Day 24
Posted by Sean Egan (sean) on Oct 05 2008
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This morning was the first time that I got back into bed after the alarm went off. Why? 1) I was absolutely knackered from the ride! 2) We had to put our clocks forward – just what I needed, 1 hour less in the cot! 3) It was freezing (literally)! 4) We only had about 95 km to go! It was probably a combination of all four and it was only 5 minutes in bed but I did enjoy it. Annabelle, Ness, Dave and I all had maximum clothes on today; tights, extra tops and long fingered gloves. Less than 10 km into the ride we had a long steady downhill but none of us pedalled for the 3-4 km because we didn’t want to go too fast and get any colder than it already was. I was shaking all the way down. Annabelle jumped back in the van and we prayed for a hill to warm us up, so Anthony’s Cutting was welcomed rather than feared. Being over 40, I let the young ones go ahead on the downhill, which wasn’t nearly as scary as everyone had said. At least we had thawed due to the climb. From here on into the city it was perfectly flat and despite sore quaddies I was able to push the pace pretty well. It was more adrenalin than anything else. I was buzzing!! As the city came into focus I began to shed a few tears, which would probably continue throughout the day. It wasn’t long before we had made it into town and the physical side of the ride was over. I had made it from Perth to Melbourne, about 3500 km in just under 105 hours (this doesn’t sound like much). It works out to an average of 33.4 km/hr. I am stoked with this speed because it includes a 15 km warm up and 15 km warm down each day. Anyway, enough gloating! It was only 10am and the convoy was hungry, so we had a brunch with the family and van members. It was a nice way to begin what was going to be an emotional afternoon. Our next stop was Johnson St, where we picked up about 20 cyclists of varying fitness levels, on a contrasting standard of bikes. I was pretty stoked to see such a number coming to do the final leg. Some old friends, colleagues, family, sponsors, an Aquinas student and even a few blokes I had not met came along for the ride. Thanks so much to everyone who rode; it was great! We made it to the clock tower in Ringwood at a nice gentle speed, although some were claiming that they’d never walk again after the 20km. At the clock tower there was probably another 30 people who would add much to the final 2 km. I sneaked off for a wee and found myself beginning to cry. This was not a good sign for things to come. The group looked quite normal except for Barny who couldn’t access a bike, so he ran! Typical for the family! As I entered the Aquinas gates there was a crowd of over 100 people lined along the driveway and they all applauded when I arrived. That was the end of the ride and the end of me. I lost it and began blubbering like an idiot! The next bit of time is a bit of a blur. Lots of hugs, handshakes and tears (and a not so surprise visit from Linda). After 3 attempted re-enactments of the arrival, for the photographer, it was clear that while I can ride long distances, I can’t ride slowly with no hands, so the Lance victory salute was forgotten. A few more photos followed and then came the speeches. Ruth (CEO of HD Victoria) welcomed everyone and presented me with a massive photo frame and plaque depicting some of the ride. This was fantastic, although Ruth tried to jib me out of 700km, as the plaque only said 2800 km instead if 3500. I then said a few words of thanks and spoke a bit about Dad. I hope he was able to see and hear what had transpired. For the next hour and a half, I talked to lots of people about HD, roadkill, The Nullarbor, wind, quaddies and no punctures! Finally, about 25 of us headed to the Ringwood Club to enjoy a few refreshments. It was nice to know I didn’t have to ride tomorrow but was even better to reflect on the fact that I honoured my dad in just about the best possible way. (More blogging tomorrow when I do a synopsis (what does that mean?)). I’ll look it up in the interim!

Last changed: Oct 06 2008 at 2:05 PM