Stats for the day:
Distance:195.5km
Avr Speed: 22.1kph
Total time: 11hrs 20min
Riding time: 8hrs 52min
Max speed: 62km
Metres climbed: 2200
Calories burned: 5230
Road kill - 2x Roos/Wallabies, 2 x birds (pheasant and a hawk), 2 x bag of bones, 2 x foxes, 2 x rabbits, 1 x stuffed toy (not the Shark), 1 x sparrow.
Shark out / Cherie in!
In 10 years of Smiddy Sharky has never missed a single ride. This years Midi Smiddy is the first time he has stayed in Brisbane and I know he is devastated. But under Doctors and his Physios orders Sharky had to make the horrible decision to stay behind.
That leaves me, the new member of the team to tell it like it is and write Sharky's blog. Well here goes....
Headwinds Battle type of day
Sharky would have many words to describe day 1 of Midi Smiddy but I only have one - Brutal! As a member of the road crew today I watched in awe as the Smiddy peloton tackled a brutal headwind for most of the 194km from Brisbane to Toowoomba. It was relentless and as Lucy described there were no downhills today only a constant battle to keep moving forward. In true Smiddy spirit they worked together and stayed focused to survive a day that will never be forgotten.
Road crew shortcuts
But enough about the riders as the road crew have a few stories to tell as well. Officially we did not get lost but because of a city girl navigator (me) we did have to make 6 u turns between lunch and afternoon tea. However we did get to see a lot more of the beautiful country side than I'm sure any other Midi road crew have. It is stunning scenery!
UQ send off and a mysterious tale of blood
We started the morning with a fantastic BBQ breakfast at UQ kindly hosted by Jae and his team. There was a small mishap when a certain rider cut his finger on the BBQ and needed the first aid kit. How he cut his finger when he wasn't cooking and all he had to do was tell the cook if he wanted bacon with his eggs is a mystery.
Stuffed Shark!
We didn't have Sharky the man with us today but we did have Shark the cuddly one instead who got to ride with Kevie all day. Cuddly Shark came out at afternoon tea to spur the riders on for the final 19km and big, very big climb to Toowoomba. It must have worked because all the riders except 2 set out to finish the day and push through to the very end. I haven't heard from Kevie how the climb went but I'm sure they all gave it everything they had.
Final words by Cherie
Their reward at the end was a freezing cold Toowoomba welcome made more inviting by hot soup cooked up by the wonderful Wendy.
A special mention to Lydia, our youngest rider, who finished her longest ride today
Request from the riders - I must mention Alyssa and how beautiful she is! There you go Sharky.
The weather forecast for tomorrow - cold and windy. Yah.
Thank you to the riders, road crew and all the supporters of this years Midi Smiddy. Wishing you a speedy recovery Sharky! This blogging business is a lot harder than it looks.
Signing off from Toowoomba.
Cherie.
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