RMHC Ride for Sick Kids SA : Day 4 of the RMHC Ride for sick kids SA Alpe d'huez

RMHC Ride for Sick Kids Day 4 November 25th 2014

Total Time 05:53:54,

Total distance 166.2 kms (An intermediate stage for some and a HC Alpe d'huez day for Mr Lucas!)

Quote of the Day : Must Have been something Tex said.....Just ask him!

Maximum Speed 65.9 kph (Was recorded as the machine Cotter whipped down into Clare and Mr Lucas was just hanging on to the wheel after capitulating on Alpe d'huez!).

Total Gain 1063m (My Garmin now believes I am using it in the plane!).

Total calories spent : 3,565, total calories consumed 3,564 so the weight should be flying off?.

Heart rate : Average 136 bpm peaked at 166bpm as Cotter chuckled in my ear as he watched me struggle with the Tarmac stuck on 52/23 and just prior to me being motionless was kind enough to make the required barrel adjustment.

I have just had to leave the room for a moment as I have just discovered that the @#$% that comes out of Tex's backside is indeed worse than that from his mouth!

Just checked Harry hasn't been asphyxiated with the green stench cloud that is now hovering in room 29! as of a result of the rear explosion from Tex.

Average Speed 28.2 kph Great job again from the formidable rolling five at the front including the newly crowned Andy Coldbeck who stepped up to the plate (no pun intended) and after a horrific european cycling accident that hospitalised him, he is back fighting fit, and don't we love having him back for his second tour.

A nice quiet sleep with Sammy Harper my roomy as quite as a mouse and with no trumpet blowing snozzes in the room we both drifted off into a blissful sleep.

After a great Brekky in The Waikerie Hotel we had a few minutes ride to the Waikerie primary school for our second school visit and our first outdoor presentation.

With the kids playing cricket out on the surface prior to the presentation, Mojo stepped out of the dark to take the bat. A few others joined for what had now become an impromptu international game.

As the seven year old came running in to bowl a beamer at the hapless looking mojo, who was holding the bat in the same manner that one would with an intruder in the house, he immediately dispatched the ball over the square fence for six and out!
After having shown and impressing the seven year olds with his international batting prowess, Mojo then decided his luck with the ball in hand....................he should have stopped after the six. It pains me to watch video of our then Prime Minister Little Johnny Howard attempting to roll his arm over on the wicket that history shows, but without doubt the ball produced by Mojo to the amusement of the seven year olds made John Howard look like a cricket player!!

With the kids settled down and the crew settling in with them it soon became obvious that this was not the first school visit for Tex, as with a pocketful of lollies soon was enveloped by adoring fans.

The same blunder young Harr Harr had made leaving Renmark, he was to replicate today as Harr Harr once again produced a room key that would be of no use to him in Clare! To the Muppet goes the award!

The Waikerie school kids were well versed in bike safety and RMHC and gave us a very generous donation for the cause. Another guard of honour as we road out and down to the banks of the Murray and on our way to Clare.

The wind had gladly decided that round 2 would not be today after having a marginal points decision in its favour from yesterday, and we enjoyed a brisk trip down through Cadell and onto the Morgan Ferry. It is by now after having crossed many bridges and ferries in our first 4 days that Karlo is a little confused still with how many rivers there actually are down south! The answer to your question karlo is it is the Murray.

A small climb out of the beautiful Hamlet of Morgan where many a fine family have resided for their summer holidays and we pushed on along the very scenic Morgan-Burra road.

With the occasional road kill odour emanating from a dead carcass on the side of the road the only thing breaking the monotony of the road that just keeps going and going.

The wind was still being somewhat more favourable than yesterday and with Blade nonchalantly riding up past the peloton to help put together his Scorsese masterpiece on video, there was a sudden burst of energy as we found our Mojo (no not Mohan) and the pace was on with Blade made to work out to reach the Peloton as it nudged 45kmh on a small incline. When Stifler was asked what Bade had said when he finally rejoined the Breakaway, the response was 'Not Much'! For future reference the two on the front handing out the punishment to our illustrious leader was Tex and Nugget!

The fabulous support crew had managed to find a morning stop out of nothing to pamper and feed the riders. Fantastic job to all of the support crew and thank you from all the Peloton, everything you guys do is very much appreciated and makes life for us that much easier and at times bearable on the road. So three cheers for the support crew, Chloe (administrator of everything, including an attempt to recreate a Waikerie Bakery masterpiece cake for Megans birthday which had arrived a week early, with a trio of supermarket cakes and some half a ton of buttered icing!), Foxy Lady in the lost lead car accompanied by the other lost navigator cackling Linda with the magic masseuse hands, Paramedic Pete, Stacey and her drug loaded vehicle of which she hasn't been needing to use it on any riders must have been enjoying them herself, as the investigation into stock loss continues. Glenn Muscles Bowyer who has now added filling our still attached Biddons with water and powerade at each break to his list, although on the second day this did manage to dehydrate Sammy as she discovered this whilst on her bike taking her 5k refreshment and could not consume any liquid as she doesn't drink powerade! Better add that to the list as well Glenn. Alanalanalanalanalan the studious bus driver who still has no idea why the entire team uses his name in this manner to gain his attention, and Geoff who has either passed us 500 times with the specialised van or I have indeed bought too many bikes from Cotter and Monty and their marketing vans are spread far and wide across the State. Geoff is relentless in pursuit of the perfect photo and continues to be creative with both video and stills, if only he would include a fundamental principal of a great shot by getting one in focus we would be ok! and Edwina the Emu for all her work looking after and doting on Maverick and helping all the support crew and riders too. All of you are doing an outstanding job and thank you. Actually I have only written this folly for your benefit as you informed me you are reading this along the way!!

From the morning break we had a long ride to a late lunch in Burra and and there is nothing more to say about that, other than the potential ring fight of Nugget V Kangaroo, as the Peloton was about 5k's from Lunch the reflection off of Nuggets partially covered skull must have startled not so little Skippy and as his second attempt to bail over the fence failed his escape path was looking imminently similar to ours. Luckily for the Peloton, Nugget is versed in the fine linguistics of the Australian marsupial and with a dominating male Bark saved the peloton from a closer encounter with him. Thanks Nugget!

Finally into Burra and we made our way down to the Burra creek edge and enjoyed a relaxing roll and coke (thanks Sean). Well all but one as Tex became the residents ducks family favourite new friend and as the rest of the crew erupted in raucous laughter as it had appeared that Duck was soon to be on the menu for Tex. As we were enjoying the spectacle of this duck foray, it dawned on me just how big these creatures must have appeared to Andy as he attempted to move them away from his lunch also.

!24 km's down and only 22 left in the day, we made the small climb out of Burra (This is small for the benefit of most of the peleton, whereas D2 (Darren Millar) reminded me that a speed hump would register as climb for myself.

We had a good next 20kms with only one mechanical for Whyalla Ryan when some descension passed over the front six with Nugget tapping out 40kms as Ryan was being wheeled back by Cotter. As the front six was well ahead of me, I was not privy to conversation that had transpired, only that the Testosterone Hill that was looming had already engorged the testicles of the rivalling males vying for Strava glory, and the conversation was above an MA audience.

The last 10 k's included two, what Nugget would call rises and the tempo had lifted to stretch the tired legs of those competing against each other for the KOM of the Flarrell Flat (Stupid name btw) climb into Clare. I meanwhile was hoping that the Oxygen bottle that I had seen on the drive up to Mildura in Paramedic Pete's car, had not been emptied and would be available at my earliest convenience. This only for the lofty Altitude that I had now found myself and not for the obvious peak physical fitness I was in! I can't repeat what I said to Nugget around the pool here sorry on this topic.

We rolled to Testosterone Hill start line, it appeared that my oestrogen levels had an all time high as I was quickly enveloped by all the Peloton and they were off.

As they all made their way up the first little climb of the day and the glory of KOM (Monty - dq again as a lead rider and the spoils went to the Firefighter Karlo) and QOM for a clean Broken Hill sweep went to Megan. I limped over the crest just before being caught by a local solo rider who had a sump as large as mine after being hobbled by Cotter and my absent peak physical fitness.

Sucking the wheel of Cotter on the descent we had made into the Wine region town of Clare and a welcome to the Clare Comfort Motel and enjoyed the best on tour meal that had been kindly cooked and donated by the Lions club crew of Clare and some delectable curried eggs and Australian champion Snags and BBQ chicken, and topped off with homemade dessert. The perfect way to finsh the day although it could have been a few degrees warmer as Jami (Elbows) was having difficulty eating his dessert whilst shivering like Michael J Fox.

Incidentally, Jami had ridden a solo ride from Adelaide of 150ks to join us at Clare, albeit without sunscreen, a fantastic effort and we are glad he can join us for the remainder of the tour.

In a controversial decision, the High court of one (Blade), has quashed all team appeals and in the cycling equivalent of a Bradbury moment has reversed the Team Time Trial award and handed it to the team with the slowest time, Team Nugget, for merely making it to the finish line! A win nonetheless as hollow as it is, that was happily accepted by the Zimmerframes!

Off to bed and another school visit in the morning and a sleep in as we make our way through to the Barossa another wine region of SA and Nurioopta with 144 km's awaiting us and just under 1000 metres of elevation.

Love to all our families whom without this event would not be possible.

A special hello and hugs and kisses to my family Katherine, Jackson, Tayla and Spencer, miss you all.

Dad.

Mr Lucas