RMHC Ride for Sick Kids SA : Another day in the Saddle!

October 27th

Cleve to Whyalla 147kms

Total time 5hrs 14min 32sec (approx)

Average Speed 28.1 kmh

Total gain 670m Total descent 855m

Max Speed 52.3kmh (set by Fi 1 & Fi 2 uphill with a 25 kmh crosswind!)

Wind semi favourable tailwind with a crosswind 50km out of Whyalla

Muppets from space key terminology

Bade : Ben
Chris : The Bladder, Pusher
Craig C : Ironman, The Machine
Steve : Sleepy
Ian : Jaundis (because he sooo much wants to be yellow), Hincapie, or that guy from Notting Hill who opens the door in his underwear. (more to come on the fashion Guru)
Sam : Sam, the daughter that may possibly beat her father at everything!
Kat : Alex
Fi 1 : the inaugaral Muppet Miss Piggy and currently the Bushmans Blowie title holder!
Fi 2: Fi 2, will sure to pick up another name when she tears everyones legs off during the team time trial!
Alex : Sneaky Pete, Busboy, Arnie (Screamer- this will be after the pubic epilation performed on him)
Craig S: I prefer to unclip lying down, or plain 'Stinky'
Jami : Twinkle Toes
Jack : Button
Peter : Diesel, Thorpie
Dave : Nelson
Todd : The dark Knight, now may be referred to as the 'criminal'
Bronte : Saurus
Jason : Jaws, Jiz, Bro, or any reference to a farm animal he will answer
Neil : Neil, and currently the Muppet (protest pending)

This may make it a little easier for some to follow for future posts. These are likely to change without warning with the prefix 'formely known as' as time progresses and true personalities and traits are revealed.

How the day rolled...................

A respectable wake up call at 6.15am, for a cracking Brekky put on by Chris & Jane at the Cleve Hotel, and the trusty steeds were released from their night with the grog and lined up outside the pub for a great photo, (Muppet No.1 Endo in front of the group TODD, Muppet No.2 Flyby in front of the group, MISS PIGGY)
As we had been informed at the morning breifing that there was to be a team time trial on Sunday at Point lowly, there was sure to be some sandbagging early in the piece. The Maillot Jaune wearer, Jaws, was well protected in the middle of the pack, once he had actually found his bike, and was happy to have his 53- 43 on as someone had put some little climbs in for us to enjoy as we headed out to the NorthEast and Cowell. (Muppet No.3 Someone had informed Diesel, that the first 30km's out of Cleve was all downhill! Name withheld)
After the peleton had tapped out a nice tempo over the rise and down into Cowell, we enjoyed some sumptuous delights set up by the wonderful support crew and some help from the very generous Brenton of the Cowell Hotel! Thanks mate and hope you got on a winner with the Cox Plate.
There must have been some sugar deficient items on the menu as the rest of this stop as it remains somewhat hazy?! However it appears that there was a fundamental flaw in my plan to pry Jaws away from the sidler (Hincapie), that had me momentarily distracted and potentially heading for the incorrect gender bias amenities, following this a quick safety display through the demonstration, for the benefit of the group, that helmets are best to be worn prior to joining the stationary peleton. A display more of courage and bravery than the ill percieved version of Muppetry!
The previously displayed soft muppet toy was somehow now frimly in my grasp! With the knowledge that the Man from Notting Hill in his underpants was still among us and the always a willing Chloe, I beleived this to be only short lived, as we still had another 100kms in the day and the night in Whyalla for the mantle to be secured by another willing contender.
As Busboy was now finding his rhythm and being the weekend, the work excuse could not be used for the bus, I was beginning to wonder if Jaws had not layed the sucker punch to me early, and I was now yearning for the smiling muppet to be prized from the clutches of Miss Piggy, when suddenly all was not lost.............our budding mobile photographer, Chloe, had picked the perfect moment for a daring manoeuvre, risking life and limb, to capture what surely would have been a Macquarie photography prize winning photo, only to once again be foiled by that pesky lens cap! (epic Muppet moment No. 40 CHLOE) (Muppet moments No.4 to 39 were duly handed out to that man from Notting Hill wearing his underpants for each individual ring of his beloved bike bell!).

With the passing of some typical Aussie outback vehicles (see attached photo), and safety first Ben's call to have all in, a quick nature break was had for some (another Muppet moment by the Dark Knight for not using the nature break as said nature break and waiting till we were back in the saddle to realise there was some unwanted pressure from his own bladder and not that of the Bladder himself!) After Miss Piggy had changed and inpersonated Terry Irwin with a quick bush walk and investigation into the local wildlife, we moved ever closer to our next stop 40kmh out of Whyalla at a truck stop that had been commandeered by our team and the ravenous bunch dug into another great feed. No Muppet moments at this stop, but surely Chloe had done enough with that hat!

As we gently rolled towards Whyalla and a warm welcome from Leanne and crew at the Maccas, it was noted that the pain dished out from the front of the pack was down to two of the five girls up front. Whilst Ben and Neil, soft pedalled through a leisuirely 28-30kph with the schnell wheels gliding across the outback black top, we rolled over to have young Sam & Alex (formerly known as Kat) enjoy another lovely tapped out tempo. One more roll with 25km to Whyalla as it appeared over the horizon and Fi 1 & Fi 2 hit the front with force. This is a duo that is like taking two dobermans for a walk and they have just seen a chihauhua and a labrapoodle and they havent eaten for a week! (sorry for the Kanine analogy girls, but it was for the visual). There is no doubting these girls ability and neither the false flat or the strong crosswind was going to save the labrapoodle. The pace had risen and the peloton had become a breakaway, peleton, and grupetto with the sprinters out the back somewhere. The odds on the team time trial have swung dramatically in favour of the girls & Ben, with no weak links yet to appear in their group. (Chris's team may be in with a chance, if Sneaky Pete is allowed to use the bus!)
One more roll over to allow the schnell wheels to bring us home in a more relaxed fashion and some preservation for the upcoming TTT. A quick stop at Whyalla Maccas for icecream and a look at the great effort that had been done to help raise more funds for the charity. Great work Guys & Girls.

A gentle stroll back to the Westlands for some hot showers, swims and the now much loved massage by helping hands Wendy and Foxy to be ready for the big races tomorrow.
A little suprise Ben had us all do in the morning, was to write something down that no one knew about you, and the opportunity to guess who was what or had these strange and obsure traits, made for a very entertaining and amusing dinner with young Sam proving that some cheating works and is quite alright, isnt it Lance?? A nice little gift from Perko and the unvailing of the coveted Maillot Jaune and the dubious passing on of the Muppet award.
Much to her suprise, the ever thoughtful Jaws duly presented Chloe one of our support crew with the Jersey as the man from Notting Hill wearing his underpants was being treated by Medic Dr Tony for a mild case of cardiomyopathy! On behalf of the entire riding team, it was Jizzes pleasure to hand over the yelow albeit he no longer has a shadow, to Chloe and the support crew for their work during the day & night to make this ride the pleasure that it has been. Thanks again guys and girls, you are doing the hard work, the rest of us are just here for the ride!

After numerous Muppet moments during the course of the day, including some poor performances in the front bar by Sneaky Pete and Stinky on the Cox plate, the passing of the baton was done, and I appear to be the Muppet for this next leg of our journey, as Ben and Jaws set out to Handicap the Machines Time Trial Team.

Teams for Time Trial

Team 1 : Girls Team - Ben, Miss Piggy, Fi 2, Alex (Kat), Africaaaaaaan Saaaaaam

Team 2 : Bladder, Jaws, Diesel, Twinkle Toes, Sneaky Pete, The criminal, The man from Nottinghill wearing his underpants

Team 3 : Machine, Muppet, Stinky, Nelson, Button, Brontesaurus, Steve

I need to confer these teams with the referee prior to confirmation of accuracy.

Individual TT events for charity and embarrasing grown me from Notting Hill that wear their underpants.

Africaaaaaaaan Sam V Man from Notting Hill wearing his underpants (Daughter V Father)

Odds on favourite Sam at 2.7:1 with every possibility that the other runner is put down, prior to his place at the starting line. 5:1 for the old man. $20 a rider for a ringside ticket to this performance, just see Bladder boy.

Lead riders TT

The Bladder V Ben V The Machine Odds yet to confirmed by resident book Craig 'Waterhouse' Stirna. $10 a rider to see some damage done to the big guns of the peloton!

So we feverishly await the next day like excited little children the night before Christmas, with the knowledge that hopefully someone will produce a memorable muppet moment that will relieve me of the current burden I carry upon these shoulders, and that the pace again will be one that gets us all to Port Augusta safe and sound.
Till then sleep well and we will speak again shortly.

Hi to Katherine, Jackson, Tayla and Spencer and see you soon in Pirie. Love Dad.