SHARKYS OZ 7in7 TARRAHLEA TO HOBART - DAY 4

Distance: 176.9 kilometres
Average speed: 24.2 kmph
Maximum speed: 74 kmph
Temperature Minimum - 2 Degrees At the top of Mt Wellington
Temperature Maximum - 16
2894 Metres climbed:
Ride time: 6:53:26
Wind direction: Tail

Blog written by Paul "Maso" Mason


"Ecclesiastes 3-11; There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the sun:
* The time to tear down and a time to build
*A time to weep and a time to laugh
* A time to mourn and a time to dance
*A time to cut and a time to mend
And there is nothing better than a person to enjoy their work for who am I to tell them what will happen after them.

Why this quote? this is Smiddy you ride around Tasmania and for the first three days there wasn't much sun. We are all here - we have all shed tears, we have all wept for friends and family that are no longer with us. Riding for Smiddy allows us to cut, to mend, to build, to laugh and the dance (especially Marto when he climbs a hill). Our road crew feed us, mend us, build us up ready for the next day. Adam rides with us every day. We know this and we also know that all of the other people we ride for do as well.

We awake at 4.30am with snowflakes floating in the air like a fairytale ... Just like our little cottages that Jess so wonderfully organised for us at Tarraleah. But we are not in a fairytale. Because before we are finished our amazing hot breakfast, before we are actually ready Kevvy blows his bloody whistle and our five minutes to begin Day 4 Tarraleah to Hobart.

We roll out and surprise surprise, we climb and we climb again and then begins our best day in Tasmania. we are on a descent with a tailwind woo hooo!!! We fly - speeds up to 70km recorded. the pack spread out across the road just the way Kevvy likes it.

Before we know it is a Hamilton. Tim, Jock and Jane from Curringa Farm were our awesome hosts and we were speechless as we were spoilt with homemade scones and cakes. This connection was arranged by one of Paul Mason's work colleagues - Richard Focken. Thanks so much Richard and the crew at Curringa Farm. All the riders enjoyed the informative presentation by Tim. There is an unwritten competition currently occurring and Marto is currently holding the yellow jersey for sausage roll consumption. Flynny currently is in green (sprint jersey) for the number of scones and claims he ate four but eye witnesses have verified he may have actually eaten 16. This was Jess' highlight of the trip to date as she snatched a suckling lamb from the mothers teat and consoled it by giving it a huge cuddle before returning it to its mother.

Heading into New Norfolk Rowan decided it was time to play and he started a fantastic 5-10km smashfest whereby Watty and several other were redlining just to hold on. Much fun was had and riders were known to experience a little bit of scone throat vomit as they raced with great speed toward Hobart.

Lunch was fantastic hosted by Meg Walker and her mum Marsha at their beautiful establishment with their amazing friends and family. Kate was extremely overwhelmed by their generosity as they also gave several donations and opened their homie to us. they are a part of our Smiddy family and have offered to host in any future events that are held. thanks so much to Meg and her support crew at New Norfolk.

Tim was kind enough to lead us into Hobart with our day rider Oliver who has previously ridden with Sharky on his original journey when he first started riding. We had a pit stop at Salamanca and then a quiet hush fell over the group as we munched once again on the delicious home baked cooking so kindly provided to us. Strategies were formed, alliances made, tactics discussed and Row was at his all time best in attempting to impact everyone with his Dynamo powers. Why was this happening??? We were about the embark on one of the greatest mountain climbs in Australia and in our lives. Mount Wellington. The tour of Tassie conducted their stage one time trial minutes before we arrived, you could smell the sweat and blood at the start line. Some sucked it up with glee - we could all see the twinkle in Sambo's eyes. Some were weeping in anticipation at the next challenge the Tasmania would throw at them. The NRS Genesis completed the climb in 46 minutes. Our own Row man knocked it over in 40 minutes (give or take 5 or so kilometres) due to the Dynamo powers mentioned earlier. Sambo well he knew that he wanted it and managed to out-sprint the three amigos hot on his tail (Kate, Tim and Maso). Everybody who started finished the climb and what an awesome effort!!! After three days of majestic Tasmanian climbing - doing Mt Wellington on tired legs was tough and its really important that all the Garmins, the Strava, the heart rate monitors, the power meters - they all need to take second place to the legs, the heart but most importantly the mind that gets you to the top. You are not going to remember the figures when you retell this story. You will remember what grit, what guts, what mental strength, what friendships were formed and how slowly those kilometre markers rolled under your wheels. Reflect on this and be really proud of what you have achieved. Be just as proud and remember - how good showering and actually surviving the cold of the descent was because that is what life is all about. The small things. A little bit of discomfort is nothing in comparison to what people suffering with cancer are going through.

We finished the day with a magnificent meal at SOLO - where Simon our host spoilt us rotten. thanks so much Tim for your contact with him and providing us with a great night.
We also bade farewell to Boydy and Geeves - both who were to leave us in the morning. Thanks so much to both of you - you are with us in spirit to the end.

Congratulations to Rupert for his spirit award in allowing Row to win the climb and assisting riders up the climb.

This is Sharky's 7 in 7 Smiddy Tasmania Day Four. An epic ride so far. I'm loving every minute and cant wait to keep going.

Maso

SHARKY'S OZ 7 IN 7 TASSIE CHALLENGE STRAHAN - TARRALEAH

Key stats:
178km
3947 m climbing
Min ambient temp 0 deg.
Min apparent temp -6
Max temp 16 deg
Max speed 84km / hr
Rain: 16 mm
Road kill: modest
Air quality index 9.7 / 10

Day 3 -Tassie Smiddy Challenge.

Before I start describing the exploits of the day, some context is appropriate. Based on the mix of weather, distance and vertical metre climbing, today had all the ingredients to be EPIC! Many of you reading this would no doubt stay up during the Tour de France for a few of the crown stages. Well - today would be one of those days you'd stay up to watch. 4kms of vertical climbing is enough to have the most accomplished mountain goats nervous. In fact, arguably Australia's toughest one day ride is called 3 peaks in the Victorian highlands and this has similar climbing statistics to today! Most that take on the epic 3 peaks ride spend months preparing..... Smiling for Smiddy style is to knock out 330km of some of the toughest riding you'll ever do, in the two days prior! Hence - I suspect for almost every rider, today actually started mentally when they jumped into bed the night before - for you knew that the moment your alarm greeted you for the 0500 breakfast it would be unconditional to strap the a-game on and tackle one of the most demanding profiles anyone could conceive (#thankskatewarren)

Fuel:
As I was enjoying my customary bowl of weet bix I noted Capt. Kev in stern discussion with Geevesy.... Now Geevesy is not just an accomplished past challenge rider, he and at times his son and daughters have become a fixture in the cockpit of the lead vehicle playing a key role in the safe transfer of vehicles around the riders. Further more - Geevesy is a trivia man. He has an anecdote or commentary for almost everything. What he doesn't know he makes up. Especially on this tour - being a native tasweigen. For instance, some common radio chatter may go as follows. Rear vehicle: "Geevesy, what is that yellow flowering bush to the left". Front vehicle: "ah... Well, that is the rare variety of the yellow flowering bruxmouldia shrub - full of thorns but known to be used in a number of herbal medicines...." Then a plane flys overhead.... A mere spec to the naked eye.... Geevesy "did you catch that.... That was a bombardia dash 8 Q 300... Then geevesys voice drops an octave and he says.... Pretty sure that would be VH-MJQ.... Enroute to Melbourne.... Sadly today though - Geevesy was the recipient of a stern homily from Capt. Kev about forward planning. Geevesy vehicle was running on fumes and would not have made it to the first stop at bike ride pace, so Geevesy and his crew were sent on their way, tail between their legs at 0530 to source fuel!

Breakfast:

Wow - we never ceased to be amazed what our incredible support crew can do. They once again served up a breakfast of cereal, eggs, toast, freshly squeezed juice and necessary sustenance to survive the day. This amazing support team get up an hour before we do and deliver a spread that makes a real contribution to the riders being able to complete these grueling days. Thank you!

Day 3 - the first stanza: at rollout there was a genuine sense of intense atmosphere. Many riders were trying to ignore that little person in the back of the head saying "do you think you'll make it today'?... It didn't help with Flyn-dog (arrrrooooo!!) wandering around mentioning that the apparent temp in Queenstown (45km up the rd) was negative 11.9 deg!!)

Big Mal Burke (aka mad dog) was celebrating another 21st birthday today so Kevy gave him the honour of ringing the cow bell to set the riders on their way for the day. The first 674 metres were pristine, delightful and somewhat mezmorising as we're cruised out of Strauhan hugging the river and admiring the beautiful harbour and boat, the early glimps of the sun shimmering off these impressive vessels.... Then - we sadly turned left and there began nearly 2 solid hours of climbing.... And as the weather doomsday forecasters had predicted.... The rain also arrived! For the next few hours it was a real toil - climbing, becoming gradually soaked and all in conditions with an ambient temp of around 4 degrees.

The climb of the day:
The much talked about climb before morning tea with 98 bends arrived. I think we were all fairly nervous knowing this was a serious climb in terms of altitude and all realising the weather could be unpredictable. To be fair - what we experienced was perhaps on of the best climbs you'll ever do. Many described it as very European with exposed terrain and continual switch backs meaning you could see both ahead of you and back down into the valley. As a rider - many tough climbs are characterised by persistence. That is - you tend to be focused on the road ahead and you are often encased by tree line facades. What we had was the total opposite. It was a climb you deliberately rode up to one of your smiddy buddies and stuck by their side. The speed of this climb was not important - it was about taking in a very unique experience, and performing it at a speed you could love every minute of it! (#thankskatewarren)


The sausage roll renaissance:
We roll into morning tea. One of the great things about riding is that in my mind at least, you get a free pass on the eating front. In the real world I avoid pastries and baked goods, on Smiddy rides it's game on as guilt free I splurge, confident in my garmin telling me I have burnt over 5000 calories. It should be noted that I am yet to complete a ride without gaining weight. With Tasmanian hospitality it seems unlikely that this trend will change, man the sausage rolls are good.

The Quiet room and the Hurt locker:
I described both of these places in a blog from the Townsville ride in 2010.... Some of you may remember. For those not aware let me assist. Smiddy riders are insanely stubborn determined and persistent people. They see a glass with no more than a little condensation on the side as half full, and they tune out to those that tell them something can't be done. This is why riders sometimes enter either the quite room, or the hurt locker. Firstly - neither are pleasant and I've spent time in both. The quiet room is a place you enter when enduring a day and conditions begin to get tough. This can happen for so many different reasons and is often personal - the wrong clothing choice, hunger flat, needing a comfort break, or a body niggle making riding challenging and painful. When this happens, you enter what is know as the quiet room. A place that when you roll through the pelaton very little is said. Your entire focus is on holding the wheel in front... What tends to be so incredible in a smiddy pelaton is the support from fellow riders prevents one from being consumed into the vortex of the "hurt locker". This is a seriously unpleasant place. The hurt locker has been considered as an alternative to waterboarding at Guantanamo! Let me tell, this is an awful place and today some of the riders endured this due to their bodies contending with niggles of the past couple of days, and circumstances making their day extremely tough. What I love about Smiddy riders and by that I mean that every single person on this Tassie ride is enduring these conditions for a reason bigger than completing a ride. It is all about making a difference in the fight against cancer, for those we love and for those we remember. Today there were a number of people in both the hurt locker and the quiet room. Even the Shark himself checked in for a short visit. Today was an incredible day as a cyclist, but I think very few could say, they did not at some point do some extremely tough hours n the road. For me, it is at these time I think of every person that has taken the time and commitment to contribute to the smiling for Smiddy cause - it lifts every rider through the tough moments.


The big climb
Today's climb was the biggest I have personally tackled. Around 10km with gradients reaching at least 23.16% (stat provided by Boydy). I joined the M team, Mick, Mel and Masso, but made a school girl error when I positioned myself in the front section of the quartet effectively locking myself in to their pace, around 20 beats per minute above my planned effort.

But as is mostly the case in life, the harder you work the greater the victory, and as usual the scenery did not disappoint, the snow capped mountains a perfect backdrop for some group happy snaps. Excellent facebook proof that we are indeed doing it tough down here.

Arriving
There is something incredibly satisfying about arriving at your destination each evening. Like most things Smiddy related you're never quite sure what to expect. Today was one of those ultra bonus days. Tarralah originally built to house the workers from the local hydro scheme has been converted into a collection of holiday cottages, complete with Tavern and function room where the team shared a very civil meal (with linen and everything).

The perfect end to an epic day.


Top 10 cool things from today:

1. Shannon, on debut as a Smiddy rider, is your quintessential gentlemen complete with mustache and cravat. Today he showed Smiddy spirit of a seasoned veteran by pushing numerous people throughout the day and was fittingly awarded the Smiddy spirit award.

2. Shannon handing over said award to another great Smiddy Ambassador Tim Smith, his partner in pushing.

3. Lisa - dressed in a short sleeve jersey and knicks while the rest of us shiver under at least 4 layers - a definite contender for the upcoming Smiddy nude calendar

4. The twins rocking out the lead vehicle with Geevsie in tow, so positive and simply lovely - happily giving away their own food and clothing in order to help us out.

5. The range of tunes on offer from our resident DJs

6. The number of chicks on the radio.

5. The number of chicks in the team

6. Kevvy's sheer delight at finding his family of origin (aka garden gnomes) in Queenstown.

7. Brian sharing his poems with an audience who really got it

8. Watching other riders snake their way up a summit or cruise down a descent

9. Drinking port and eating dark chocolate at Club 70 - Nic, Iain and Antonia - rest assured the tradition continues.

10. People making the tough call of doing van time to care for some niggling injuries to increase their chances of returning to the group.

Final note.
Last year when I rode the 7 my mate Karen had this uncanny ability of calling me just when I needed her. Karen lost her very brave battle with cancer in February this year. On the epic day that was Day 3, I missed my mate's call.

Anna and Boydy.

SHARKY'S OZ 7in7 SMIDDY TASSIE CHALLENGE - DAY 2 CRADLE MOUNTAIN TO STRAHAN

Distance: 141 kilometres
Average speed: 26.6 kmph
Maximum speed: 71.5 kmph
Temperature Minimum - 4
Temperature Maximum - 16 degrees
Metres climbed: 1809
Ride time: 5hrs 19mins
Wind direction: Was kind to us today and predominately was behind us.

Road Kill update:
Well I just wanted to explain that no-one has stepped up on this trip to count the road kill. Which is a huge disappointment as the kill count would not only been extremely high but variantly interesting. The past two days I have been kind of loosely making a mental list of the different species of animals I have witnessed squashed on or off to the side of the road. Wallabies are the most common and vary from being torn apart with limbs up to 20 metres away, to fully intact ones that look as if they have lay down for a peaceful sleep. Birds have been quite common but the most shocking and sad kill was when we passed by two white geese that did not quite make it to the other side of the road. In yesterday's snow storm Rowan and I passed a huge wombat that was fully intact, on its back, all four legs spread and two of the whitest balls I have ever laid eyes on. Of course Marto saw it as well and has not shut up about it for the past 24 hours. One of the riders suggested that wombat was a dead ringer for our old mate Andrew Watts. Out of respect for Watty we only laughed for five minutes at this very poor joke about our mate.

The short stage that is never short
So with just 140 kilometres to travel today and after the epic ride we all went through yesterday, the later start of eight-am was appreciated by all. The snow continued throughout the night and was still snowing when I went to bed at 12:30. But on awaking at seven-am a quick peek out the door, while letting in a gush of cold air, also suggested that the worst had passed. There was even a hint of blue sky and the wind had dropped dramatically. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, as I know all the other riders did and felt the same way. For me personally it is so important that I complete this journey around Australia knowing that I have pedaled the entire way. I only intend on doing this trip once and never want to return to have to complete a section that I was unable to do due to inclement weather. So a huge thank you to the weather Gods for taking pity on us and only throwing the one stupidly bad day of weather at us, thus far!

Hill, hills and more hills and one supreme climber!
So our eight-am start saw all riders present and accounted for and sent on our way by the ringing of the cow bell by the friendly road crew member Cheryl King. While it was cold, the rain stayed away, and the misty and moist conditions were actually quite pleasant to ride in. The highland country of Cradle Mountain was gorgeous to ride through with its craggy peaks, perfectly lush green fields, happy cows and sheep and cows that kept running away from me when Mr Mason asked them that bloody annoying question; "If Sharky is gay please run away", which they bloody-well always did. Damn it! Anyway while the climbing continued throughout the first 90 kilometres of the day, most of it was pleasant with only a few that needed to be completed through gritted teeth and steely determination. Malcolm "Maddog" Bourke loves to climb. He stated that climbing is best combined with a killer 50km/h headwind, sideways rain and a gradient of at least 17%. He went on to say that compared to yesterday all the climbs today were graded no higher than a 2.5 out of ten. Because of Maddog love of climbing his nickname has now been changed to "Mountain Goat" Bourke.

The descent that finally came after 70km's
I guess we all thought we were at the top when we left our accommodation but really it took 70km's of rolling hills before we lost any real altitude of the 930 metres we had gained the day before. When it did come it was fast, wet in places but reasonable safe. Natalie Gordon came into her own and descended so fast that she passed all the lads going for it at the front. I found out all this later as I started at the back and missed all the excitement of seeing Nat mix it up with the boys. Nice work Natalie.

The ultimate pace-lining session by the riders
It was after our lunch break at Zeehan, a lovely small country town famous for its steam train collection and old fashioned architectural buildings, where we had a nice visit from Kate Warren's partner, Brent's parents, Denzel and Jeanette, who were given the honour of ringing the cow bell to send the riders on their way. It was from here on to the finish that the road was either a gradual decline or flat with a few rolling hills that the group had their first Smiddy moment when the pace-lining began in earnest. 40km/h for up to ten kilometres was the order of the day. It was beautiful, a little painful, but at times like this I can feel the energy within the group and I feel like my mate Adam Smiddy has come down to join us. I love those moments as they are infrequent but when they come man they are so damn awesome!

A surprise visit to the ultimate sand pit
Just eight kilometres from the finish and our little Rabbit Warren, Kate had a surprise in store for the riders; we were directed off to the side of the road, a short 500 metre ride down a wet and muddy fire trail, bike shoes off and a walk up huge sand-dunes to incredible views of the Indian Ocean, which also maybe the Pacific Ocean, depending on who you talk to and whether Google is correct in a court of law. Anyway it was fun to feel the softness of sand on the soles of your feet after being in hard cycling shoes for thousands of kilometres. The photo opportunities were aplenty with a head-stand in the sand being attempted successfully by Mel, although she was aided by Anna, who I think just wanted to hold onto Mel's athletic legs while upside down. Who else can boast a feat such as that?

Marto wraps up the huddle
The finish into Strahan Caravan Park saw the riders and road crew celebrate
exuberantly to make up for the fact that we missed out on it yesterday due to the inclement weather. Marto was given the honour of taking on the huddle as guest speaker due to his ability to think on the spot as I gave him exactly and precisely two seconds warning that he was the guest huddle speaker. And of course he spoke lots of rubbish about him being a good rider and we all laughed and he was the world champion not only in sausage rolls consumed but smashed it today when he actually went to the front of the peloton on not one, not two and not three times, but on six separate occasions.

Watty delivers a nice surprise
Tonight's dinner was held at Hamers Hotel and the food was plentiful and very yummy. If you ever pass by here be sure to ask for the double choc banana split with choc covered strawberries...

A nice surprise tonight was when Watty shouted tonight's entire meal for the group of 36 people and then asked each person to donate $20 back to Smiddy. So a fantastic $700 was raised for Smiddy and the Mater Foundation thanks to Watty's generosity and excellent idea. Row delivered his usual excellent wrap up of the days ride and Nicole and Maddog did a great job reading out yesterdays blog to the group.

Tomorrow is another epic day of close to 4000 metres of climbing, 182 kilometres, with an expectation of rain and headwinds after lunch. Six-am is roll out and I have set a record by having this blog completed and posted prior to nine-am.

Until tomorrow.

Sharky

SHARKY'S OZ 7IN7 SMIDDY TASSIE CHALLENGE - DAY 1 / LAUNCESTON TO CRADLE MOUNTAIN

Distance: 192 kilometres
Average speed: 22.2 kmph
Maximum speed: 70.5 kmph
Temperature Minimum - minus 2 degrees atop of Cradle Mountain
Temp with Wind Chill factor - Minus 10
Temperature Maximum - 11 degrees at 2:30pm
Metres climbed: 3650
Ride time: 8hrs 38mins
Wind direction: Headwind, Crosswind, Tailwind, Everything wind
Different kinds of wet stuff: Front on rain, sideways rain, head splattering rain, sleet, ice and finally snow

Wow! How the bloody hell do you sum up one of the toughest days ever endured on a bike? I am not sure I will do it justice but here goes...

Obscene weather pattern hits the Smiddy crew
You see, what is happening over here in Tassie, while my fellow Queenslanders are enduring a bit of a heatwave is this: The 26 riders entered in the inaugural Smiddy Challenge, as part of my 7in7 journey around Australia, are freezing their tits off! First up this morning, with a six-am roll out time, the cold wet rain began in earnest precisely two kilometres into our ride. It did not relent for a long, four very cold and miserable hours. But in hindsight that was like going for a walk in the park for five minutes without an umbrella during a sun-shower. For what hit the group in the afternoon on the climb up to Cradle Mountain was some of the most horrendous conditions I have ever witnessed on a bike in 30 years of riding.

Do not stop or you will freeze in place!
It was shortly after our afternoon tea stop, with 50 kilometres remaining, that the group were left to ride to the finish under their own steam and no regrouping required. It was just too cold, too windy, too rainy, too sleety and too damn snowy for it to be anything but every man and women for themselves. Now this may come across as very un-Smiddy like, but seriously, it was as simple as this: if you stopped for any reason at all, to piss, to eat, to put on extra clothes or to take a photo you would not finish the day's stage. The main reason was mild hypothermia being the biggest problem and the lack of daylight that was seriously running out as our five-pm expected finish time blew out to the last riders dwindling in after six-pm. As it turned out 15 riders were pulled from the course and ferried to the top by Kevvy and the road crew. To give you an indication of how cold we all got out there this afternoon; it is now 10:15pm, some four hours after finishing and I am still cold to the bone and my fingers hurt to type due to the trauma they went through today. I know all the riders are feeling the same way. My utmost admiration goes out to some of the stronger riders, who sacrificed their own ride to help those riders struggling to get to the finish. Unfortunately they were also asked to get in the van with the deteriorating conditions and lack of daylight left in the sky.

High and lows of an epic day in the mountains
In some ways today was such a contrast of amazing highs and incredible lows. The highs being the sensational school visit to Devonport State School for lunch at 11:30am, organised by Smiddy rider, Kate Warren, who lives in Tassie and teaches at this school.

The greatest school visit in Smiddy history
The riders were met by their own personal chaperones as we descended upon a sea of hundreds of screaming school children all wanting a high five. Each child chaperone then took our bikes and placed them inside the assembly hall, we were then invited to take off our wet cycling shoes and don slippers that were all painted with Smiddy Smiley faces and our names. My companion was ten year old Colby and he fussed over me to the extent that he even cooked a special cup-cake for me that had my name, 'Sharky,' written in icing on it. The kids presented Kate with a donation on behalf of the school. We did the usual zinc face painting thing that is always a hit with the kids and riders alike and surprising Kate won the best design on her face as judged by her kids, when clearly she was not! Nicole Maloney was the clear winner and the kids thought it was hilarious as they all just wanted Kate to win because she is not only a great teacher but such a lovely person. Other highlights from that visit included the opportunity I had to give the children a sun-safe message, the yummy food, all supplied by their children and their parents, the indoor Smiddy huddle which included all the kids, teachers, riders and road crew, and the high fives as we departed from one of the most memorable school visits on record. A huge congratulations to Kate and the children at Devonport State school.

That bloody Cradle Mountain climb
The climb up to Cradle Mountain was both a low and a high. A high in the sense that it tested you to the brink of your mental and physical capacity. If you gave in, if the body was willing but the mind not in the A-Game frame, then it was on the benches for you. A low in the sense that I know all the riders wanted to, and could have finished, if just given the chance to finish under their own steam. To be robbed of that opportunity, due to the lack of daylight and the incredible hard conditions was sad to hear the disappointment as they verbally recollected that last horrible hour on the bike. But I also liked their attitude, like when Paula said that she was going to make up the ten kilometres that she missed today by riding extra kilometres after tomorrow's shorter stage.

Kevvy and a cup of tea
Well it is now 11pm and I am so tired but the words are still coming effortlessly. Kevvy has just entered the cabin that I am sharing with Mick Farrag, who is my Brother in Arms and the only other rider to endure 3000 kilometres of riding since leaving Brisbane on September 7. Mick was one of those selfless riders that hung back to help other riders struggling and paid the price and I love him for it! Rebecca and Peter Knight are also sharing and still out there doing the washing. Peter defected to road crew when he realised the pace was too high in the first 30 kilometres of the morning session. He was sick with the flu and did not want to hold the other riders up. His selfless attitude earned him the right to lead the indoor Smiddy huddle tonight after dinner. Anyway Kevvy is always concerned for me as he knows these blogs take some time to write. Hence the offer of a cup of tea, which I gratefully accepted. The great thing with Kev is that he then knows not to to talk to me, allowing me to concentrate on the job at hand. A greater more understanding mate would be hard to find...

Well the great thing about today's blog is no exaggeration is required, as no matter what I have written above, unless you were here today, it just can't be explained as to the suffering that these guys went through. All you need to do love ones and supporters reading this, is to be incredibly proud of your special rider doing this event for all the right reasons. The team at Smiling for Smiddy are blessed to now have another 26 amazing Smiddy ambassadors and we could not be prouder.

Finally just a few quick observations from today and I am off to bed.

1. Our road crew rock in so many ways. This afternoon was the most stressful and busy situation they have ever been put in and it is only day one. I would especially like to acknowledge Kevvy making the decision to tell riders to leave their bikes on the side of the road and to get them into the warmth of the car. The bikes were then collected by Peter Knight, who did an awesome job actually locating each and every one of the abandoned bikes.

2. All the road crew this afternoon went above and beyond their call of duty, I can't mention all their selfless acts or I will be here all night. But they rock and we the riders wish to acknowledge that we are in awe of all your contributions.

3. Greg 'Sausage-Roll-World-Champion-Marto Martin for proving that it is humanly possible to consume 16 sausage rolls for morning tea, another ten at lunchtime, and still carry his impressive spare tyre up Cradle Mountain and get within two kilometres of the summit before the sweeper van swept him up.

4. Paul 'Maso-Sore-Achillies' Mason for his comment at lunchtime that it is impossible not to put on weight during any Smiddy event. Referring to the fact that the riders are so well fed. Maso was also obviously delirious when he said to me over dinner that this afternoon was the most fun he has ever had. Obviously his brain is still in freeze frame mode.

5. Rupert Leigh and Matt Zaranski are the best of mates and took on this journey together. I loved the fact that after completing the first long tough climb of around ten kilometres after lunch, that they then descended down to the last riders and helped them all the way into the afternoon tea break. Nice work boys!

6. To Lisa and Natalie who battled onwards and upwards those last few hours of the day, always accepting help and bing so understanding when the time came to get in the van. Also to all the other riders who needed a lift and understood road crew were only concerned for your safety. Thanks also to Anna Tate for being the best female shepherd in the world. Chappy would be so proud of your performance today!

7. To Andrew 'Fox' Watts for sharing the first part of that hard slog up to Cradle with me. And then to my old mate Rowan Foster; so many shared suffering memories spring to mind my friend, and to ride that remaining 34 kilometres into the teeth of the fiercest and coldest wind and sleet conditions we have ever ridden in, was pure unadulterated pleasure to suffer by your side yet again. Another one for the memory banks champ!

8. To Kate, Pete, Mick, Bryan and Paula, to ride on a day like today when you have just completed the Adelaide to Melbourne leg was just awe-inspiring to watch. You guys rock my world.

9. To the lads, Tom and then Shannon, who suffered punctures in those terrible conditions, yet somehow managed to get them fixed with hands that had no feelings and went on to finish, job well done. Tim Smith thank you for helping Tom to get going and Shannon for your understanding at Rowan and I not stopping when you punctured.

10. And finally on a day when even the Tasmanian's in the field; Kate, Geevsey and Tim declared that it was indeed a bad day to be out on the bike and ensuring that even locals feel the pain.

Sharky's final words
Well Pete and Rebecca just walked through the door and it is now 11:50pm, and that it what our road crew do. First up and last to bed. Always looking out for the riders. Washed and dried and fresh clean clothes to wear thanks to these amazing people. Pete tells me that Jess and Maria are still there now and waiting to put the last load through the drier. I am emotional as I write this and tears come to my eyes when I think of these beautiful individuals. How lucky are we?

If you are inspired by todays events please visit our website and make a donation towards your favourite rider. Help us to achieve our Tasmanian goal of raising $100,000, to go towards our overall goal or raising $1 million dollars for cancer research in this 12 month period.

Thank you and goodnight.

Sharky

ONESTEEL SHARKY'S OZ 7IN7 DAY 7- BARWON HEADS TO MELBOURNE

By Rusty Conway and JL
Stats for the Day
Distance: 160.3 kilometres
Average speed: 23.1 kmph
Maximum speed: 58.0 kmph
Temperature Minimum - 7 degrees
Temperature Maximum - 26 degrees
Metres climbed: 819
Ride time: 6hrs 56mins
Wind direction: ESE, NSN and afternoon hacky head cross tail rubbish wind

Road Kill Count by Bryan 'Walt'

1 Cat, 1 lounge, 1 bunch of feathers.

So it begins… then ends.
Well... here ends a great week. Last morning and an earlier start due to a big day and potential windy conditions, some organised stops and Melbourne peak hour traffic beckoning us from our slumber. 6:30 roll out today. All week we’ve had 7am roll outs so the earlier start is a tough one for us.
The get up was probably toughest for Road Crew Legend Sponge Bob, who thought it wise last night to off-set hours of sleep with bottles of wine in a ratio of one to one. He was last seen wandering through the caravan park at Barwon Heads with a jar of Peanut Butter in one hand and a jam jar in the other. Muttering to himself about condiments.
As they have for the past six mornings, the road crew provided a great breakfast from a quantity perspective, but also from a quality and rationing point of view. We had jam and both the good and rubbish peanut butters. This morning had the added bonus of left over bolognaise from last night. Optional extra - toast.
Not all the road crew was involved in providing breakfast treats. Katie Cox’s challenge to climb Mount Washmore had her wandering the laundry halls looking for the owner of lost knicks, bras and little, little underwear till the early hours of the morning. Katie also got the gong today for the most appropriate T-Shirt to date as she was sporting a Bill Murray “Bike Thief” shirt. No custom jobs here – straight off the rack.

A truly special way to start the day
We rolled out for the first time all week prior to 7am. Aim as I mentioned was 6:30 however due to blogging issues of the Shark, we rolled at 6:48. Great work guys. We’re awesome. We rolled out and the continuing saga of Paula’s front wheel continued to play out on the driveway of the caravan park. We hadn’t even hit the road yet.
The group headed out in the mist, but this was short lived as the sun formed a perfect filtered sphere in the sky. We did about 15km before pulling up on the side of the road for what was a beautiful gesture. We stopped out front of Bryan’s Mum’s house and tipped our helmets in her honor. One of the great memories of the week after Bryans heartfelt poetry earlier in our journey. Bryan lives about 20 minutes from Barwon Heads so this was his backyard. Armed with local knowledge Bryan assisted the group this morning to reach Geelong and lined up an interview with the local paper who’ve been strong supporters of his fundraising for this trip.

As our journey has progressed the group has contracted some form of the flu. It has now developed into a strain known as Mick-Farragio, or Phlegm Symbol, the Flu formally known as Smiddy Challenge Kennel Cough. The wind was starting to create some issues for the riders who prefer the Bushman style Snot Rocket. Especially those like Kate Warren who like to mark territory and launch rockets on every new road. My road, she says.
We reached a jetty on the far western side of Port Phillip Bay and the morning was spectacular. The view was such that Peter Knight decided to quickly drop his bike and immerse himself in mother nature’s glory….head first. Sharky and Alyssa were the consummate professional tourists and went all the way to the end of the jetty, Sharky on his bike of course.

Back on our bikes and off into a horrible head wind towards Port Arlington. Mick and Kate were on the front and Mick was a little uncomfortable in the 30km/hr head wind. Kate advised him to lock his core and put his head down. Over the next kilometer Mick slowly pulled away from Kate and she was heard to mutter, “Your core must be really tight today Mick”. When the call of “Ease up” came, Kate mentioned that she was relieved. “Oh thanks goodness,” she said.

The rollers into Geelong
We pulled over at Port Arlington for a toilet stop and sunscreen application session just before 9am. A few of us were looking at the clock. We’d done about 38km and based on the last few days we were ready for a coffee. Capt’n Kev quickly stepped in, gave everyone a bar and said “On yer bikes kids”.
We struggled out of Port Arlington due to 10km of single file rolling hills. Some of us had very tired legs and the extra efforts after 7 or 15 continuous days on the road were a stretch. We rolled into Geelong at 10am for a coffee (well some of us) and a photo shoot. Mel lined up a triple shot of soy flat white energy and was ready for another 10 rounds in the ring.

Magical Mystery Tour
Now anyone who has been on a Sharky shortcut knows they can be summed up with one word, fundamental. Being that they are one part Fun and one part Mental. Our new tour guide “Weave” lived up to his name because the next 20km to Lara was insane. There were footpaths, cycle ways, drains, railway bridges, up steps, down steps, late breaking right hand turns. It had all the elements and the suggestion was, as homage this ride, that the term “Sharky Shortcut” be put on Wikipedia.

As we left Geelong, Mel nearly went into the bay at the behest of a small dog, and the old Mt Gambier Coffee Shop Quartet of Sarah, Kate, Mick and JL rolled at the back. Paula nearly narrowly missed getting caught up in a dolphin friendly net and there was a hole the size of Laver’s Hill to negotiate.
As we got closer to Lara train station we got snippets of radio noise from the support crew, and just as we nearly had a bingle in the pack, we heard the call from Kevy, “Where the bloody hell are you?”

The long grind towards Melbourne - Satisfaction wears many cycling caps
We had super domestique Mick in full use as we rolled out from the stop at Lara along the Highway that AC/DC sang so poetically about all those years ago. Sharky had a cough and Paula offered him a Strepsil. Due to the nature of the hierarchy in the team, Sharky was unable to give the remaining Strepsils back to Paula, so Mick rolled up and assisted with the donkey work, taking the small package and rolling through to slide the packet into Paula’s back pocket. Nice work team.

Unfortunately not every outing on the bike brings breathtaking scenery or mind blowing descents. One of the great things about cycling is there's nearly always a moment in every ride that reminds you why you love getting up early and squeezing into the lycra get up. Off the back of a day like Sunday that included pedaling through rainforest, an amazing downhill run from the Otway Ranges, coastal vistas along the Great Ocean Road and coffee with Phil Anderson, the first Australian to wear the prestigious yellow leaders jersey at the Tour de France, it was going to be hard to replicate with today’s ride into Melbourne.
Today the highlights came not from Mother Nature, but from the satisfaction of getting the job done. With testing riding conditions and minds fixed firmly on the prize of a Maria Smiddy hug waiting in Melbourne, the group struggled to find "happy people that make other people happy". During a very tough section of freeway shoulder that seemed to go on forever, with energy sucking head/cross winds, the Smiddy spirit kicked in and everyone dug deep to punch out the km's. A few riders were nearing breaking point when we finally spotted the oasis of a Caltex service centre and our much needed departure from the highway to hell.
Special mention goes to Alyssa’s friend Craig aka “Weave”, for sprinting to the front of the bunch 10m before the entry to the Caltex station to ensure we made it in safely. He was also more than generous when lending his hand to a few of the struggling riders during a vulnerable period of today’s ride. The winds were violating at times, and Craig’s presence amongst tired legs was very uplifting.

Meeting the boys at Werribee
Saviours… Smiddy riders Nick and Adreil were there to meet us at Weribee. We still had about 50km to roll for the day but we had some direction, fresh legs and local knowledge to assist with the afternoon session. I did the Challenge with Nick in 2012 and Adriel did the Middy Smiddy in 2013. We had lunch and tried to protect our bikes from locals who were intent on having a bling ride home.
A few security issues warded off with peanut butter and coke, and the last of the lunches was done for the tour. Thanks again road crew for being there for us all week. Head stands from Rusty and apprentice Coxie to complete the trifecta of Great Ocean Road, Lavers Hill Pub and Werribee.

The last gasp – roll into Melbourne
The final 50km had us take a very scenic route along the bay towards Melbourne. Adriel had about 7 nicknames by the time he was with us including but not limited to:
1. The little mermaid
2. Gargemal
3. Smurf cat
Pete was disappointed with the chosen route into our final destination as he believed a conspiracy was at hand to include every hill in Melbourne… all 3 of them.
With the elongated shadows heading into the city, a rogue WRX driver pumped up some Chemical Brothers for us, and JL shadow spooned Mick. The art of shadow spooning. There is a shadow thrown on the ground by a rider (Mick) and this forms a small spoon. A second larger rider (JL) rolls up beside the smaller rider and sits just behind them. The shadows are loving, intimate and creepy. I give you the shadow spoon.
Wonderful greeting at hotel by Rusty beautiful family, we had the Smiddy huddle and the day recital was led by Alyssa. Maria Smiddy was on hand for the best hugs in the west.
Special thanks to the Avanti Plus store in Melbourne and Nick for providing bike boxes.

We were done. 1200km in 7 days through God’s own country. Some of the best riding I have ever done, and I’m sure the other riders feel the same.

A chance to relax at dinner
A surprise visit from Smiddy legend Anthony Khoo at dinner opened the floodgates to reminisce about the week just finished and relationships formed from past and current Smiddy experiences. Maria entertained with her first “selfie”, that was posted on Facebook with the hashtag #virginselfie and instantly liked by David Smiddy.
A few drinks allowed Sarah to relax amongst friends and confess her love of Christmas time and her longing for Santa to come. “It’s all about the size of the present” she stated. Clearly some unresolved childhood issues there.
The hills of Tasmania and the responsibilities of the “real world” were not on the agenda as the group relaxed and enjoy each others company. The challenges of another Smiddy adventure have again made lifetime friendships and strengthened existing bonds. Becoming a member of the Smiddy family is a unique honor that enriches one’s life. To ride in the Smiddy kit or to spend time as one of the amazing road crew, really does mean you are part of a Journey of Friends.

Rusty and JL

ONESTEEL SHARKYS OZ 7IN7 - DAY 6 LAVERS HILL TO BARWON POINT

Day 6
Lavers hill to Barwon Point

163km
1332m climbing
Top speed for a lightweight 77.2

Road kill count
One BMW

1 brush tail possum
1 magpie
And 1 wallaby


The morning alarm sprang to life at 5.30am only to be shut down for an extra thirty minutes thanks to the lovely Alyssa.

The wonderful woman in Sharky's life celebrates a birthday today and her gift to us riders today was a thirty minute sleep-in.

Happy birthday and thank you Alyssa. Gift no. 1

So after a restful night full of mouldy blankets, electrifying bathrooms and showers that challenges point eight of a person to get wet, a 7.30am roll out it was.

Rolling out through the mist and early morning drizzle that is the gorgeous Lavers Hill the sleepy cows rise to the early morning across fields so lush and green it's hard to imagine they could possibly be any other colour.

20k along a downhill roll where the whir of wheels among the damp spray off the road we hear a call from Paula. 3rd time lucky, or not for this trip, her front wheel flat!

Fixed more quickly than you can say "jack robinson", the team were on the road again, enjoying the work on the rises which quickly warmed our cooling bodies from the downhills.

Another 10k down and our local tour guide and fellow smiddyite, Bryan, prepares us for the wild decent that lies ahead. With grave warnings of road conditions, wet, mossy, slippery and steep, many of the group were a little on edge, with trepidation of the unknown and unexpected. We take the right hand turn to begin the segment.

Gift no. 2
A roll though the most absolutely spectacular forest you could ever possibly imagine. Beech forrest.
Where the road begs you to race up and down its contours, but the breathtaking beauty of the majestic Mountain Ash trees and rainforest that surround us demand such of your undivided attention that to race through such a gift from Mother Nature just does not seem possible. I couldn't tell you how many kilometres of road we rode through the forest but it would seem that I was in there for a lifetime, where 11 riders had spread to enjoy the solitude and tranquility that was gifted to us.

Where a stop sign abruptly halts the fairy tale Beech forest roll we regroup with smiles and eyes glistening in awe of the magnificent world around us.
We take a moment.
Revisit Bryan's earlier brief.
Reminders and cautions for the descent we're about to embark.
11k downhill steep and windy to the bottom of Skenes Creek.
Bang. We're off.

Gift no 3.
Fear and hesitations subside with the grace of every corner and turn. The road is clean open and wide with corners ever so graceful. The view a combination of trees and forest in the cool morning air with windows opening out wide to the view of our crystal blue Australian coastline glistening in the fresh morning sun.

We come into morning tea one by one at the bottom of gift no. 3 at Skenes Creek. High fives and smiles all around like a possy of five year olds all hitting the jackpot in pass the parcel.

Here at Skenes Creek we're greeted by day rider, or as we better know him now, 'day boy' Brad Richardson.

Brad onboard, our tummies fed it's onwards to continue the party that today is clearly becoming. We head off to knock out the 20k or so along the spectacular Great Ocean Road to Wye River at the wish of our birthday girl for morning coffee.

No sooner do we have 10k of undulating pacelining underway when Sharky let's go of one the greatest sharklike sounds you may ever hear. He just spotted his good mate and Aussie cycling legend Phil Anderson flying past in the opposite direction. The peloton quickly pull up and radio to Kevvy in the rear support vehicle who swiftly created a road block in true CHiPS style turning Phil in back in his tracks to join the Smiddy team for the ongoing celebrations.

Coffees done, stories told, photos snapped and jerseys signed Phil wished us all well and bade us goodbye with a special bell ringing send off ceremony. After all, this is not just any day. It's a birthday.

Gift 4
So upon leaving Phil we set out for the next 50k or so continuing along the Great Ocean Road, with views and cycling conditions we could only dream of. Blue sky's, ocean views, waves crashing over raw coastline, rolling and winding roads that leaves a paceline squealing and a breeze sitting on our back the day through. Seriously, can it get any better?!

With the day spent playing and enjoying the incredible gifts our Mother Nature has bestowed on us, our day is quickly getting away from us as we roll into Anglesea for a late lunch at 2.30. However, not without.....another puncture! Yep, Paula's front wheel. With a quick roadside change thanks to the boys, Paula's back in action and hanging with the road crew citing her plan for front wheel puncture intervention for the tassie leg with the help of Brad's wheels. Thanks Brad for Gift no. 5.

Now with only 40km or so to go, we again are on our way. This time with 'day boy' Brad joined with Bryan leading our wheels along the roads of southern Victoria to our final
destination for tonight at Barwon Heads. We arrive in time to again enjoy more gifts of this lifetime, the ocean to soothe our tired muscles, the friendships, the cake and the blessing of a warm shower and clean clothes.

Today has left me in absolute awe of the gifts and opportunities that are laid out infront of us and where my words may not do what we see justice, you can be confident in knowing that today has been spectacular where the opportunity to sit on a wheel in a smiddy peleton is one of the most special gifts from our families and friends you can possibly imagine.

Thankyou to all those who bestow such wonderful gifts upon us - our families, our friends, the road crew, our supporters and Mother Nature. A pretty awesome world we live in.

And here I am wondering who's birthday was it.

ONESTEEL SHARKY'S OZ 7in7 - DAY 5 - YAMBUK TO LAVER'S HILL

Distance: 187 kilometres
Average speed: 24.9 kmph
Maximum speed: 72.7 kmph
Temperature Minimum - 5 degrees
Temperature Maximum - 17 degrees
Metres climbed: 1427
Ride time: 6 hrs 41 min
Wind direction: Tailwind

Road Kill by Sreen Door
1 Kangaroo, 1 Brown Bear, 1 Sea Lion, 1 Giraffe (As reported by our road kill contacts in America, Alaska,and Africa as the Aussie kill was so low.

Relaxed beginnings
We started today in the quiet, peaceful town of Yambuk where Mel once again excelled in her brilliant organisation of accommodation. Mel – what you have done behind the scenes is appreciated from the whole team and the memories we have from the locations we have stayed at will be with us forever. Thank you. The old school we stayed in allowed us to have a wonderful evening together where we enjoyed the fabulous poems of encouragement from Katie Cox’s trusty cheer squad from back home. Thanks so much girls (and Katie for your forward thinking and thoughtfulness) – your support is appreciated more than words can say. Which brings me back to the morning – to wake up to the sound of quiet rather than roaring winds, we have quite enjoyed the wonderful tailwinds on the bike but the serenity of the stillness was a luxury and the road crew provided us with our nutritious breakfast to hit the road. One person who really has developed in her relaxation methods is Sarah “Julia Roberts” Crealey who is so well efficiently packed that she endured the true test of stamina and positive thinking when JL and myself disrupted her wonderful routine by providing an obstacle by unpacking her ever so neatly packed belongings to challenge her to repack in time for Kevvy’s whistle. She rose to the occasion and was even heard to be high fiving herself as she repacked her bag.

Kindness – the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate (Google, 2013)
We were very happy to welcome Sharky’s beautiful girl Alyssa to the team (Alyssa is riding with us for three days much to the delight of Sharky but we are well on the way to stealing his girl away from him… Watch this space). However we were all saddened when Russ made the very sensible decision to rest his knees up and join the road crew for the day. His role in the team is irreplaceable and we truly miss him on the bike but in true Russ style he was already thinking of other people before we even rolled out. He selflessly offered me the loan of his wheel as I was having big trouble with my thingy in the cassette thingy and Russ also arranged for the purchase and mechanical services of the Warrnambool cycling shop – Crank House who very kindly helped us and we were also surprised to get a donation of $50 from Damien who works at Crank House who had recent family member diagnosed with cancer. Very many thanks to the Crank House. Russ – you are a valuable member of the team, thanks so much and your wheels are really fast. The road crew loved having you on the team as the tallest angry bird (by wearing very stylish angry bird beanie warmers with wings – our road crew have wings!!!) in the yellow jacket we have seen. Bec and Katie were very cute little angry birds that really were not angry but very cute, happy and as always helpful. Kev and Bob were again solid in keeping us safe for the entire journey and always do so with a hug, encouragement and ready to jump to our every need. The job of the road crew is long, hard and slow. The long days these guys put in are not taken for granted – they are up with the birds (the real ones) to feed us and working all night to get our laundry done and vans and cars packed with our somewhat heavy night packs. Words cannot express how thankful we are for your time, commitment and genuine dedication to how much you care for all of us.

The most speccy scenery yet…
We were always in for a treat today with our ride passing through Warnambool where we had a luxury extended breakfast stop where several of us enjoyed a second breakfast. At Warnambool we were also given a kind donation from a group of footballers $50. We continued onto The Bay of Islands, London Bridge, The 12 Apostles and then onto the spectacular Otway National Park with rolling hills and a fantastic climb that had us dancing on the pedals and enjoying flowing rhythmic descents where Sharky found amazing form and claimed KOM. We finished at the top of Laver’s Hill at the motel – proud to be complete as a team to enjoy the traditional Smiddy huddle. The scenery of our ride today was hugely varied with valleys, mountain ranges, sandstone cliffs, tourists, waves and the ocean, a number of windmills, some patches of very rough roads and lots of bumpy bits but all in all it was a ride that provided us with everything and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute. Smiling for Smiddy offers so much but the amazing sense of adventure and escapism and the pure simply joy of riding your bike in this wonderful country of ours was pure bliss today. We were very fortunate indeed.

Worthy mentions – A few moments today that reflect the antics that occurred on our journey

1. Mick needs snot rocket lessons. He once again snotted all over himself. This has been happening on a daily basis and has made several of us vomit in our throats a little bit.
2. A lady who was out for a casual run had the amazing experience of the Smiddy arch that we created for her as we waited for Paula’s puncture fix.
3. The creation of the Smiddy stack. Once again while waiting for Paula’s puncture we “stacked on” in plank formation for a very unique photo opportunity.
4. Similar to this theme – a worthy mention is also the yogi (Russ) and his apprentice Katie’s headstands at a lookout near the Bay of Islands.
5. The numerous photos that were taken – we have really embraced all forms of social media that we know all our super supporters and loved ones have been following. Special shout out to Robyn Conway from me!!! Thanks Robyn J
6. The road work 60km sprint section taken by Mel, JL, Sarah and Mick. Cheap points guys.
7. Sharky’s good luck charm (not Alyssa) – he was pooed on by a bird at lunch and was very unhappy about it. Poor Sharky. It is good luck.
8. We generally pack, unpack and repack several times every morning due to what we need always being at the bottom of our bags.
9. The simple things in life are the most appreciated.
10. Paula’s socks.
11. The beautiful smell of the unknown wildflowers as we rode through the rolling hills in the Otway Ranges.
12. Bryan’s singing.
13. Pete’s constant perseverance and gratitude.
14. Everyone’s teamwork.
15. Katie Cox and Russ’ continuing evolution of their relationship.
16. Clif bars (choc chip) …. Nice.
17. Russ’ memorable journal reading at Laver’s Hills with some of the locals? Russ was amazing. Entertained the house down. With fantastic embellishment. We loved it and so did they.

Time – The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present and future regarded as a whole (Google, 2013).

Smiling for Smiddy is a unique event. Throughout the ride we have several moments where we enjoy all the above things mentioned like scenery, the challenge of riding such a long way in amazing locations and sharing stories about why we all are here to help raise funds as well as contemplating in our own heads the support we have had from home from our loved ones who we miss dearly and couldn’t do this without them. Our thoughts are never far from the real reason we ride and for everyone who has been touched by this very cruel disease cancer. One thing that has been a popular topic is one that is difficult to put into words and relates to the whole “concept of time” when you participate in a Smiddy event. I remember talking to Brad Schriven a few years ago about how amazing the event truly is in regard to this and I am once again reminded of how precious time is. Life is short we know this. Sometimes though, when riding in a Smiddy event, time seems to stand still and allow you to form genuine lifelong friendships with the amazing people that you are riding with. Friendships that have no interruption of technology, no chance to be disrupted other than if you need to roll through whereby the conversation is paused and then taken again exactly where you left off on the next roll around. In our busy world, this is often impossible and it is a real aspect of the 7 in 7 ride that is a gift that Sharky has given us all by inviting us along. I know I speak for everyone when I say that we genuinely appreciate this opportunity Sharky and thank you for welcoming along to share this journey with you. Thanks from the bottom of our hearts Sharky.

Togetherness – The state of being close to another person or other people (Google, 2013)

To wrap up todays journal in a nutshell, it was a remarkable ride with a group of amazingly kind, talented individuals that showed grit, teamwork and individual strength and resilience. Our widely varied personalities come together once again to finish an epic day sharing so many unforgettable memories that won’t fade quickly as we come up to the ever fast approaching completion of the Adelaide to Melbourne leg of Sharky’s 7 in 7.
The magic of Smiling for Smiddy is so unique and stretches far and wide… Maybe because it is so magical that is why it is so hard to describe and even contemplate explaining… It just happens…
“Look, and it can’t be seen.
Listen, and it can’t be heard.
Reach, and it can’t be grasped.”
– Lao Tzu
Thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting us. We truly appreciate it and send you all lots of love and big Smiddy hugs!!!
xxx

ONESTEEL SHARKY'S OZ 7in7- DAY 4 MOUNT GAMBIER TO YAMBUK

Distance: 160 kilometres
Average speed: 28.1 kmph
Maximum speed: 81.2 kmph
Temperature Minimum - 7 degrees
Temperature Maximum - 20 degrees
Metres climbed: 998
Ride time: 5 hrs 45 min
Wind direction: Tailwind

Road Kill by Door Mat

1 Dirty Rat, 2 Wallabies, 1All Black, 1 Crimson Rosella, (escaped from the Monty Python script) 1 Galah and a small hopping kangaroo type creature (flattened of course)

A change of pace.

It has been 5 months, 6 hours, 32 minutes, and 6 seconds since Sharky and Alyssa have met, but who is counting. The flame still burns brightly, and they are together again tonight after over a week apart. Hence, I am writing this blog. The experience of a roadie.

The road crew consists of Capt. Kevvie, Quarter Master Bec, and Privates Katie and Bob

OK, now for the real stats:

Roll out of bed time: 5.30 am
Breakfast: 6.00 am–15 bowls of cereal, 1 loaf of bread, 2 jars of jam, 1 jar of peanut butter, milk, fruit juice.
Morning break: 35 muesli bars, fruit (bananas, apples, mandarins), saos with cheese and tomatoes, and amazing home-baked fruit cake.
Lunch: the road crew has learned that the best thing is to just throw a lot of things on the table and make the riders make their own—smiles all around.
Afternoon tea. Didn't have today, as the riders rode too fast.
End of ride snacks: A new concept, and all enjoyed junk food and drinks.
Dinner: Chef Bec and Sous Chef Bob prepared a meal of steak, chicken, and salads.
Laundry: Even without a drier, chief laundress Katie managed to wash the kits, and dry them in our amazing backpacker palace. It must be stressed that Katie is the best–after only 3 days of doing the laundry, she knows which knickers belong to whom.
Riders: 10

Highlights of the day:

After a couple of hours of driving, Bec and Katie managed to find a place to get coffee and to buy bonnets for themselves. Unfortunately, the didn't convey the coffee location to Kev and Bob
Kev and Bob drove for hours at speed speeds between 20 and 40 kms per hour following the riders––we can now recognise all of them just by looking at their bums.
The Tea Tree Coffee and Art Gallery at Portland make good coffee, and treated all of us to Melting Moments.
Bec and Katie found the most perfect spots for the morning break and lunch.
Our overnight accommodation in Yambuk proved to be amazing. It is an old school house converted into a backpackers hostel. Even though there are only 3 showers and toilets, there is a huge dining room and a very well-equiped kitchen. But best of all, we had the whole place to ourselves.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, the road crew have to be multi-taskers. We get out of bed earlier than the riders, prepare breakfast for them, pack the vehicles, make certain that they have food at their breaks and lunch, drive with them to ensure they remain safe, do their laundry, and try to do everything possible to make their ride as worry-free as possible. Every day produces new challenges for us, but that is what makes the journey more exciting and worthwhile.

But, perhaps a poem written by Katie's daughter to Kevvie and Bob expresses it better than I can:

Packed into a hot car
food & swags in the back
driving along the burning tar
man I wish I had a snack
the bike riders ride
we follow with glee
at night we sighed
happy the day has been
this is the life
of a road crew member
filled with lots of strife
but we'll always remember
Julia

A word about the riders. They are an amazing bunch. As a roadie, people I talk to, when they learn what they are doing, almost always say "they are crazy". I agree, but I also don't agree. I understand why they are doing this journey, I understand why they are prepared to push on regardless of the weather or road conditions. Yet following them in the safety support vehicle, I also somethings think, "they are crazy", but in a great way, if you know what I mean.

The riders on this 7 x 7: What a fantastic bunch of people. They follow all of our orders, they don't complain, they thank us at every opportunity. They even did the dishes tonight, how good is that! You are the most amazing people I have ever worked with. Without you, it would not be possible for me to have this incredible experience. We love you, and we wish all of you the best that life can offer.

Bob on behalf of the "Roadies"

PS: Sharky will be pre-occupied for the next few nights, so others will be writing the blog. It will be difficult for all of us to keep up with Sharky's blogs, but who cares, as right now love reigns supreme.

ONESTEEL SHARKY'S OZ 7IN7 DAY 3 - ROBE TO MT GAMBIER

Distance: 140 kilometres
Average speed: 29.7 kmph
Maximum speed: 51 kmph
Temperature Minimum - 8 degrees
Temperature Maximum - 19 degrees
Metres climbed: 191
Ride time: 4hrs 41mins
Wind direction: You little ripper, bloody beaut tailwind! Yippeeeeee...!

Road Kill Count by Bryan 'Walt' Humphrey

1 Currawong, 2 Crows, 1 Rascally Rabbit

A gift from the Tailwind Gods
The crew awoke at six-am this morning to a strange phenomena known as silence. Since arriving in South Australia all we have seen and heard is the ever present wind. But not today, and on seeing each and every rider going about their pre-morning Smiddy ritual, one thing was blatantly obvious; we were all sporting a grin from ear to ear.

Now by the time we pushed off at our allotted time of seven-am, actually ten past, so spot on time, the wind had returned, but guess what Harry Jones? It was now right up our cracker! Right where it was meant to be. So the roads into Mt Gambier were not only flat with a few small hills here and there, but the scenery was absolutely spectacular. Vast beau-tonic mania. (Sharky made up word that means bloody beautiful and just the tonic the soul of a weary cyclist needs to experience to reinvigorate the soul and a passion for life.) Great word hey? Means all that and you don't need to say much. Now I just need to work on my blogs to do the same and all will be said and done in just 50 words. WOW!

Course mapping by a legend and is Smoothy really gay?
My old mate Ray Smith, from last year's 7in7 and super navigator and mapping guru, actually is responsible for this years course. Ray if you are reading this then I have one thing to say to you mate, what an absolute bottler of a course you chose for us the past three days but especially today. The direct route from Robe to Mt Gambier is actually less than 100 kilometres. No Smiddy or 7in7 event would ever disgrace themselves by traveling such a trivial distance. Ray realised this and came up with a route that took in every back country ride this side of the Black Stump. He turned a 100km ride into 140 kilometres and a treasure chest of scenery was our just reward. If you get to see my photos on my Facebook site you will see some of the thousands of acres of bright yellow Canola fields and lush green fields of green stuff that I have no knowledge of, probably Canola before it goes yellow...? The thousands upon thousands of happy sheep and cattle that had not a care in the world, except to run away when a rider would yell out; "run away if Smoothy is gay." Which of course they always did. I aint admitting to anything! JL would then confirm the fact by asking the cows this question; "if Smoothy is indeed gay can all you cows look at us?" Which again they did, so according to the law of the animals, the jury was out and I had no defence. Which is all okay as I now only have one more sleep to go before something insanely delicious enters my life!


A perfect day turns ugly with rider down!
What an amazing day we spent on the bike; it was so cool to roll along two abreast and actually have a decent chat to our fellow riders, to actually take the time to admire Mother Natures incredible gifts, when she is not trying to smash us into oblivion, to pull up to a stop and witness the road crew not battling to hold desperately onto everything before having a chance to devour all food in sight and mainly having that delightful tailwind behind us no matter what direction we travelled today. Life does not get any better than what we experienced today.

But all that came to a grinding halt when before my eyes, with lunch just finished 20 kilometres ago and just a cruisy ten kilometre roll into town to finish, when their was confusion in our small elite peloton, a shifting of riders to the left, a swerving of the rider in front of me to his right, and then the dreaded action of a rider falling two up from me as if in slow motion. We were moving at 30km/h on a slight uphill as the tailwind pushed us from behind. I locked up my rear wheel and skidded and got around the rider in front. Melissa had touched the wheel in front of her and forced her to fall towards the centre line of the road. Luckily no car was traveling in either direction as she ended up on over the centre line. My first thought was of Mel and getting her off the road. My bike was dumped in the middle of the road, Kevvy and Bob turned their car onto an angle across the road, Bryan was up the road slowing down cars coming in the other direction, concern was etched on every riders face.

Now let me tell you this; Mel is one tough young lady. I get to her and already she is trying to get up. I help her to the side of the road, she is saying she is okay, I knew better as she was shaking like a tree losing its leaves in Autumn. She wants to stand, I ask her to sit, she wants to get back on the bike, I ask her to slow down as she is going nowhere fast. The call goes out to get the girls driving the van back to the site, Mel is bundled into the car, Kevvy takes her to the hospital, Bob stays back with Mel's bike and awaits the van return, while the rest of the riders cruise into town in single file with the two big men of the peloton book ending the group for safety.


Mel returns to the group and incredible acts of kindness
Once again we are staying in a van park and sharing a room that sleeps five people each, which sure makes for some interesting nights on the journey so far. Mel gets back from the hospital after getting checked out by the doctor. She has taken a good whack to the head and has also face-planted the bitumen. Her helmet is ruined, her right cheek bone a bruised and lumpy mess and a hip that is going to stick to the sheets for a few nights to come. But most importantly, she is doing okay and is in good spirits. Mel has not uttered one word of complaint and is just keen to get back on her stead and join her friends in the peloton tomorrow. As a side note the team all kicked in some cash and brought Mel a new helmet and paid for the repairs on her bike done at the local bike shop. Also a big thanks to the local Physiotherapist, Ben, who treated Mel after getting out of hospital, and he not only didn't charge her for his services, but his receptionist, Judy, made a $20 donation.

The belated huddle
Because of Mel being in hospital the traditional Smiddy huddle was not performed until we were all out for dinner at the Mount Gambier RSL Club. Where the huddle was performed while seated at a long table, arms entwined, Melissa had the honour of leading the huddle after her tumultuous afternoon on and off the bike. Again it was a first for a huddle as we were all dressed in our Sunday best 7in7 dinner attire. Jeans and t's wrapped up in our winter woolies. Incredible that so many firsts happening already on this trip, can't wait for the first official nude huddle! Dinner was at the local RSL Club, where it was a wet and windy walk thanks to rain settling in on Mt Gambier. But with food in our tummies and a few beers, spirits were high and we were all settling into life on the road in this sixth stage of the 7in7.

That's all from me and I just have one last thing to say and that is one more sleep to go!

Cheers,

Sharky.

PS: Oh by the way I found out this morning while sitting on the toilet why I could not find anything on google about Kobe; because there was sign on the back of the toilet door saying; "Welcome to Robe Caravan Park." Robe, not Kobe. I am a space cadet sometimes! Sighhhhhhh...

PPS: Here is a little information about the historic town of Mount Gambier.

It is the major service centre for the Limestone Coast. A thriving progressive community, residents enjoy a quality city facilities and services, many attractions, a wide range of accommodation, shopping and entertainment and surrounded by volcanic craters, lakes, limestone and underground aquifers.

Famous for its 'Blue Lake' which changes colour dramatically each year. The Blue Lake is just one of the lakes within the three craters of the volcano. The city also boasts beautiful parks and gardens, caves and sinkholes. An interesting mix of galleries, museums and markets provides an insight into the culture and arts of the town. With fresh local food and wines available at many cafes and restaurants everyones tastes are catered for.

ONESTEEL SHARKY'S OZ 7IN7 DAY 2 MENINGIE TO KOBE-

Distance: 187 kilometres
Average speed: 23.9 kmph
Maximum speed: 32 kmph
Temperature Minimum - 7 degrees
Temperature Maximum - 16 degrees
Metres climbed: 666 (Scary as the devils number)
Ride time: 7hrs 48 mins
Wind direction: Bloody stupid-insane-ugly-not fair-I-want-to-cry-where-is-my-Mummy-Crosswind...

Road Kill Count by Bryan 'Walt' Humphrey

2 Foxes, 1 Possum, 95 snails, 1 Crow, 1 Shingleback, 1 Galorer, 1 Kangaroo, Sharky's Glove 1 Rabbit, 1 Red Belly Black Snake, 1 Magpie, 85 Mosquito's (As killed by the riders at one of the water stops)

The peloton get hammered by Mother Nature
Well it is late once again and I am only starting this blog at nine-pm. The reason for the late start is a nasty horrible malevolent act of Mother Nature that goes by the innocent name of 'Wind'. In our case an evil cross-wind that started during the night while we were sleeping and is still blowing now as everyone goes to sleep while I write silly tales of survival. This wind was never more less than 40km/h in strength and often gusted up to 60km/h. Don't ask me how I know this as it was just the general consensus amongst the group, oh and maybe the fact that we looked it up on the weather maps.

Wind on the bike during the 7in7 - It sucks!
Anyway let me tell you what I personally think of wind that is not directly behind my skinny arsed butt... Not happy! Someone once said to me when I was having a winge about the bad run of luck I have had with the wind on the 7in7 the past two years. 2013 is not looking too good either two days in. Anyway he said; "Smoothy if it was easy to ride around Australia every man and his dog would be doing it." Fair comment I thought at the time but does not change the fact that I hate head and crosswinds with a passion, nearly as much as I hate cucumber, but lets not go there.

Gain a brother but lose another
So our leave time of seven-am was spot on time with a 7:15am roll out. Kevvy is always excited if we actually get away within 15 minutes of when we say we are leaving, which in 7in7 time means we were right on time. It had been raining all night and a strong squall had hit us while we were having breakfast and conditions were cyclonic, insane and downright dangerous, then it blew over and went back to it's normal terrible conditions that we copped all day. Right off the bat we went into a two abreast formation and continually swapped the lead to share the brunt of the wind. But as all cyclists know there is no hiding in conditions such as what we experienced today. At ten kilometres into the ride I commented to JL that there appeared to be a rider missing. As it turned out there was. Mick had to call it a day thanks to a nasty flu that was attempting to squeeze his brains out through the ventilation holes in his helmet. He was in a bad way and after experiencing the cold and wet conditions today he may the right choice. We got wet with Forest Gump type sideways rain on nothing short of ten occasions. The wind was freezing and rain were freezing and once again we all wore our winter clothing all day long. Mick, while upset he had to pull out, had made the right decision. I wish I had his and Rusty's strength to look after myself as they did and saving themselves for another day.

Good news came out of today with Rusty back with the peloton today and finished the entire stage, with only a few niggles from his tight itb and hip flexors. It was a day when we needed him and he did not fail to deliver.

Wind into Kobe and the Devil comes out dancing with glee
So we get to Kingston, which is 44 kilometres from our final destination in Kobe, and it is just a dot on the map with a few servo's and of course a pub. We pile into the Shell servo for afternoon tea and everyone being the elite cyclists that they are all went straight for the health food; Golden Gay-time icecream, Coke, Snickers bars, chips, sausage rolls and pies. Even the road crew got in on the act and thought if it was good enough for elite cyclists then it was good enough for them. Leaving the warm confines of our health food haven was the hardest thing we have ever had to do, but a warm shower and non lycra clothes awaited us in Kobe. That last 44 kilometres was as ugly as they come and if I had a saw sharp enough to cut off my own leg to get me in the van I would have done the deed right there and then had I known what was in store. We got hit with more rain, more gusts up to a thousand kilometres an hour, and more long slow gradual climbs into the teeth of a wind sent from Hell. And from Hell it was delivered and this I can verify as the whole truth and notheing but the just a little white lie truth, when we pulled up at the Kobe Van Park and our total amount of climbing amounted to 666 metres! The devils number and eerie stuff that I will not reflect on anymore on this trip just in case it is an omen for more wind to come.

World record Huddle encounter
The huddle this afternoon was a world first for Smiddy and 7in7 events. It was monumental and simply amazing that not one media representative was there to witness such a ground breaking event of such magnitude that a slight disappointment went through the group when we had the very first huddle ever inside a shed big enough to hold one car. To huddle inside and out of the wind was a Godsend and helped us to shake the fear we had from climbing 666 metres. Just to be sure I got the road crew to check everyone's heads and I am happy to say we are all safe from Dark Knight, although a few strands of grey hair was detected in Rusty's hairline, not to mention a small amount of dandruff in JL's ears.

A great tribute to Bryan's Mother
A great hot shower was had by all shortly after and we all diligently ignored the save the planet water restrictions and ran the hot water dry and cold. It was awesome to thaw out our cold bones. Tonight the road crew prepared an amazing meal for the crew of steaks and vegies, stir fry and all washed down with some hot fresh rice-cream. Bryan got up and shared the story of doing this ride in memory of his dear beloved Mother who passed away after a long battle with cancer. He read out three short poems that he had written about his Mum, which were heartfelt and beautiful. The blog was read out by Bryan and Rusty and all was indeed good about this amazing crew we have put together for this year's 7in7.

A huge thank you to Rusty, Sarah, Bryan and Kate for using their fresh legs swapping turns out front to do the remaining 30 kilometres into Kobe today to look after the other riders.

Well there it is, I knocked out 1300 words in 50 minutes, which is not bad for a man who types with just one finger per hand. I have just one more thing to add before I depart. Two more sleeps to go...!

Take care,

Sharky

PS: If you are inspired to help me reach my fundraising total here is my everyday hero link, no amount is too small. Thanks guys. http://www.smiddyfundraising.com.au/mark_smoothy_8

PPS: Each night I am putting up photos on my personal Facebook site, so if you wish to see them just send me a friend request if not already.

PPPS: I looked up Kobe via Google and it kept showing nothing but Basketball and a Chinese city. So all you need to know about this place is if you don't like wind then not worth visiting! A liitle harsh I know but it hammered me mercilessly and deserves nothing but my wrath!

ONE STEEL SHARKY'S OZ 7IN7 DAY 1 - ADELAIDE TO MENINGIE

Distance: 189 kilometres
Average speed: 26.8 kmph
Maximum speed: 70.5 kmph
Temperature Minimum - 9 degrees
Temperature Maximum - 18 degrees
Metres climbed: 1277
Ride time: 7hrs 01 mins
Wind direction: Headwind first 97km/Tailwind next 50km/Crosswind last 42
Road Kill Count by Byran 'Humpty' 'Walt' Humphrey

First time Schindlers list bell ringer "Walt" didn't really understand the concept of counting animals and mistakenly counted the live animals instead of the not so live variety. So our not so road kill count for today includes

121 sheep
43 llamas (includes one super-Ilama
72 horses (4 white and one polka dot)
23 snails
197 dairy cows (who in JL's eyes, to this day, remain outstanding in their field)
Oh! and one bunyip.

Stay tuned for tomorrows kill count

Well here we are again; six years into my seven year journey to cycle around Australia. Back in 2008 when I began this huge odyssey it sounded like a most excellent idea. Six years on and I am bone tired and thinking to myself, "What the hell was I thinking back then?" This trip is insane; combined with the Brisbane to Townsville ride it involves in excess of 4000 kilometres of riding, 36,000 metres of climbing and going from the heat of north Qld to the bitter cold of Tasmania, all over 24 tortuous days. So that is what I have got myself into and there is no backing out now!

Hello fellow Challenge riders
Firstly let me say a big hooray to all my Smiddy mates that just completed the journey from Brisbane to Townsville in the hottest and windiest conditions in eight editions of the Smiddy Challenge. It was the quietest I have ever been in a Smiddy Challenge and I hope you all understood it was not the company but how I was feeling. As you guys know I included the in famous 'Chuddle' in Strand Park after the official 'Huddle'. Only twice has this been performed so you guys were very special indeed...!

Getting to know the rider and road crew
So let's get into this ride by introducing the crew; first the ten riders will be spoilt rotten with four road crew members and two vehicles to take care of us for the next seven days. Captain Kev fronts up for his sixth 7in7 tour, while Katie Cox, Rebecca Knight and Bob Cage are all first timers for this event. For their first day on the road they gelled incredibly well and even got in a couple of sneaky coffee breaks while we, the riders, were slogging it out on 40km of very zig zagging bike track.

The riders are as follows: Russel 'Rusty' Conway, Big John 'JL' Leyshon and Melissa 'Mel' Speare all back for their second edition of 7in7 after completing last year's event across the Nullarbor. Kate Warren is fronting up again after completing the 2011 stage from Karratha to Esperance. While Sarah "Creals' Crealy, Bryan 'Humpty' Humphrey, Peter 'Bogie' Knight, Michael 'Mick' Farrag and Paula 'point 8 of a standard person' Castle are all first timers to the 7in7. All the riders mentioned bring a wealth of experience with them as all have done multiple Smiddy events. Of these riders Humpty, Bogie, Paula, Mel, Kate and myself are also going on to compete in the Tassie leg as well.

Getting to know Meningie
So onto todays stage to the small coastal town of Meningie, population of 1501 people, now grown to 1515 people thanks to the band of Smiddy Brothers setting up camp in the Meningie Caravan Park. Our road crew just served up a delightfully yummy Butter Chicken dish, which was devoured in record time as we huddled together for warmth, dressed in all our winter woolies, including beenies and ugg boots for some. I cannot believe it that just a few days ago I was swearing inside my head at the insane heat of North Qld, to now, where I rode for 190 kilometres in my full winter riding gear, where not once did I need to take off my arm or leg warmers or my winter thermal under my cycling jersey. I am in deep shit come Tassie! Anyway did you know that the name of this town Meningie is Aboriginal for the word Mud? I am guessing you did not know that. Well I can assure you that it is as true as the sun will surely rise in the morning. I know that Bryan and Paula stepped their cleats into mud as they dismounted for breaks or toilet stops so that must also mean the name is correct. But mostly what gives it away as a place of mud, is the fact that there are mud flats bloody everywhere! You can see them, smell them, bath in them, make mud soup from them and throw mud cakes at each other, and why wouldn't you?

Getting to the muddiest town in the entire world
Anyway getting here all began at 6:45am when we rolled out of the car park of Watermark Hotel. A huge thank you to David Elmer, owner of this massive establishment in Glenelg, who not only gave the 14 of us very generous prices on the rooms needed for the two nights, but shouted all of us a buffet dinner worth $31 a head! Such generosity and very much appreciated by the crew. Leaving at 6:45 meant that we beat the rush hour, which does not start here until 7:30 we were told, which held some truth as we only nearly got run over seven times instead of the normal 15! Once out of town and onto the bike path we breathed a sigh of relief; sighhhhhhhhhh... The bike path was an incredible buzz as every time it looked like it was going somewhere it reached a detour sign or a t-junction and the group would stand there scratching their heads, nodding wisely and then taking pot luck after the Garmins, iPhones and desktop computers did nothing but confuse us even further. It was the most fun we had had in a decade! Our 22km average for the first 60 kilometres suggested a long day ahead.

The big man is out - For a day...?
At 90 kilometres into the journey, after we had climbed a couple of South Australia's finest vineyard mountains, that were so beautiful that if I tried to describe them I wouldn't do it justice, so let's just say they were pretty, like really pretty like when you see the sunflowers on the Tour De France coverage on SBS, anyway we lost Rusty Balls to a knee that was so sore that he was hallucinating from the pain. Our first casualty of the trip and we were all devastated. Mel worked on the big fella tonight and he is hoping for a start tomorrow. We all feel for the big guy and while he is smiling and keeping up his jovial ways we all know he is hurting big time inside from not being able to ride. Fingers crossed Mel can provide the miracle he is searching for.

Sharky's first tailwind is much appreciated
After 97km's of slow traveling thanks to the hills, headwinds, rampant sheep on the road and desolate bike paths resembling war zones, we lucked onto a 50km section of relatively flat roads and a U-Buet Aussie Tailwind fresh from the West. It was the medicine I personally needed after the past two years of 7in7 getting hammered with 4 weeks of consistent headwinds, not to the mention the eight days of Challenge headwinds just a few days ago. All our spirits lifted as we cruised along at 45km/h for that 50 kilometre section, lifting our sagging average speed up to the the 26's. The last 42 was unpleasant into a strong crosswind but we rolled through consistently sharing the brunt at the front and after two refresh and food stops we made it into Meningie in one piece and in jovial spirits. I was especially pleased as I was able to do more fair share of work for the last 80km's of the day. Something I was unable to do for the last four days of the Challenge event to Townsville.

Anyway that's about all that needs to be said for today. It is now 9:20pm and all the riders are fast asleep, except for JL, who is talking on his phone, and myself. The road crew are in the cabin next door and enjoying a few glasses or red. Kevvy is a good influence on his fellow road crew members when it comes to a debrief over a few glasses. Kevvy would say it is all part of the training and who am I to argue!

Cheers,

Sharky

Bottlemart Smiddy Challenge, Day 8 - Charters Towers to Townsville

Spirits were noticeably brighter with the finish line in sight. However, as has been said, 'parting is such sweet sorrow', and thus, road crew and riders were certainly experiencing mixed feelings as waking became breakfast and breakfast quickly became departure. The dulcet tones of Kev's bellowing could be heard to have everyone coordinated, focused and ready so that chaos could form into a smoothly oiled, organised and functioning peloton.

The end of a tiring day of riding is characterized by a deal of silent exhaustion and head-down riding styles. The end of a challenging week, physically and emotionally, is characterized by contemplative silence and a heads-up riding style as people come to terms with what has been accomplished... Accordingly, with the traditional bell ringing departure ritual deservedly bestowed upon Josh, our youngest rider, we set off in a pace of yes... Townsville bound. It was 6.30am.

The pace persisted until we reached the mighty Burdekin River, now a mere trickle because of such a dry winter. As we proceeded into brighter lighting and onto Woodstock, the brown hues of parched, dry vegetation did not change to any hint of green.

The Mingela truck stop was no site for a party; however we once again more enjoyed the usual road side smoko courtesy of our tireless road crew. Out of morning tea, we then rolled down the sweeping desert of the Mingela Range before more rolling hills through an increasingly debilitating head wind for a water stop at Reid River... but where was the river? So dry and oppressive and about 50 kilometres to go. It seems the last little bit takes the longest and we were constantly counselled against complacency by those more experienced in the group.

What a pleasurable surprise to be greeted with by the Woodstock CWA ladies at their hall of faded blue. All ate heartily, enjoying once more the country - folk generously we have encountered so often since leaving Brisbane. No hint at all that the infamous naked mud romps of the sixties were too replicated for this day, at this Woodstock. No doubt though, the local ladies were bemused by so much lycra and the odour of decay that sweating, tired bodies emit.

Then, the final 40 kilometres in to Townsville. Upon reaching half way on this final leg we changed tactics and once more employed the 'horse power' of 8 strong riders to drag us to the finish line.

As an inexperienced rider, this my first big ride, including mountains and other travels, I have concluded there are three models of riding in a large peloton. At the front it might be described as 'flowing', in the middle a type of 'slopping' (a combination of stopping and slowing), and at the rear, 'sturging', a mix of stopping and surging. Ordinarily the rank in increasing levels of physical demand. We all arrived at the Sun Hotel in a mode one could describe as 'palling' partying and falling... to find that the bar where we were kindly served ice-cold drinks was cool... the kind of cool that Mr Geeves enjoyed all week? BUT!! We don't begrudge the road crew their creature comforts as they keep us safe, watered and few. However I guess even the most generous of us may have felt a fleeting twinge of air con envy upon entering the Sun Hotel Lounge Bar!

From there, it was on to Strand Park and the first sniff of sea breeze and the normal twinge of Algal bloom which typifies North Queensland spring by the sea. We witnessed the generous and downright disgusting run as we rode smoothly on city hot tar through Townsville streets. Some motorists honked congratulatory greetings whilst some hung out the windows uttering references to ducks and stunts in lycra. Strange language is that of the red neck.

At Strand Park there was a great sight of families greeting, hugging, backslapping and well deserved relief. We enjoyed drinks and food thanks to the Mundingburra Rotary Club and got to patron the CHUDDLE. An interesting ritual whereby a central assembly of road crew was surrounded by a ring of female riders, all in resplendent lycra. This arrangement was further enveloped by older gentlemen who formed a barrier between the nubile and the more testosterone laden menfolk of lesser years, wisdom and self-control.

Once formed, this circular, human onion arrangement proceeded to rhythmically rise and fall with increasing speed and frenetic zeal until exhaustion, risk of arrest and self-congratulatory fulfilment was achieved. The hair suit among us had our face fur removed... a transformation process so drastic that some were unrecognisable.

The peloton then for the last time rode through Townsville streets, including a cruel little hill to the Mercure Inn where bikes were packed and preparations were made for the dinner this evening.

Matt introduced the riders at dinner, front and centre stage - a group of largely unrecognizable folk at the commencement of the Mercure ceremonials... They each looked cleaner, smelled more like roses than road kill and stood somewhat more at ease without the bum constricting stance to which their weekly lycra attire had accustomed the smiddy lifestyle.

Sharky returned the debrief to normality, handing us back to loved ones with ease and grace. His video presentation touched us all and reinforced all reasons we participate.

The evening was concluded with the final word from Maria and David Smiddy.

An unforgettable evening to conclude an unforgettable week, one I am sure that will live on with me (and 50 or so fellow riders) for a lifetime.

Derek Hedgcock