Days 4, 5 and 6; This is getting hard...

Riders and volunteers enjoyed a BBQ put on by staff and supporters of the Aputula Municipal Council. Thank you to Sue Brown for the generous donation and to Ross for his hospitality and advice.

Finke to Eringa Ruins

Riders had an early start this morning, departing camp at earliest light, 6.30am. It was a cool start and a strong southerly headwind made things more difficult. In a word, today’s riding was 'brutal'. Riders were on the road (dirt) for between 9.5 hours and 11.5 hours. We had it all; headwind, sand (more pushing of bikes), corrugations, rocks, trucks, graders, speeding oncoming 4WD's and undulations. We were a sorry sight by days end and none of us had ever spent that amount of time on the bike in one day. Camp was at Eringa Ruins which was a very picturesque camp spot amongst gum trees and next to a water hole. The evening was spent sharing war stories around a camp fire and watching how many yabbies young Nick could catch.

Eringa Ruins to Hamilton Station

Today’s stage consisted of 70km into Hamilton Station. Easy right? The shortish nature of the day did not detract from the difficulty of the cycling. It was a long day with many undulations to add to the very rocky terrain. The road was in poor condition, meaning riders had trouble picking a decent line to ride. Not much in the way of scenery either and we were all glad when we finished. Station owners Janet and Wayne have made us feel very welcome and everyone has enjoyed their first shower in many days. It is amazing how much sun screen one accumulates after a few days. The end of the ride was helped by a passing bus load of British tourists who happily donated money to the RFDS and chatted to the riders.

The volunteers have done a fantastic job over the last few days, keeping us hydrated, fed and proving us with a constant stream of encouragement. The 4 vehicles are all in contact via UHF radio and we are kept well informed of any passing / oncoming traffic and other hazards. The volunteers all work well together and it allows the riders to concentrate on cycling and recovering.

The riders; we are all a little worse for wear. The last few days have been punishing and we are nursing all sorts of injuries (saddle sores, fluid in the knee, fatigue, muscle soreness and back pain). Dr Andy manages to finish each stage with a big smile on his face regardless of how much pain he’s endured to get there, Lisa the trooper has persisted riding despite her badly swollen and painful knee. Phil has brought new meaning to the word 'stubborn' by bulldozing his way to camp each day, Len has been Esther’s guardian angel via his encouragement, providing a wheel to ride behind and being chief motivator. Andy S is thinking of ways to get David back after he locked out his front and rear suspension before the days start (Andy realized this after 60km+). George is doing everything possible to alleviate his saddle sores, including wearing 2 pairs of bike shorts, more than enough paw paw cream on the chamois and even a layer of bubble wrap. Ruhi spat the dummy after he broke his beloved speedo sensor in a minor fall. This means he can't see the numbers 1700km when we arrive in Adelaide. Word on the street is that he'll get over it.

And finally, bike mechanic Andy would like to wish his son Hartley a fantastic 2nd birthday and whilst he can't be there in person, Hartley is in his thoughts.