WEAKGAZZABLADDER STOP

The account of this ride would not be complete without the enclosed picture! Many times a day, every day, this scene has been repeated, sometimes a little more privately and sometimes even less privately! When nature calls, aided by the copious amounts of water consumed by the riders, there has to be a time to obey, and when there are no trees, it still has to be obeyed!

DAYS 33 AND 34 (AT THE EASTERN SHORE)

It is a bit of a struggle to finish the story because I am home in Sydney and this all seems to be history! Day 33 took the team from GOULBURN TO PICTON and day 34 saw the team ride from PICTON TO CRONULLA, one of the Sydney beaches fronting the Pacific Ocean. The team was up at 6am and on the road soon after 6.45am. Most of the road surface was bike friendly but there was more than enough traffic at times. There was some concern about one of the hills on the final day's ride but it was managed well enough. Morning tea on the final day's ride was at Sublime Point, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Wollongong beaches.

The riders pedalled through busy Sydney traffic and arrived at Elloura Beach (Cronulla) a little before midday. They were met there by several Bible Society staff and many photographs were taken, some for publication and some to be kept in albums and the like as a record of the event. For the most part, the team was wearing the blue Jesus All About Life tee shirt rather than the Bike for Bibles riding shirt for the photographs. I personally was disappointed by this.

The team then pedalled to the Cronulla Uniting Church for the finishing ceremony and the presentation of certificates and medals. This was followed by a light meal and a great deal of talk and saying of goodbye's. Folk then began collecting their possessions and getting themselves ready to head for home. The friendships formed on this ride have been deep and I suspect there will be future occasions when these people will ride in the same team under the Bike for Bibles banner.

WEST TO EASTERN SHORE

West to Eastern Shore
(to the tune of ‘Stir the Wallaby Stew’)



We thought we’d do a worthwhile thing for eternity
We’d raise a heap of money for the Bible Society
Bike-4-Bibles was the go, Jim Blaxland knew the score
So we rode our bicycles from west to eastern shore.

So, “On ya bikes”, says Jim, “Surprises are in store
We’re going to ride our bicycles from west to eastern shore”.

The scenery along the way, truly it was great!
The condition of the roads changed from state to state
But the most intriguing thing was not the land or view
No! it’s personal anecdotes surrounding each of you

Now Mister-never-snore-no-flats, who ever could that be,
The king pin of the big chain ring: Kevin certainly
And Mrs I-hate-snorers, keep them far and yon
Could be no one other than grandmother Yvonne

There’s another pair of grannies here, not your average ockers
Recumbent Rodge and Edna on their Jason Recliner Rockers
They’re followed closely often time by camera, beard moustache
It’s Richard! Now where’s Richard and his thousand photographs?

Another steady rider here, who could forget
Franki Bicycletti and his morning tea spaghet
And there’s Luke who eats spaghet straight out of the tin
Luke who jumped us all one day and was the mountain king

Now Trevor Laurence got so ill, he nearly died, they said
But now he’s flying up those hills, risen from the dead
And Big Al, the way he rides, his personality shines
It has to ‘cos he’s dropped his radio 3 dozen times

Now Alec joined us half way through and has to leave, that’s sad.
Another grandpa, for his age, his riding ain’t real bad
And Nicholas, with stripy tan, fancies he is quick
But he’s really quicker as a magnet for the chicks

The peleton it rolls along, without spits or spats
Stopping here and there it seems, just to fix up flats
And now .. … Another stop! .. What for? .. … What’s the matter?
Ah … the answer’s obvious! Weak Bladder Gazza!

Another man from Queensland side joined our riding throng
“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts.” was his daily song
He was referring to his butt, so big, so sore, no less
Trevor was his real name, but Butticus fits best.

Now Lucky Jim, he’s made the plans for all our nightly stops
But something happens to his brain when on the bike he hops
It takes away his power of speech and leaves him all bereft
Of any words at all, it seems, except for . . . L E F T ! ! ! !

We can not let the roadies off without a special note
The riders would be nowhere fast without these special folk
There’s Eric and there’s Richard on the CB to the trucks
To tell them that us cyc-a-lists are not just sitting ducks!

Then there’s ‘Triple R’ & M who get the food prepared
For Robert, pyrotechnics is his special flare
Rebecca, Robyn, Margaret make food to make us faster
And gave us all a brand new game - “Guess what’s in the pasta?”

Magella, Emmet, Caitlyn now finalise the list
And for the adults present they provide a certain bliss
When we arrive at end of day with our aching niggles
You take our focus off our pain with your smiles and giggles.

Though there’s been fun these 30 days, the purpose was intense
To get the Word of God to folk to make a difference.
Nothing would have happened though, except for one great bloke
Big THANKS to Lucky Jim, I say, from me and all these folks.

DAYS 31 AND 32

Time has been flying and I have to confess there has been no time available for keeping the blog up to date. We have journeyed safely from YOUNG to YASS and from YASS to GOULBURN in near to perfect weather conditions although with very little wind assistance. There was a minor fall on the ride out of Yass brought about by confusion over where the riders were meant to be going but no significant damage was done to the two riders or their trusty steeds! Both days have involved riding through beautiful country, generally on minor roads, but sometimes on major highways.

I woke early this morning and decided to get up and do something worthwhile! Hence, I am writing to you! Last night, here in Goulburn, we went out for dinner (normal) but before that, three wives arrived to put a smile on to the faces of three lonely husbands! Much catching up was done and it was lovely for us to be able to share a meal together. Also, it was Alex and Marg H’s last meal with us as they need to leave us a Picton or before so as to be home in time to attend a family function. They have contributed significantly to the team in their time with us and thir departure will leave a hole in the last day in particular.

Following devotions, the team had a – well, one couldn’t call it a concert, but some of the more extraverted of the group performed in various ways – period of laughter! It was good and all manner of truths and untruths were told! Mark had obviously been composing his for some time and if possible, I will present it for you in due course. The title of Mark's composition is WEST TO EASTERN SHORE.

Before bed time last night the rains came! It bucketed down for some time and then eased off to a sprinkle for some time. Most of the night was dry but we have awoken this morning to a heavily clouded sky and some light rain. Tonight, we will be sleeping in the assembly hall at the Picton High School, and tomorrow, some of us will be home and many more of the team will be even further from their home s and loved ones than they are right now. It is wonderful that many of the team who have been separated from their spouses for the duration of the ride will be reunited with them for the finish at Cronulla in Sydney.

TEMORA TO YOUNG – DAY 30

Today, 15th September has been a pleasant day for the team. We actually were praying last night that we would wake to the sound of rain, heavy rain even, for the sake of the farming community in the Temora area. Crops are generally rather stunted and not looking nearly as healthy as they should. Sadly for the farmers, there was no rain and we had a beautiful day, or should I say morning, on the road. Just to keep the hill climbers happy, there were hills occasionally, but most of the terrain was pretty flat and perfect for riding.

I told you about Mark having bee stung by a bee. He is fine again now although his ear is still slightly swollen. His rash has gone completely and he is feeling fine. He was telling me this morning that his brother is also allergic to bee stings. Trevor L who was so sick for many days early in the ride is fully recovered but not to the same level of fitness as he would have expected if he had not been off the bike for all those days. Kevin seems to be more or less over his cold but he has passed it on to various others, namely Frank K and Edna K (they are not related!)

We are staying tonight at the Young Anglican Church. The folk here are so caring – we arrived here to find sandwiches, cake, fruit and other goodies on the tables ready for our lunch. In the kitchen is all that we will need for breakfast tomorrow morning, and folk have been arriving from time to time this afternoon with goodies for our dinner tonight. I understand the food is being provided by people from the combined churches of Young. We of course thank them for their generosity.

Tomorrow, we move on to Yass and will be overnighting in the Anglican Church. These dear folk have been supporting Bike for Bibles riders for years and years. They have arranged to collect everyone from the church and take them to homes for showers and dinner. They will then return the team members to the church hall for our team meeting and sleep.

LEETON TO TEMORA – DAY 29

Today, 14th September, was a shorter day than yesterday and much kinder on the riders. There were more uppish bits today but uppish bits usually mean there are downish bits and they mean the rider can let gravity do some of the work for them.

We are staying tonight in the Anglican Church hall at Temora. I was clearly built in a day when it was the done thing to attend church because it is one of the biggest church halls we have been into. That said, the team has managed to spread itself widely throughout the hall and the snorers will have a lesser effect upon their nearest neighbours!

There has been time today for a bit more socialising over coffee than there sometimes is. The afternoon has also been used for catching up on a bit of washing and computing – several of us are keeping people at home upi to speed via a blog – and an early finish time helps in this regard. It has also been used to program satellite positing devices which help to make the escort roadie’s job easier and less stressful.

These recent blog entries have been produced in more of a rush than the earlier ones and photographs have seemingly disappeared! If you can see a pic in the recent entries, you might need to have your eyesight checked! I will endeavour to include something soon but I have been trying hard to get photos sorted for inclusion on a DVD for the team and it is all but impossible to get the files reduced enough to fit. When your rider gets back to your part of the world, ask to see some of the photos which have been taken of the ride and of things we have seen along the way.

HAY TO LEETON– DAY 28

Today, 13th September has been a long day with 175km passing under our wheels. The wind was generally favourable throughout the day although there was a 25km stretch where the riders were more or less straight into the wind. For the uninitiated, that means it is very hard work on a bike. There is one other thing which makes life more difficult on a bike and that is the road surface – and it was pretty rough for much of the day. The size of the gravel used for surfacing and the amount of shoulder all contribute to the ease or difficulty of the day on a bike.

The most unfortunate thing about the day was that Mark P was stung on the ear by a bee while riding his bike. The pain of the sting was bad enough in itself but he had a reaction to the sting and ended up having to be rushed to Leeton Hospital. He was through the worst of it in a couple of hours and was able to rejoin the team at the overnight venue, Leeton Presbyterian Church. The church folk put on a barbecue dinner for the team and made everyone feel very welcome and wanted. We thank them for their generous hospitality and their reflection of Christ in all they said and did while we were with them.

Tomorrow, we are off to Temora, a 132km ride through what we are told is beautiful country. We are to stay overnight at the Anglican Church hall and, I believe, eat at the RSL Club.