Post in reverse order (oldest first)...
27/04/2013 - A request for your support
Hi All,I've signed up again to the 2-day major cycling event called The Ride to Conquer Cancer benefiting Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. I'll be cycling over 200kms during two days in October, through scenic Victoria (rumours are that the destination is the Mornington Peninsula this time), with thousands of other riders. All the proceeds will go to Peter Mac, the only public hospital in Australia solely dedicated to cancer.
I'm going to use the event's email system to send out updates and I've uploaded a bunch (an un-scientific term for an uncertain but large number) of contacts. If I should not have included your email address then you have my apologies. I believe you will be able to 'unsubscribe' from this system, and if not then just send me a note and I'll remove your email address. I hope you don't unsubscribe though... I'll try and make sure these messages have some interesting content for you to read when you can.
This is my first update for the 2013 Ride. Since last year's ride I've been doing a few kilometres on a new bike - I finally got a "Roadie", the best value full-carbon road bike I could get at the time (a Giant Advanced TCR 0 with Di2 Ultegra for those that want to know). I've done something like 3000 kms on it since November and found the limits of its adhesion on a wet diesel tainted road. This allowed me to rediscover my once forgotten memories of gravel rash... at least the treatments have improved! If you want to see what I'm getting up to the bike, then check out my Strava account here: http://www.strava.com/athletes/jep
But this event is not about the ride, it's about the cause.
I decided to ride again this year because I had a great, and at times moving, time last year supporting a very worthy cause with a fabulous team of riders and support team. I was lucky enough to be riding with the Peter Mac team of doctors and surgeons, who have all committed their professional and much of their personal lives to treating and finding a cure for cancer.
Many of the 1600 riders last year carried a flag on their bike signaling their survival with or ongoing battle against cancer. These are the riders that deserve 'kudos' for their efforts. And for many last year, the effort was mighty as the course had many hills that forced some riders of varying degress of health and fitness to walk their bikes doggedly to the top of each one.
If I were to single out one moment during the ride that summed up the event, it was at a lunch break on day 1 where one cancer survivor came up to one of the doctors in our team and thanked him personally for the treatment that had saved his life.
I'm humbled to be riding with the same Peter Mac "Shade Seekers" team this year and I hope that I can support them and this cause in any way I can, and I hope you can support me too.
I've agreed to raise at least $2,500, but I've set my personal goal to 3,200 (the same as last year). So here's where you come in because I need your help to do that. Those that are able, please consider making a donation of $100 or more. Use the link at the bottom of this email to reach my webpage to support me.
Cancer remains a heartbreaking disease that many of us have been touched by it directly or indirectly. When I say "heartbreaking," here's what I mean: with 1 in 2 Australians diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and an estimated 121,500 new cases of cancer diagnosed in Australia this year, cancer is the second leading cause of Australian deaths and affects almost 20% of the population. That's why I'm riding. To do something BIG about cancer. I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me by supporting my fundraising efforts.
Thank you in advance for your generosity!
Sincerely,
John.
11/06/2013: John's 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer: Chilly for June, but there's hope
Hi All,This is my second email on the my 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer, timed to coincide with Epic Impact Day for the ride. This time I've focused on whether your donation will make a difference.
Will my donation make a difference?
Let's think of this question in two parts.
First: will my donation get to the right people? The organisers promise that every dollar donated to the Ride to Conquer Cancer will reach Peter Mac and hence further cancer research. Your donation will be received by the people who work in cancer research and will not be lost to charitable bureaucracy.
Secondly: is cancer research making real progress? Most weekends that I get the chance I go out for a ride with Grant McArthur, professor of Oncology at Peter Mac. Last Saturday, over a half-way coffee in Sassafras, Grant described how excited he was by the work that he is collaborating on, saying it had potential that he didn't think he'd see in his lifetime. To sit opposite a close friend that I've known for years and who has devoted their life to cancer research become animated and passionate about the new research results and their future potential, is to see hope and purpose in action. Finding cures for cancer is not some impossible dream, it is a real objective of some highly talented and dedicated people.
Another topic of our conversation is also worth noting here. Grant explained how important the Ride to Conquer Cancer is to Peter Mac, and how that importance will only grow. As government austerity measures around the world bring cuts across all areas, public medical research and the government funding it relies on is being squeezed. Peter Mac is a world class cancer research centre, and Australia's only specialist cancer hospital, but it is not immune to budget pressures and cuts. The Ride to Conquer Cancer is the most important annual fund raising event for Peter Mac and its success is critical to Peter Mac's plans going forward.
So for me the answer is 'yes', your donation is important, and 'yes' it will make a difference.
On the cycling front, did I mention it's getting chilly? Chilly and dark in fact. So I've treated myself to a few winter cycling essentials. To add to my very bright front light, so bright that the packaging warned me not to leave the light on full beam for more than 3 minutes if stationary or it might melt the internal workings, I've added winter gloves and socks. These get pretty warm when stationary, but I haven't noticed any melting yet. Even better, my cycling fashionistas are now less embarrassed by my sock length (short white socks are a cycling fashion faux pas apparently, and they're not very warm).
Thank-you to those who donated and replied to my first email. Some of the responses were deeply touching and showed once again the personal impact side of cancer. I'm now nearly one third of the way towards my goal. Those of you who have promised to donate and who plan to donate, please act upon your thoughts - there's no time like the present - particularly on Epic Impact Day!
Till the next time, all the best,
John.
[the phrase "chilly for June" originates from a period of my youth spent in Scotland, where it was always chilly in June and the phrase represented an ironic sense of humour. Here in Australia June is the start of Winter (or what passes for it), so no big surprise to be chilly]
14/07/2013: John's Ride to Conquer Cancer 2013: July update
Hi All,This is my third email about my participation in the 2013 ride to conquer cancer. As always, please accept my apologies if I am using an inappropriate email address, and feel free to use the "unsubscribe" feature if you need to.
Many many thanks to those of you who have sponsored me already. I am now 45% of the way to my target, with 105 days to go. That means only three more updates after this one.
Last month I wrote about why its worth donating to this cause. There is a page on the main site devoted to "Your Dollars at Work". On it you will find references to the great work done by the team at Peter Mac, including many that I will be riding with this year. The email system that I am using (the one provided by the charity) doesn't seem to let me include a hyperlink in the email, but its the ml13 conquercancer org au site.
Like many people, I have to choose a few amongst many worthy charitable causes, this is the one that I have decided to devote most of my time and effort on this year.
In terms of cycling, it was my birthday during the last few weeks and amongst socks and other worthy items, I got a Garmin Edge 500 GPS with a rate monitor. I now know how fast my legs are going round, and how fast my heart is beating while I'm riding (as well as other stuff like how steep the hill is, what the temperature is and how fast I'm going, or not).
Truth is that I've found the heart rate monitor as frustrating as it is fascinating, there is a rough guide that your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. That makes my maximum a theoretical 173 beats per minute. So of course I've been trying to get a higher registered value, thing is I haven't yet. Not sure whether to take it positively (must be fit) or negatively (must be old), but I just can't seem to get above the theoretical max. Got close after nearly 20 minutes of increasingly hard work when closing on the summit of the Sassafras 1 in 20 climb when I reached 171, but so far nothing higher.
We recently had a great weekend in the Ottways near Lorne on the Great Ocean Road of Victoria. We were staying in a holiday cottage with another family with our dogs. I managed two rides, a ride to Lorne (and back) with the other dad, Tim Stanford, who is also a Shade Seeker and riding again this year, and the other a quick solo Sunday spin at a cool average temperature of 8C (did I mention the Garmin?). Only just over 100km for the weekend, but some beautiful countryside and decent hills.
A final note on cycle fashion: Sandra thinks my shoe over booties and their alternative water proof covers look particularly amusing, and then there's that whole MAMIL thing (middle aged men in lycra). I'm just grateful that my feet are warm and that I don't flap in the wind. I've also resorted to a double layer glove strategy for the frosty mornings. Thank goodness this isn't a northern (or more southern) hemisphere winter!
If you're thinking of donating, then please use the links at the bottom of this email - contact me if you have a problem.
Till the next time, all the best,
John.
16/08/2013: John's Ride to Conquer Cancer August Update: a close shave, a sore Achilles, and a good cause
Hi All,Only 10 weeks to go! Crikey! The ride is on the 26-27th of October, no time like the present for those of you who've been thinking of sponsoring me for the cause and many thanks to those who already have.
The weeks since my last update have sped by. Our Shade Seekers team is now 37 strong, mostly composed of the good, and colourful, doctors and staff of Peter Mac, along with a few partners and friends for good luck. We've capped the numbers for the team now and we're all busy getting fit to ride (some of us busier than others). Some of us have never ridden 50km in day before, but we're all up for the challenge.
My last weeks have been a bit messy from a training point of view. I took a decision to see if I could get my Achilles "fixed" through one last non-surgical means. I've had Achilles Insertional Tendonopathy for about 5 years, self inflicted through ignoring a soccer injury. Three years ago I had a sequence of shock-wave therapy, sclorising injections (wrong spelling no doubt), cortizone (spelling again), eccentric exercises etc. Improved but not gone. Saw the same doctor and he offered one last non-surgical option since I wanted to be able to ride in October. Turned out that non-surgical, whilst well intentioned, was postively bizarre - I had a platelet rich sample of my own blood injected back into my Achilles tendon. Not sure its worked yet - we need 10 weeks to decide (just before ride time). Anyhow, it meant several days off and I'm hoping to get on the road again tomorrow if the wind lets up in Melbourne.
I spent a small part of last weekend following through on one sponsor's promise that he would donate $200 if I shaved my legs (like real cyclists do). Anyhow, not being able to ride, and having the spare time, I decided to give it a go and collect $200. If the link works, and you're up for a laugh, you can see the results here:
http://youtu.be/FiLyb7GbFWw
Sometimes the email system the charity provides seems to strip out URLs, so if you really, really, want to see the video (its not that good, don't get too excited), then send me a reply and I'll send the URL - especially if there is a donation involved! :)
Got to go, my son's wants to drive me to his basketball game (he's on his "L" plates and needs to do 120 hours).
I share more about the team and their work in my next update.
Till the next time, and remember this is all for a very good cause.
John.
06/09/2013: John's Ride to Conquer Cancer: Family Matters
First a thank-you to those who have already sponsored me. For those of you who have pledged, promised or intended, there is no time like the present, believe me.This is by far the hardest update I’ve had to write.
I have been given permission to write something, but I wasn’t sure I should.
I have been given permission to write something, but I wasn’t sure I could.
Perhaps I should just ignore everything, write normal updates, and just do the ride.
Finally on the long-haul flight last night I decided that would be a dishonesty to the very purpose of this ride, the personal bravery shown by the participants and the recent events in my family, if I were to write nothing.
This then is an account of the last 5 weeks in my family, events that have brought into intense focus my perspective on why cancer research, and hence this ride, are so important.
My mother is a very fit and healthy 76 year old living in South Croydon in the UK with my Father and very near to my sister and her mid-teen and late-teen children. My mother’s main pleasures have been keeping an impeccably tidy house and garden, spending time with her husband, daughter and grandchildren, going to the occasional jazz concert, catching up with friends and walking the dog. She has had very few complaints and complains very seldomly (although bad parking and people feeding foxes are exceptions). Her mother lived into her 90’s, we had expected at least a similar performance from her.
On the 3rd of August this year she had a blinding headache and saw dancing lights in front of her eyes. Mistaken for migraine and slightly numbed with pain-killers it wasn’t until the 23rd of August when the recurring pain and increasing lack of coordination forced a referral for a scan at the local hospital. There she was put on steroids to reduce the swelling and given CT and MRI scans. On the 26th I was asked by my sister to come back quickly to the UK. On Friday the 30th the multi-disciplinary team at the Croydon University Hospital confirmed that she had a primary brain tumor which they diagnosed to be Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), a grade IV (most aggressive) cancer. Last weekend we were allowed to take her home with a referral to the Royal Marsden, one of the UK’s leading cancer hospitals for the next Tuesday (the 3rd of September).
On Tuesday we four sat in a tiny consulting room in the Royal Marsden and were told that my mother will have something like 3 - 6, maybe 9 months to live. They explained that operating wasn’t really an option without significant risk and would certainly mean collateral damage. They also explained that the gold standard of treatment for cancers of this type (a combination of radiotherapy and drugs) had been shown to be counter-productive for participants over 72 in a large scale European trial: whilst fit and strong, the older participants had “crumbled”, resulting in a reduced life expectancy and quality of life. So we have accepted their advice to maintain the maximum quality of life over the remaining time, keeping her out of hospital and clinics, rather than to try aggressive interventions.
We are all trying to come to terms with what has been a bewilderingly quick series of events. My mother was the first to pull herself together in the consulting room when we were told the news and in the hours and days since she has continued to maintain an incredibly brave and positive outlook. In the few days that I was lucky to spend with her recently, I learnt more about her and my family’s history than I had learnt in years previously. Despite the bleak circumstances, at times during the last few days we managed moments of good humour in the family, and there is no doubt that it has brought us closer together.
We are planning a children and grandchildren reunion in the UK after the radiotherapy sessions when I will take Sandra and our two kids to the UK. We are determined to make this time worth remembering for the right reasons. For now and hopefully for some time, my mother remains talkative, perky and still offering well-natured criticisms of my father’s domestic efforts. Her energy may come partly from the steriods, but mostly its because that’s just her. We have however warned her that she won’t be able to compete in the 100m any more though as she would definitely fail the drug test.
We will make the very best of the path available for my mother, but here’s where the money invested in research comes in. I am confident that treatments that are more effective, less damaging, and accessible to all ages will become available if we continue to invest in cancer research. Without research we won’t have any option but to accept the fate that a 2 or 3 in 100,000 chance has doled out to my mother.
I have received responses from several people on this list who have suffered from cancer themselves or whose close family or friends have suffered from cancer. Some are thankfully in remission and some are still battling it out. To all of you, I wish you and yours the very, very, best. May you have as much time as you want, and may your time be magnificent.
John.
We're heading to the UK to spend what we all hope is a magnificently memorable week with my mother, father, sister, niece, nephew and Rogue the dog, and with Sandra's parents popping in too. We're staying in a holiday house in Kent named "Harambee" which is very fitting given the time my parents spent in Kenya.
I'm "tapering off" from my training rides, well more like just stopping. After three weeks of around 250km+ per week I'm ready enough, and those 5am starts mid week really cramp your evenings! I think since buying the bike in November of last year I will have done around 10,000 km on it...We will get back on Monday the 21st and the ride is the next Saturday and Sunday. Two weeks from now depending on when you read this.
My mother completed the 6 sessions of radiotherapy at the Royal Marsden last month. The radiotherapy made her tired towards the end and over the last couple of weeks her hair has started to fall out, but her spirits always seemed high during our daily phone calls. They've managed to lower the steroid dose until the symptoms started to reappear and now it's a case of balancing the daily dose against the growth of the tumour.
We are as I wrote in my last message, determined to make the very best of all the time we have.
I mentioned in a previous update that after so many decades of partial success and relatively brutal treatments, that cancer research and treatment is beginning to show real progress and in some instances, cures for a growing number of cancer types. One of my close friends and a leading cancer research scientist told me that he never expected to see the advances they are achieving in his lifetime. There is however a long long way to go. New treatments may only be effective for a few specific cancers, and tragically only available to a few patients. Research and clinical trials take significant time, funding and teams of dedicated people to deliver results.
The Royal Marsden state that 1 in 3 people in the UK will get cancer, in Australia it's more like 1 in 2. Chances are that you will either suffer yourself or someone very close to you will suffer from cancer in their lifetime. For many of us that has already happened.
That's why it's so important that those of you who can, do donate to this cause.
That's why I'm riding this year.
In total your donations allowed me to raise $3,500 dollars which added to the Shade Seekers team total of over $60,000. Riding and talking with the nurses, doctors and surgeons of Peter Mac allowed me to realise once again how important the monies raised by this event are to their work and to their ability to make more progress in cancer research.
In all I think we had 19 Shade Seekers riding on the weekend and nearly that number supporting. With two of our team members giving opening speeches (Grant McArthur and David Speakman), we had pole position at the 7:45 start on an initially sunny Saturday morning. Saturday and Sunday were both cool, with showers during Saturday and on Sunday morning making the roads wet and gritty. The route allowed us to have a mostly favourable wind on Saturday - although some of the twists and turns had us heading back into the wind which staggered the riders out…. but then this isn’t meant to a walk in the park.
Over 100km later and in the mid afternoon, we arrived in small groups of riders at Hastings - the campsite for those camping at the event. The Shade Seekers had accommodation a short distance away in Somers with a rental house and the generous open home of one of the riders available. At least it would have been a short distance had we not detoured to view the southernmost mangrove swamp in the world, adding another 20+km to our day. Our only injury of the day was to Michael Howard’s thumb after a sudden stop with feet stuck in cleets. Michael gamely ignored the painful thumb with painkillers and impressive stoicism for the rest of the ride.
Saturday night was full of great talk, humour, food and wine and 0545 on Sunday morning came all too soon for most of us. After an impressive breakfast organised by the even more impressive support crew, I rode with Grant and Mark Shackleton back to the start at Hastings, arriving just as the last of the campsite dwellers rode off. Others in our team headed off to Arthurs seat to do a hill climb before rejoining the ride, with the rest being sensible and taking up the support crew offer of a lift to the start. Arriving at the back of the 1200 riders gave us a great chance to meet more of the other riders, the name tags we all had on the back of our bikes making personal encouragement easy.
A number of us managed to regroup at lunch and when we crossed the finish line we had 15 Shade Seekers riding in formation in five rows of three. A great way to finish, especially with the free burger and beer awaiting us….
I've uploaded the photos taken by the team to an online folder here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/115737795691777727168/albums/5941527946681012593?authkey=CNyYnsuV59m0Yw
You can also see the professional photos of the event here:
http://edwinsantiago.zenfolio.com/f542909739A
And I've created a work in progress website for the team here:
http://www.theshadeseekers.net/
During this year I’ve shared some personal information about my mother and her battle with cancer. Having shared the start of the story it would be wrong to stop now. My mother had the sessions of radiotherapy during September - planned to reduce the rate of growth of the tumor. She managed the sessions well and we took our planned family holiday with my mother in the UK in mid-October. The week was all that we hoped for, with lots of laughter, togetherness and the some great memories. Leaving to come back to Australia was very difficult for all of us but we’re keeping in touch with phone calls, skype or hangouts most evenings.
At the moment my mother is managing well, sleeping better now that she is on a lower dose of steroids and remains in good spirits during our calls. She, my father and all of us continue to make the most of our time together.
Finally and after some thought I have decided to sign up to the event again for next year. I hope that you will be able to support me again for next year’s ride.
With best wishes,
John.
My mother is a very fit and healthy 76 year old living in South Croydon in the UK with my Father and very near to my sister and her mid-teen and late-teen children. My mother’s main pleasures have been keeping an impeccably tidy house and garden, spending time with her husband, daughter and grandchildren, going to the occasional jazz concert, catching up with friends and walking the dog. She has had very few complaints and complains very seldomly (although bad parking and people feeding foxes are exceptions). Her mother lived into her 90’s, we had expected at least a similar performance from her.
On the 3rd of August this year she had a blinding headache and saw dancing lights in front of her eyes. Mistaken for migraine and slightly numbed with pain-killers it wasn’t until the 23rd of August when the recurring pain and increasing lack of coordination forced a referral for a scan at the local hospital. There she was put on steroids to reduce the swelling and given CT and MRI scans. On the 26th I was asked by my sister to come back quickly to the UK. On Friday the 30th the multi-disciplinary team at the Croydon University Hospital confirmed that she had a primary brain tumor which they diagnosed to be Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), a grade IV (most aggressive) cancer. Last weekend we were allowed to take her home with a referral to the Royal Marsden, one of the UK’s leading cancer hospitals for the next Tuesday (the 3rd of September).
On Tuesday we four sat in a tiny consulting room in the Royal Marsden and were told that my mother will have something like 3 - 6, maybe 9 months to live. They explained that operating wasn’t really an option without significant risk and would certainly mean collateral damage. They also explained that the gold standard of treatment for cancers of this type (a combination of radiotherapy and drugs) had been shown to be counter-productive for participants over 72 in a large scale European trial: whilst fit and strong, the older participants had “crumbled”, resulting in a reduced life expectancy and quality of life. So we have accepted their advice to maintain the maximum quality of life over the remaining time, keeping her out of hospital and clinics, rather than to try aggressive interventions.
We are all trying to come to terms with what has been a bewilderingly quick series of events. My mother was the first to pull herself together in the consulting room when we were told the news and in the hours and days since she has continued to maintain an incredibly brave and positive outlook. In the few days that I was lucky to spend with her recently, I learnt more about her and my family’s history than I had learnt in years previously. Despite the bleak circumstances, at times during the last few days we managed moments of good humour in the family, and there is no doubt that it has brought us closer together.
We are planning a children and grandchildren reunion in the UK after the radiotherapy sessions when I will take Sandra and our two kids to the UK. We are determined to make this time worth remembering for the right reasons. For now and hopefully for some time, my mother remains talkative, perky and still offering well-natured criticisms of my father’s domestic efforts. Her energy may come partly from the steriods, but mostly its because that’s just her. We have however warned her that she won’t be able to compete in the 100m any more though as she would definitely fail the drug test.
We will make the very best of the path available for my mother, but here’s where the money invested in research comes in. I am confident that treatments that are more effective, less damaging, and accessible to all ages will become available if we continue to invest in cancer research. Without research we won’t have any option but to accept the fate that a 2 or 3 in 100,000 chance has doled out to my mother.
I have received responses from several people on this list who have suffered from cancer themselves or whose close family or friends have suffered from cancer. Some are thankfully in remission and some are still battling it out. To all of you, I wish you and yours the very, very, best. May you have as much time as you want, and may your time be magnificent.
John.
13/10/2013: John's Ride to Conquer Cancer: Nearly there now
Right now I'm sitting in tight formation in row 67 with my wife, son and daughter as we head to the UK on the second leg of our flight from Australia. It's something like 19 hours since we left home, 6 hours since we took off from Hong Kong and another 7 hours before we land.We're heading to the UK to spend what we all hope is a magnificently memorable week with my mother, father, sister, niece, nephew and Rogue the dog, and with Sandra's parents popping in too. We're staying in a holiday house in Kent named "Harambee" which is very fitting given the time my parents spent in Kenya.
I'm "tapering off" from my training rides, well more like just stopping. After three weeks of around 250km+ per week I'm ready enough, and those 5am starts mid week really cramp your evenings! I think since buying the bike in November of last year I will have done around 10,000 km on it...We will get back on Monday the 21st and the ride is the next Saturday and Sunday. Two weeks from now depending on when you read this.
My mother completed the 6 sessions of radiotherapy at the Royal Marsden last month. The radiotherapy made her tired towards the end and over the last couple of weeks her hair has started to fall out, but her spirits always seemed high during our daily phone calls. They've managed to lower the steroid dose until the symptoms started to reappear and now it's a case of balancing the daily dose against the growth of the tumour.
We are as I wrote in my last message, determined to make the very best of all the time we have.
I mentioned in a previous update that after so many decades of partial success and relatively brutal treatments, that cancer research and treatment is beginning to show real progress and in some instances, cures for a growing number of cancer types. One of my close friends and a leading cancer research scientist told me that he never expected to see the advances they are achieving in his lifetime. There is however a long long way to go. New treatments may only be effective for a few specific cancers, and tragically only available to a few patients. Research and clinical trials take significant time, funding and teams of dedicated people to deliver results.
The Royal Marsden state that 1 in 3 people in the UK will get cancer, in Australia it's more like 1 in 2. Chances are that you will either suffer yourself or someone very close to you will suffer from cancer in their lifetime. For many of us that has already happened.
That's why it's so important that those of you who can, do donate to this cause.
That's why I'm riding this year.
10/11/13: John's Ride to Conquer Cancer 2013: closing this chapter, opening the next
I thought I should write one more note to say thanks to all those who contributed and offered their support to me for this year's ride and to share a bit of this year's experience.In total your donations allowed me to raise $3,500 dollars which added to the Shade Seekers team total of over $60,000. Riding and talking with the nurses, doctors and surgeons of Peter Mac allowed me to realise once again how important the monies raised by this event are to their work and to their ability to make more progress in cancer research.
In all I think we had 19 Shade Seekers riding on the weekend and nearly that number supporting. With two of our team members giving opening speeches (Grant McArthur and David Speakman), we had pole position at the 7:45 start on an initially sunny Saturday morning. Saturday and Sunday were both cool, with showers during Saturday and on Sunday morning making the roads wet and gritty. The route allowed us to have a mostly favourable wind on Saturday - although some of the twists and turns had us heading back into the wind which staggered the riders out…. but then this isn’t meant to a walk in the park.
Over 100km later and in the mid afternoon, we arrived in small groups of riders at Hastings - the campsite for those camping at the event. The Shade Seekers had accommodation a short distance away in Somers with a rental house and the generous open home of one of the riders available. At least it would have been a short distance had we not detoured to view the southernmost mangrove swamp in the world, adding another 20+km to our day. Our only injury of the day was to Michael Howard’s thumb after a sudden stop with feet stuck in cleets. Michael gamely ignored the painful thumb with painkillers and impressive stoicism for the rest of the ride.
Saturday night was full of great talk, humour, food and wine and 0545 on Sunday morning came all too soon for most of us. After an impressive breakfast organised by the even more impressive support crew, I rode with Grant and Mark Shackleton back to the start at Hastings, arriving just as the last of the campsite dwellers rode off. Others in our team headed off to Arthurs seat to do a hill climb before rejoining the ride, with the rest being sensible and taking up the support crew offer of a lift to the start. Arriving at the back of the 1200 riders gave us a great chance to meet more of the other riders, the name tags we all had on the back of our bikes making personal encouragement easy.
A number of us managed to regroup at lunch and when we crossed the finish line we had 15 Shade Seekers riding in formation in five rows of three. A great way to finish, especially with the free burger and beer awaiting us….
I've uploaded the photos taken by the team to an online folder here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/115737795691777727168/albums/5941527946681012593?authkey=CNyYnsuV59m0Yw
You can also see the professional photos of the event here:
http://edwinsantiago.zenfolio.com/f542909739A
And I've created a work in progress website for the team here:
http://www.theshadeseekers.net/
During this year I’ve shared some personal information about my mother and her battle with cancer. Having shared the start of the story it would be wrong to stop now. My mother had the sessions of radiotherapy during September - planned to reduce the rate of growth of the tumor. She managed the sessions well and we took our planned family holiday with my mother in the UK in mid-October. The week was all that we hoped for, with lots of laughter, togetherness and the some great memories. Leaving to come back to Australia was very difficult for all of us but we’re keeping in touch with phone calls, skype or hangouts most evenings.
At the moment my mother is managing well, sleeping better now that she is on a lower dose of steroids and remains in good spirits during our calls. She, my father and all of us continue to make the most of our time together.
Finally and after some thought I have decided to sign up to the event again for next year. I hope that you will be able to support me again for next year’s ride.
With best wishes,
John.
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