 kilometres
Average speed: 23.1 kmph
Maximum speed: 69.8 kmph
Temperature Minimum - 9 degrees
Temperature Maximum - 25 degrees
Metres climbed: 1698
Ride time: 7 hrs 39 min
Wind direction: Majority was a cross headwind and we were rewarded with a cross-tailwind in the afternoon for 25 kilometres
Road Kill by Nick 'tinkerbell' Bourns and Katrina 'KatPandaBalls' Cousins
5 wombats
12 lizardst
2 cockatoos
3 snakes and 1 alive
40 bags of bones
12 kangaroos
15 wallabies
2 magpies
6 foxes
1 penguin
1 santa
1 pinnochio
1 Ernie (as in Bert and Ernie)
1 Tigger
1 Elephant
2 Turtles (1 unfortunately hit by Tinkerbell)
1 Tinkerbell Road Kill Bell
1 Golden bed knob
1 Broken record
More than 1 strange odour from the peloton.
Category Jersey won by: Roger Hawley, who has come on board this journey for his own reasons but has stepped up to also take on the duties of one of the valuable ride leaders. Roger especially stepped up today when Killer took a day off the bike to freshen up for the big day 256 kilometre day tomorrow and stats man and fellow ride leader, Bretty needed some downtime with Kev due to not being well. Nice work out there today Roger and thank you.
A short cut that was not a Sharky Short Cut
After the relentless headwinds for the last 70km's into Nimmitabel yesterday, the late start to dinner and the lateness at getting to our generous billets, most riders only managed, at the most, 5 to 6 hours of sleep. Meaning we were wrecked for todays supposably 198km day into Bungendore. The decision was made early that we would nurse the riders today and not push them at all, as well as taking 21km's off todays total. We were meant to go right the way around Canberra on a sort of tourist route of the city, but on canvassing the riders none were too disappointed to be missing the sites of Canberra in favour of getting in tonight at 5:30pm instead of 7pm. Anyway the objective was to dip our toes, so to speak, into the ACT, as then I would have ridden through every state and territory within Australia once I get home to Brisbane on October 18.
Thoughts of that cancelled stage last year in Tassie enters my mind
The actual start today was a little on the scary side as overnight a severe weather warning had been issued for the snowy mountain region and we were smack bang in the middle of it at an altitude of 1100 metres. We all awoke to the sound of wild winds and rain, but miraculously by the time we rolled out at 7:30am the worst of it had passed and we pushed off into reasonably good weather. So I am going to skip right through the day to this very moment in time as I sit here in the kitchen area of the Bungendore Showgrounds. It is now 10:05pm and all the riders and road crew are in an adjacent hardwood floored hall sharing the night together in swags. A smiddy first for sure. Everyone has showered, eaten, the nightly functions are complete, Mick Farrag read out the blog that he and Melissa wrote from yesterday and a mighty big thank you to them both for giving me the night off from writing. Killer gave a rundown of our biggest Smiddy day ever tomorrow of 256km's and I read out the day 3 blog that we omitted in Nimmitabel due to the lateness of the proceedings. The place is graveyard quiet, and as I write I marvel at Sammi Jo's dedication and passion at keeping the Smiddy riders on top of their never ending injuries and woes. It is now 10:15pm and Sammi Jo is still massaging away. I saw her massage Bretty, Katie and Smythey and she has offered to give me a tune up for the niggling groin injury I have brought into this event. It is a hard decision; Sammi Jo massage and miss even more sleep as I still need to finish the blog, or no Sammi Jo massage and get the blog done and get an extra 30min sleep?
Road crew rock and Maria Smiddy message for the crew
Anyway she is a legend, just like all our road crew who have just gone to bed and will be up before all the riders tomorrow morning. I know I speak for all the riders when I say I tip my hat to you guys. While I am tipping my hat, I had a lovely text message from Maria Smiddy today wishing us all a safe last two days into Sydney. She instructed me to give Janet and Kirsteen a big hug from her, which I gleefully followed up on immediately that I received her text today during afternoon tea. Thanks Maria and take care and please know all the riders are thinking of you as well.
Todays wrap in a record 150 words!
Well I am bone dead tired and I am about to set a Sharky record by finishing off a blog in under 1000 words. I know I have told you bugger all about today but it was your normal Smiddy 7in7 sort of day where we rode heaps of kilometres, saw some amazing scenic sites, got spoilt rotten by our road crew at all the feed stations as per usual, sampled some unique smells of the Australian countryside -most good as the wild flowers bloom and release their intoxicating aroma's, while the smell of road kill is, and always will be, disgusting, took the mandatory group photo, which happened at the NS/ACT border and an interesting side note to that is that Kevvy and I have a photo together from every border crossing in every state and territory now and it has taken 7 years to do it. Anyway the important thing about today is that we all arrived to our destination safe and sound, our bellies are full and life is pretty darn good!
Sacrificed sleep for that tune up!
I ended up getting needled by Sammi-Jo and it is now 11:20pm and Rusty and Smythey have relocated into the kitchen area as I write this; which can only mean one thing, the snoring and bottom noises have begun!
My turn to go and add to the human tunes!
Goodnight.
Sharky
Nimmitabel to Bungendore Day 5
Distance: 177 kilometres
Average speed: 23.1 kmph
Maximum speed: 69.8 kmph
Temperature Minimum - 9 degrees
Temperature Maximum - 25 degrees
Metres climbed: 1698
Ride time: 7 hrs 39 min
Wind direction: Majority was a cross headwind and we were rewarded with a cross-tailwind in the afternoon for 25 kilometres
Road Kill by Nick 'tinkerbell' Bourns and Katrina 'KatPandaBalls' Cousins
5 wombats
12 lizardst
2 cockatoos
3 snakes and 1 alive
40 bags of bones
12 kangaroos
15 wallabies
2 magpies
6 foxes
1 penguin
1 santa
1 pinnochio
1 Ernie (as in Bert and Ernie)
1 Tigger
1 Elephant
2 Turtles (1 unfortunately hit by Tinkerbell)
1 Tinkerbell Road Kill Bell
1 Golden bed knob
1 Broken record
More than 1 strange odour from the peloton.
Category Jersey won by: Roger Hawley, who has come on board this journey for his own reasons but has stepped up to also take on the duties of one of the valuable ride leaders. Roger especially stepped up today when Killer took a day off the bike to freshen up for the big day 256 kilometre day tomorrow and stats man and fellow ride leader, Bretty needed some downtime with Kev due to not being well. Nice work out there today Roger and thank you.
A short cut that was not a Sharky Short Cut
After the relentless headwinds for the last 70km's into Nimmitabel yesterday, the late start to dinner and the lateness at getting to our generous billets, most riders only managed, at the most, 5 to 6 hours of sleep. Meaning we were wrecked for todays supposably 198km day into Bungendore. The decision was made early that we would nurse the riders today and not push them at all, as well as taking 21km's off todays total. We were meant to go right the way around Canberra on a sort of tourist route of the city, but on canvassing the riders none were too disappointed to be missing the sites of Canberra in favour of getting in tonight at 5:30pm instead of 7pm. Anyway the objective was to dip our toes, so to speak, into the ACT, as then I would have ridden through every state and territory within Australia once I get home to Brisbane on October 18.
Thoughts of that cancelled stage last year in Tassie enters my mind
The actual start today was a little on the scary side as overnight a severe weather warning had been issued for the snowy mountain region and we were smack bang in the middle of it at an altitude of 1100 metres. We all awoke to the sound of wild winds and rain, but miraculously by the time we rolled out at 7:30am the worst of it had passed and we pushed off into reasonably good weather. So I am going to skip right through the day to this very moment in time as I sit here in the kitchen area of the Bungendore Showgrounds. It is now 10:05pm and all the riders and road crew are in an adjacent hardwood floored hall sharing the night together in swags. A smiddy first for sure. Everyone has showered, eaten, the nightly functions are complete, Mick Farrag read out the blog that he and Melissa wrote from yesterday and a mighty big thank you to them both for giving me the night off from writing. Killer gave a rundown of our biggest Smiddy day ever tomorrow of 256km's and I read out the day 3 blog that we omitted in Nimmitabel due to the lateness of the proceedings. The place is graveyard quiet, and as I write I marvel at Sammi Jo's dedication and passion at keeping the Smiddy riders on top of their never ending injuries and woes. It is now 10:15pm and Sammi Jo is still massaging away. I saw her massage Bretty, Katie and Smythey and she has offered to give me a tune up for the niggling groin injury I have brought into this event. It is a hard decision; Sammi Jo massage and miss even more sleep as I still need to finish the blog, or no Sammi Jo massage and get the blog done and get an extra 30min sleep?
Road crew rock and Maria Smiddy message for the crew
Anyway she is a legend, just like all our road crew who have just gone to bed and will be up before all the riders tomorrow morning. I know I speak for all the riders when I say I tip my hat to you guys. While I am tipping my hat, I had a lovely text message from Maria Smiddy today wishing us all a safe last two days into Sydney. She instructed me to give Janet and Kirsteen a big hug from her, which I gleefully followed up on immediately that I received her text today during afternoon tea. Thanks Maria and take care and please know all the riders are thinking of you as well.
Todays wrap in a record 150 words!
Well I am bone dead tired and I am about to set a Sharky record by finishing off a blog in under 1000 words. I know I have told you bugger all about today but it was your normal Smiddy 7in7 sort of day where we rode heaps of kilometres, saw some amazing scenic sites, got spoilt rotten by our road crew at all the feed stations as per usual, sampled some unique smells of the Australian countryside -most good as the wild flowers bloom and release their intoxicating aroma's, while the smell of road kill is, and always will be, disgusting, took the mandatory group photo, which happened at the NS/ACT border and an interesting side note to that is that Kevvy and I have a photo together from every border crossing in every state and territory now and it has taken 7 years to do it. Anyway the important thing about today is that we all arrived to our destination safe and sound, our bellies are full and life is pretty darn good!
Sacrificed sleep for that tune up!
I ended up getting needled by Sammi-Jo and it is now 11:20pm and Rusty and Smythey have relocated into the kitchen area as I write this; which can only mean one thing, the snoring and bottom noises have begun!
My turn to go and add to the human tunes!
Goodnight.
Sharky
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