RTCC 2014 - Epilogue

Hi Guys,

This year we had 1093 riders raising over $4m for Peter Mac cancer research. Over the last three years the ride has raised $14.5m - an extraordinary amount.

This is my account of some of the highs, the lows, and the highs of participating in this year's Ride to Conquer Cancer. Its a little long, so if it risks being TL;DR (too long; didn't read), rest assured that I had a great ride again with a great bunch of people and I am very grateful to all who donated money to allow me to ride again.

RTCC 2014

Day 1: Home - Melbourne - Mornington - Somers: 145km

The Shade Seekers had planned their usual rendezvous at the outdoor basketball courts in the Albert Park (at the beginning of Pit Lane) for 6.30 am on Saturday morning. The night before I had packed my overnight bag and dropped it off at Grant's place to be taken down to Somers where the Shade Seekers would spend the Saturday night. Earlier on Friday evening I'd spent time attaching the various labels that my bike was meant to have to show that I was an official rider - the labels also give a great opportunity to call out support to people by their name.

Important tip for RTCC Riders - make sure the large label that goes under the top tube on your frame doesn't flap - annoying noise unless you're 5 years old, and even nastier risk of chaffing on the legs... Remembering this from the first year, I still managed to put the label on the wrong way round the first time and had to find new cable ties to secure it the right way round so that the front edge could be tied onto the down tube...

On Saturday morning I got up at 5 am, put on my current favourite nicks (bib cycle shorts), and pulled on my Shade Seeker top (working out how many layers to have and what to have on to start with is tricky with long rides that start at dawn and carry on into the afternoon - I went for no base layer but carrying a light wind/rain jacket). My breakfast was my usual a (very) large bowl of muesli and a pre-ride double strength instant coffee - rubbishy taste, but at least I'm only boiling the kettle and not running the (louder) coffee machine. Lights and Garmin GPS recharged the night before, I attached the various electronic bits, put my two bottles on the bike, and rode off in the chill dark at 5.45 am.  Its weird riding through the parts of the city that have a night life when its very early in the morning. Your just starting your day, and others are still spilling out onto the street finishing theirs.

I got to the basketball court early. Settled down to check any last minute messages and was soon joined by Ben Brady who was using this ride to try out yet another new bike layout. For the last two years he has headed off to Patagonia to ride soon after the RTCC. Last year he was testing out a cross country mountain bike (not a great success apparently), this year a much more road setup on a "Salsa" with panniers. He was trying out the panniers and bike to see how they would handle.

After a while we were joined by some more Shade Seekers, Stephen and David looking determined, Damien looking road-worthy, and Darren and Sharon on their very colourful, and very new, city cruisers.

But there was no support crew. A few phone calls discovered that Mark Shackleton has broken his chain on the way to the start. Mark has had a run of mechanical bad luck on each ride - this year was no exception and this wouldn't be his only bad luck for the ride. The support crew were busy making sure he would get to the start, so we walked around to the starting area.

Here's Ben wheeling the Salsa, with someone's suitcase added, to the start.

Packing for Patagonia

Once we got to the start, the Shade Seeker numbers started to grow, as did the rest with 1093 riders and lots of friends, family and support crews all around.

Sometime around 7.30am David Speakman (Chief Medical Officer and a founding rider of the Shade Seekers) gave his opening speech, followed by some very personal and very powerful stories told by Cancer survivors before we all, somewhat teary eyed, rode off just before 8 am.

The start of these mass events is always a slow affair, riders of mixed ability, large groups, and traffic meant that we all moved off and into Melbourne cautiously - encouraged on by many families and friends along the way.

Here's a few shots at the start:

Pink booties and lime green kit sure to get attention

Looking back at the field before the start

Don't knock those tights, they're worn by the impressive Vision Crusader's, and they're warm on a cold morning

By the time we reached Beach Road I was shivering with cold (it was 2 hours since I'd been riding at a pace that would keep me warm), and with Damien Kee on my wheel, I started to push a little harder to get warm, but still at a pace that was conversational with some riders at least. As the rhythm built, so did my pace and without realising I took Damien and I passed the first pit-stop and out towards the front of the riders.  We continued onto the second stop and decided to carry on as we were to lunch. Its difficult to know how hard to push when you're at the front, each rider find different elements difficult (hills are hard if you're heavier, wind is hard when you're a light weight and in front), but after one occasion where we split, we worked out a routine that if I was going too hard, Damien would ring his bell.

When we arrived at the lunch stop, we realised that we were the 4th and 5th riders there. Quite remarkable. As we were sitting down finishing our lunch, Mike Henderson and Andrew Wood arrived sporting their Shade Seeker tops. Now we were four.

We agreed to ride to the finish at Mornington before heading back over the other side of the peninsula to Somers. I headed off feeling strong still with the others happy to follow. Andrew Wood, sporting the yellow flag of a cancer survivor rode next to me for a while and I asked what his story was. He explained that 4 years ago he was diagnosed with bowel cancer. The early diagnosis and successful surgery meant that he was alive and well four years later. He suggested that he felt like a fraud riding with the flag even though he was still clear. Given the nature of the surgery, I thought that a remarkable statement. Cancer had caused him to reassess what he was doing, and he decided to quit his job at a dentist and enjoy the life he had left. His still enjoying it now (and he is the first to admit that he is lucky enough to be able to afford to do so). It seems to have given him a wicked sense of humour, or perhaps the feeling that he has the licence to use it...

Andrew and I arrived at the finish line as the first riders that day - which meant that we had our choice of a daunting 50 or so masseurs in the massage tent. We were told to take places at the back of the tent and were on the tables shortly before Damien joined us. These are my two favourite shots:

Andrew enjoying his massage

Damien having his leg pulled

Leaving the tent we found Mike sitting on the bench outside looking slightly shaken. He'd had a call telling him that one of our team, Mark Shackleton, had been knocked off his bike on the way down. Mark was heading to the Accident and Emergency department, apparently not too bad but having hit the road at something like 30km/h he wasn't in great shape.

I heard more details later in the evening. Mark had been riding on one of the long straight stretches of road on the peninsula that this year's course had taken, Roads with one lane in each direction and a narrow, course, gravel edge with a drop-off from the tarmac to the gravel. With local traffic and 90-100km/h speed limits and 1000+ riders this was a difficult section to ride. As I understand it, Mark was with a small group and was just finishing overtaking a rider as a car behind the group was beeping its horn. As Mark had pulled left having passed the last rider, the car went by and clipped Mark, sending him tumbling off his bike. Luckily there were witnesses who saw the incident and took the plate of the car as it sped on. Mark has a fractured humerus but is otherwise reasonably OK. Mark is a winner of the Life Scientist of the Year award, is at the forefront of Cancer Research and was riding selflessly for others and committing no road offence. If this was a deliberate or reckless act as alleged by witnesses, I can't imagine what would have been going through the driver's mind at the time. Mark is characteristically reasonable, as you can read and hear in the 3AW interview here. The car and driver have been traced and we hope that the legal system will do everything that it should.

Not yet knowing the full story, we four rode back across the peninsula to our homes for the night in Somers. The roads were the same single lane each way, 100km/h limit, with impatient, and sometimes aggressive traffic as we rode, single file, the 30 or so kms to Somers. One example was the shouting "bird" gesture flicking ute driver going in the opposite direction, who took offence at the sight of four cyclists daring to use the road. Thankfully we left the busy roads intact and enjoyed the last few kilometres to Somers, cycling as a well drilled team of four.

A great evening started with a welcome shower followed by lots, and lots, of really good food and cold beer, and finishing with drinks around Ben Brady's holiday home fire and a near instant sleep.
Here's the Strava map of the day.

Day 2: Somers - Arthurs Seat - Mt Martha - Melbourne - Home: 125km

Somers is a delightful place to stay, but was some 30km of busy roads from the start. Some opted to get a lift back to the start, others opted to ride on quieter roads from Somers, a few via Arthurs Seat (a local hill), and other more direct to rejoin the ride around Mt Martha. I joined the hill climbers of Ben, Damien, Andrew and David, with Sharon and Darren riding with us until they headed off to the main route.

Arthurs Seat has a steep side and less steep side. Our approach meant riding up the less steep part, and then down the steep part. A pleasant climb, and one where I had an amusing discussion with a senior rider (probably in his 70s or 80s), having ridden past him on my way to the T Junction and exchanging cheerful good-mornings, I waited for the others. A minute or two later he rides past me asking if I was OK - I think he thought I might have been going to hard... still it was fun telling the others that they were being outpaced by someone 20+ years their senior. Apparently he does the ride every weekend - good on him.

Here's a photo of us at the top next to someone else's nice bike, I'm sporting last year's shirt, the rest are in the latest version...

We then rode along the beach front boulevard, taking the coast road to Mt Martha. Along the way we practised a group rotation (outer right riders are gradually passing those on the left, pull over left as you get to the front and then relax as the others go past you. Repeat).

Mt Martha Coffee Break - Double Shot 3/4 lattes all round

We joined the main group somewhere near a pit-stop, refuelled with bars and water we climbed away from the Mt Eliza National Park - a tough climb for some of the field less used to riding.

From there it was mostly down-hill and then flat to the lunch stop at Mordialloc College - who's open grass field offered little shade, but food and a welcome respite. There we regrouped to form a team of 11 Shade Seekers.

All screened up in the Sun

From lunch we rode as a group of 11. Sticking together all the way to the finish line where we decided to cross in 3-4-4 formation - a classic for soccer, less so for cycling!

Here's a shot from the finish:

And here's the Strava map of Day 2

So there you have, the end of this years ride. I'm left uncertain as to whether to sign up again. I think I may well do so, a close friend and Shade Seeker rider was diagnosed with prostrate cancer just before the ride. He is early on his journey but the post-operation signs seem good and he, and his daughter, want to ride next year. I know I'd like to be there with them.

Look after yourselves and those around you and keep your eye (and mind) open for ways to enrich your story.

John.