C'mon....It’ll be heaps of fun………..

And they were the words that had me signing up for the Murray to Moyne charity bike relay late on Thursday afternoon.  Apparently some late withdrawals saw the G.V Hospice Care team a couple of riders short for the event which started on Saturday morning in Echuca.

I had nothing planned for the weekend as it was my weekend off from having the kids.  I had thought I might get out on the bike a bit, maybe have a run, tidy up around the house and the like, you know……a normal weekend.

Instead, here I was reading Fee’s response to my tentative email query saying “C’mon…..It’ll be heaps of fun…..”  Yes, this is the same Fee who just the weekend before had dragged me out for the now infamous “Death Run” of 10km in the heat and sadly, hungover state.  There seems to be an ongoing theme emerging – something along the lines of her trying to kill me!!

So here I was on Friday night running around like an idiot getting all my gear together for an early start to get on the bus to head to Echuca for the start.  Finally got all my gear organised and into bed at about midnight.  All too soon the alarm had gone off at 5.30, I had a bit of brekkie and I was out the door to meet the other lunatics who were planning on doing this.

We loaded up the buses with gear and bikes and were soon on our way.  A total of 3 relay teams of 8 riders, a further 2 support vehicles loaded with all the tucker and the cooks and a 3^rd vehicle (and probably the most important) loaded up with the masseur and her gear.

Upon arrival in Echuca we got ourselves organised and waiting for the ride briefing before the ride officially started at 9.30am. Maps of the ride can be found here - http://www.murraytomoyne.com.au/.   The obligatory team photo was taken and then it was time to start.

All smiles at the start......

Our “A” team started the ride on our behalf and were soon on the way, including my old mate “Foss”.  Foss is a bit of a legend and just loves being on his bike, and is a hell of a nice bloke to boot. Foss has done the ride a few times now, including last year when he completed just over 400km of the 520 odd km route.  This year, he had decided he was going to ride the entire bloody thing!!

As a member of the “B” team we were due to take over the relay at Tennyson road, just East of Mitiamo, for a 45km stint into Pyramid Hill.  Once on the bikes we realised how much wind was actually out there and a check of the weather reports later advised that the wind was blowing at 20km/hr with gusts to 35km.  Upon turning due North for the run into Pyramid Hill we enjoyed a tailwind for the next 12km.  Sadly this was the only time the wind was with us for the entire ride.  Foss was still going strong with nearly 90km into the legs.

Once the “C” team took over, it was time for us to have a bit of a feed and the cooks already had the trailer mounted BBQ fired up and pushing out snags and hamburgers.  Once satisfied, we loaded up the bus again and leap frogged ahead to get ready for our next stint.

We were due to remount again at Charleton for the leg into St Arnaud, another run of approximately 45km. The wind was still blowing and the route was starting to get a bit of up and down about it.  It was about this time that my cursing of Fee starting to gain some real momentum.  I was also starting to bemoan my lack of training, the total of which has been 3 rides so far this year.   I was still pulling my turns though and our average was going ok when we pulled into St Arnaud at about 4.30pm.  Foss continued on again and was like a machine – a total of 210km down.  Once again the cooks were doing a great job with a mix of food available including the biggest pot of pasta I have ever seen.  A quick feed, load the bus and we were again on our way.

The next stop was at Stawell, and upon exiting the bus, we realised how cold it was now and I wasn’t looking forward to the next leg into Moyston, a total of approx. 43km.  We started to get our gear together and the call came through to say that the “A” team would be arriving by about 7pm.  Soon enough they were there and it became apparent that one of their number had consumed a few too many gels.  Hymie was absolutely buzzing!!!

Heading out of Stawell the sun was just setting and only minutes later we were riding in the dark.  For me this is a good thing because I can’t see the friggin’ hills coming. But about halfway onto the leg, coming into Pomonel we hit (for me) a sizable hill and the bunch rides off on me by about 100m or so.  Fortunately at the top of the hill sits the footy ground and one of the boys needs a leak so a quick stop there gives me a quick breather.  From there it is pretty uneventful into Moyston.  Foss was still going very strong and was an inspiration to us all.  The man is a machine!

After finishing our leg and leaving Foss and the “C” team to it we again leap frogged to our next starting point at Dunkeld.  We had plenty of time to spare so it was just a matter of killing time on the bus under the heater – it was pretty fresh outside by now.  Back into our gear, unload the bikes and then at 11.40pm it was back onto the bikes for the 36km run into Hamilton and the compulsory rest stop.

This was actually my favourite leg of the entire ride.  The wind had dropped slightly, the night was crystal clear, albeit a bit fresh and the company was excellent.  We also made pretty good time, and despite a slight detour around Hamilton looking for the Showgrounds, we managed to get to the Scout Hall where all of our teams were staying at 1am.  We quickly set up our sleeping bags and it was lights out at about 1.45am.  Fortunately, with the change to daylight savings we scored an extra hour, which we would need.

Foss had done an awesome job and had ridden a total of 427km for the day.  He was knackered but still managed a smile for everyone.  An amazing effort!  Although, I’ve never seen anyone roll out his bed, get into it and fall asleep so fast.

Getting up at 6am, we awoke to the cooks preparing a great feed of bacon and eggs and porridge to get us all going, packed the buses and then down to the start line for the 95km leg into Port Fairy and the finish line.  We were away by 7am and again, the friggin’ wind was relentless.  My legs felt ok-ish but I knew that we had a few hills ahead and the wind was doing my head in.

Our 3 teams were all riding the last leg, with some of the stronger guys heading off a bit quicker.  The remaining 15/16 of us were riding well together and pulling turns to try and keep everyone fresh. We made it into the little town of Hawkesdale at the 60km mark and called a quick stop to top up drinks and have something to eat.  We had 35km left to cover and finally get a shower.

Upon leaving Hawkesdale saw us head slightly downhill and then it was into a long drag uphill of about 3km.  This is where my legs fell off and the bunch slowly rode away from me, Marion and Foss.  We plodded on together for a while into the headwind, but I slowly rode away from Marion & Foss, so I found myself out in no man’s land.  I buried my head and just kept grinding away for the next 15km or so when I started to come across team mates waiting for Foss, as we all wanted to cross the line with him.

Getting to the outskirts of Port Fairy, whilst a relief, was shit-house.  It was open and exposed, I was tired and sore and the bloody finish line couldn’t come quick enough.  We eventually got into the centre of town and could hear the music coming from the finish line area and finally we were there! We crossed the line and congratulated each other before heading off to our Caravan Park where showers awaited.

Unbelievably, Foss had completed the entire 522km from Echuca in a total of just under 19 hours ride time, at an average of 28.0km/hr.  Not bad for a young fella of, well, early 50’s anyway.  An awesome effort and we are all in awe of what he was able to achieve.

The legendary "Foss" - 522km Echuca to Port Fairy - LEGEND!

My total for the weekend was 263km in just under 9hr 30 mins at an average of 27.8km/hr. 

After showers, it was time for another awesome feed thanks to the cooks and then pack the buses for the 6hr drive home.  A couple of beers and a lot of stories and we arrived home in Shepp by 7pm.  A huge weekend in all and a heap of fun with some great people.  An awesome ride by everyone involved but a special mention to Fee, Marion, Hymie, Meags, and of course, to Foss.  I was fortunate to witness a great feat of endurance by him and to see an awesome display of determination to finish a huge challenge.  Well done!!



Meags, Marion, Fee, Ayto, Foss & Hymie



Today, I don’t feel too bad.  The legs are a bit heavy and still a bit tired………oh, and of course, the gooch has been rubbed raw – nothing a good dose of mineral turps can’t fix!

So this week saw the following training completed:

Wednesday  – Bike 43km at an average of 32.4k

Thursday -  Run 8km in 45 mins

Saturday – Bike 168km at an average of 28.2 in just under 5 hours

Sunday – Bike 95km at an average of 27.5 in just under 4 hours

This morning I had a sleep in (justified, I think) and my weigh in came in at 114.7kg.  Only a small loss of 0.6kg, but understandable considering how much tucker the cooks kept pumping into us each weekend.  I think the plan will be to ease back into it with a swim tomorrow morning.

Whilst the weekend was only a last minute thing and I was nowhere near prepared, I think it has been a great thing for me mentally.  I feel that I can just about tackle anything that is thrown at me, so it has given me a bit of a confidence boost when thinking about the long year ahead.

Once again, a special mention to Fee, Marion, Meags, Hymie & Foss.  I couldn't have asked for a better group to spend a weekend with riding a bike at all hours!!!

Finally, if anyone feels like throwing a bit of dough at something, it's not too late to donate to the cause (GV Hospice Care).  Just let me know and I will gladly take you dough!!

Train safe

Ayto