Day: August 5, 2017

Leaving Raymond Terrace at 7:00am, we had to make our way to Newcastle University where we met Darrel Sparke, President of Amputees NSW and Ayelet Muhra an Amp Camp leader. There was an organised Park Run at Newcastle Uni and they had offered Darrel a few minutes before it began to talk about the ride but more importantly to speak about Amp Camp. Ayelet and I conducted one of my impromptu interviews which we will send through to Darrel, Emma and Holly tomorrow.

At the university, we met by the building for Indigenous Studies and it was great to see some of the sculptures, especially the eagle behind us in the photo. You see, I have a love for eagles and throughout this trip I have been privileged to have them close by on most days. They are just beautiful to watch and observe. I had a brief chat with Ayelet about our final day of riding and planning where we will meet as she is to ride with us into the Opera House, which will be very cool.

After saying our farewells, we were soon travelling with good speed down the M1 from Newcastle toward Kariong (Gosford) where we would have to leave it and join the Old Pacific Highway. Thankfully the wind was, at times, behind me and provided that little assistance needed after yesterday’s brutal headwind. Looking back over recorded data on Weatherzone, it made sense that the legs were tired last night as there were wind gusts more than 70km/h. I was glad for some respite today.

Having made Kariong by 12:00pm and having notched up 100km, I left the M1 and made my way to the Old Pacific Highway. Grant had taken the opportunity to catch up with friends from WA who are now residing on the Central Coast. Meeting them close to the M1, Grant was only a phone call away. A big thank you to Margaret and Reuben for their support of Amp Camp through a donation.

Once on the Old Pacific Highway, I began my days efforts of climbing. It is a beautiful ride through this part of the country with lush bush of straight ghost gums, wattle and a thick vegetation of ferns and moss covered rocks. In places, it was semi rain-forest as the rock walls closed in on the road’s verge leaving no more than half a foot of shoulder. Long climbs followed by descending then climbing again was the order of the next 45km. The tranquility and peacefulness of the National Park were not lost on me. It was the Harley Davidson Goldwing blaring Van Halen that cracked through the serenity and stole the moment. However, the beauty of this road is that it switches back and forth and the music was lost in seconds – back to the rhythm of the bike and trying to maintain a steady cadence. Eventually, we descended down to the Hawkesbury River and prepared for the steady climb out of the valley to Cowan.

Now I remember this road as being a favourite for motorcyclists but today was just madness. Every 20 seconds I was now being passed by motor-bikes either going up or coming down the valley. Each of them turning around and returning from where they had started before having another run. The Police were ever present trying to maintain some sort of regulation and limit the loss of life. There were a great number of learner and provisional riders which was somewhat concerning. Having said all that, I understand the draw card as the road has excellent flowing corners and a great road surface. I know as a cyclist it was nice to ride on. If you ride in only one place, I’d recommend the Old Pacific Highway as it is very enriching.

Finally finishing the major climbs out of the National Park, we stopped at the café, Pie in the Sky, and took a snap of the superb Hawkesbury River catchment below. Having a really healthy lunch of sausage roll, chips and chocolate thick shake we set off to complete the final 25kms. Feeling the build up of fatigue in the legs, I reconciled there would be no sprinting to the finish today, rather, a steady pace to knock over the final kilometres.

With 10km of my ride to go, I waved to a cyclist coming the other way only to recognise it was my great friend, Phil Newman, coming the other way to greet me and ride with me into Hornsby. What a legend! Phil and I met last year when we both crossed Australia by bike and we came upon each other not dissimilar to today’s interaction. Last year, I was three days from finishing and Phil was four days into his epic crossing. Today, Phil’s arrival lifted my spirits and it was as these kids from Amp Camp all say, “Like catching up with family” – that sense of belonging and being supported. Arriving in Hornsby, Phil ensured my safe arrival at the Blue Gum Hotel, our accommodation for tonight. Phil is to join me tomorrow in our final ride into Sydney, across the Harbour Bridge and onto the concourse at the Sydney Opera House.

On the eve of our final day there is an excitement that we have successfully ridden from Cairns to Sydney. No punctures or mechanical issues with my Polygon Bend RV (Blackadder) and the ever trustworthy Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres. Tomorrow, we have a late start and only a short ride to the Opera House where we officially finish this epic ride from Cairns in Far North Queensland to Sydney. We will arrive at the Opera House at 3:00pm where we will be met by Darrel, my mate Russel Hodge and other members of the Amputee family, including the youth we have been riding for. My daughter, mother, other family and friends are all due to be there to welcome us in. I am looking forward to finishing tomorrow, although please remember this is not the end for Amp Camp, rather it is the beginning. Please provide your support to Amp Camp through donating to Amputees NSW via the following address, http://ozcrowd.com/campaign/3959 or through visiting their website http://www.amputeesnsw.org.au/

Until tomorrow,
Mike and Grant

Last night was a great evening of watching the Eels play the Bulldogs and just chatting around the fire pit. The opportunity to sit, relax and talk with old friends was what was needed. John cooked a very nice meal for dinner and when we arose this morning, he was busily preparing breakfast. We were treated to a beautiful cooked breakfast and, added to this, we were privileged to have freshly squeezed orange juice from John and Paula’s tree out the back. There’s nothing better than real juice that hasn’t been watered down.

Since it had rained overnight, the morning temperature was up a few degrees from the previous few days. Turning the cranks, we were off again with high hopes as the weather forecast indicated I would be assisted with a strong 30km/h North Westerly tailwind. It didn’t take long to work out that the north and westerly didn’t come to the party together today as it was a straight westerly. Unfortunately, our main projector was in a south westerly direction so it was a hard day riding into the winds. We were recording winds between 35 and 50km/h. One blessing was that the roads through here have been upgraded over recent years and they have used hot-mix so Blackadder rolled superbly.

There were a few hairy moments today with the wind bringing in a whole new dynamic to riding. With the M1 cutting a more direct pathway than the old Pacific Highway, it has seen numerous large expansive bridges installed to carry the traffic. Unfortunately, with the wind blowing so strongly, this resulted in me being blown around like a rag doll on these bridges where there was no protection from the wind. Electing to sit on the white line and leaving the 2.5 metre shoulder as my safety zone was the right decision. On numerous occasions I used nearly all that space after being hit by strong gusts. The bridges are between 50 to 100 feet above the surface of the water and, given I wasn’t wearing a floatation vest and didn’t really like the idea of a swim, it seemed clear that the white line was my friend. Thankfully, other drivers recognised the issue and gave me the lane on every bridge.

I was not the only one receiving a grilling from the wind. Later in the day, as we made our final approach from Karuah to Raymond Terrace, I noticed a caravan passing me without a door. It had clearly been blown off and was now lying somewhere back up the highway. A second van went past and the door was only being held in place by the hook latch and the wind was playing havoc with this one as well.

Despite the wind and the increased climbing today, I arrived in Raymond Terrace at 3:30pm and sought out a shower to try and warm up and refresh the body after fighting with the elements. Grant had gone ahead and secured our accommodation which made it a quick transition from bike to shower.

Tomorrow we have another big day as we head from Raymond Terrace to Hornsby via Newcastle. Our first stop will be at Newcastle University where we are catching up with Darrel Sparke (President of Amputees NSW) and some of the Amp Camp family who are travelling from Sydney and throughout the area to meet us. We are planning to arrive at the University at 7.45am. Again, there is a predicted north westerly wind for tomorrow, but we will just have to wait and see.

Please donate to Amputees NSW via the following address, http://ozcrowd.com/campaign/3959 or through visiting their website http://www.amputeesnsw.org.au/

Until tomorrow,
Mike and Grant