Cycle Against the Beast – 2022
12th March, 2022
Today was the last day of Pedal Cure 4 MND. Despite the previous day’s reservations, I promised myself that I’d do at least the last 13 kilometres into Ariah Park. The 13 km to go mark is where locals will be joining us for our last bit of the ride, along with a Police escort. During the morning, while on the support bus, I was wondering what to do after we finish at Ariah Park. I had been offered a lift to Albury tomorrow, which I accepted. Once getting there, I could either catch a train to Melbourne, or try continuing on by bike. Who knows? Once I’m pedalling along at my own pace again, I may feel better. And I haven’t had a flat since Wednesday. The self-sealing tube seems to be working fine (if I’d unknowingly ridden over any bindis).
I’m glad I decided not to get on my bike before the 13 km to go mark. There was one steep hill that everyone had to get over. It was time to get unload the bike from the bus. To lighten weight, I didn’t even attach my handlebar bag to my handlebars. As a result, I’d forgotten to attach my Garmin tracker to record the final 13 km. As a result, I could only note the distance in the post with an asterisk. There must have been dozens of people, including kids, ready to ride the final distance in with us. It was quite a sight to see. The weight of my bicycle was noticeably lighter without my handlebar bag. There must have been around 2 kg in that bag. With 2 km to go, we regrouped. And then we all cycled the final 2 km, which included the main street.
There was a barbeque lunch put on by the local Men’s Shed, with plenty of sausages to spare. In the afternoon, we moved on to the local footy club for the end of ride function. With the ‘pressure’ of the past week over, I felt much more confident to continue on with my ride – I was able to start whenever I felt like it, take as many breaks as I’d like and take all day if I wanted to. I will still accept the lift to Albury tomorrow. But, the day after, I’ll be cycling on to Corowa. I’m not sure where I’ll be staying yet. Possibly the local caravan park.
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