I am pumped.This weekend, Rob and I joined Hypoactive on their annual Murray to Moine cycle relay to raise money for Diabetes Camps for Kids here in Victoria. The team was made up of 10 riders and 5 support crew...all of whom have Type 1 diabetes...except Rob.
The ride started in Echuca (north of Melbourne) and ended 520km later in Port Fairy (on the coast). As a team, we rode for 24 hours....had 4 hours of sleep...ate 15kg of Candy...drank 12 cases of Sugar-Free Red Bull, Diet Coke and Powerade...and ate more food than I have ever seen consumed in a 24 hour period.
The event kicked off at 11am when our first team hit the road- we split up into three groups and rotated in one hour shifts. Riding hard, then resting, testing blood sugars and refueling in the van inbetween until 2am when we rolled into a rest stop for a four hour sleep. Up again at 6am for the final 90km leg which we rode all together as a team.
Having never riden a road bike before, I was a wee bit hesitant as everyone met in the parking lot in Melboune and started unloading flashy bikes...this was going to be serious. The Hypoactive crew had pulled together everything Rob and I needed to ride for the weekend...bikes, helmets, clothes, gloves, bike lights...everything. So even though we had no clue what to expect, we at least looked the part!
Luckily, everyone was extremely warm, welcoming, friendly and more than willing to help a few rookie Canadian cyclists learn the ropes. In no time, we were cruising down the road, doing exchanges and drafting in behind other riders.The ride started in Echuca (north of Melbourne) and ended 520km later in Port Fairy (on the coast). As a team, we rode for 24 hours....had 4 hours of sleep...ate 15kg of Candy...drank 12 cases of Sugar-Free Red Bull, Diet Coke and Powerade...and ate more food than I have ever seen consumed in a 24 hour period.
The event kicked off at 11am when our first team hit the road- we split up into three groups and rotated in one hour shifts. Riding hard, then resting, testing blood sugars and refueling in the van inbetween until 2am when we rolled into a rest stop for a four hour sleep. Up again at 6am for the final 90km leg which we rode all together as a team.Having never riden a road bike before, I was a wee bit hesitant as everyone met in the parking lot in Melboune and started unloading flashy bikes...this was going to be serious. The Hypoactive crew had pulled together everything Rob and I needed to ride for the weekend...bikes, helmets, clothes, gloves, bike lights...everything. So even though we had no clue what to expect, we at least looked the part!
During the down times in the van between shifts, the Aussies felt it their duty to expose Rob and I to as much 'Aussie Culture' as possible...so not only did we come away from the weekend with new riding skills, but with an arsenal of Aussie vocabulary, phrases, song lyrics and pop culture.
By the end of the weekend we were starting to be able to walk the walk, and I reckon that we could fool a few blokes into thinking we could talk the talk as well, and I'm fair dinkum!
By the end of the weekend we were starting to be able to walk the walk, and I reckon that we could fool a few blokes into thinking we could talk the talk as well, and I'm fair dinkum!
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