Day 12 Nuriootpa to Adelaide

We left Nuriootpa with reservations, as we knew that the weather wasn't going to hold, and indeed didn't.

The ride wasn't going to be a particularly long one, 86 km, but it turned up to be a challenging one.

As we left Nuriootpa, with sunny skies, but looming big, black clouds, we were farewelled by a few locals, and we departed with a hint of sadness, as we knew Adelaide wasn't far away, and it was to be  the end of our adventure.

Within 20 minutes of departure, the heavens opened, rain and wind started pelting the Riders, making the road slippery and wet, and the only thing we had in mind was to get to our destination unscathed.

Still, they rode along, making sure everyone was safe, until our first stop in Williamstown. In there, we had morning tea and a welcome cup of hot coffee. It was windy, wet and cold, and yet the ladies from the local Legacy were there to welcome us. They didn't care about the weather. As they told us, they weren't going to miss the opportunity to meet and say hello. They stayed with us until it was our time to say farewell.

At that point, we also had to farewell two essential members of the Support Crew, Jude and Ian Powell, or as we affectionately call them, Mum and Dad. Jude and Ian were the lifeline to the Ride. They provided breakfast, they carefully chose spots to stop for a quick drink, morning tea or lunch, went ahead and organised all the hotel accommodation by getting keys and lists of people,  they did the shopping, they worked out the following day's schedule. They were a vital part of the Ride, and the Tour was lucky enough to have them, not only for this Ride, but they were part of the inaugural Tour in 2013, from Melbourne to Adelaide.

The time came again to get on the saddles and keep making the way to Adelaide, The rain wasn't going to let up. The weather was going from bad to worse, making it sometimes difficult to see, as the Riders' glasses were getting foggy. We were getting a few strugglers here and there, a couple of them were falling considerably behind, but that didn't stop them from helping each other to go up hills.

We went through the Gorge Road, the windiest and narrowest bit of road in the Adelaide Hills, going down to the city. Again, it was a trying stretch of road, and one of our riders was fighting the hill with a fault in the gear system of his bike and was stuck with just one gear, which make the ascend almost impossible. Finally we got to some flat ground, we stopped to regroup, and everyone was happy that the rest of the way was pretty much downhill.

Still, going downhill with a damaged bike, wasn't the best scenario, so one of our strongest riders went to the back and helped him, slowly, slowly on his way down the hill. It was a fantastic thing to see. On the one hand, the rider with the damaged bike, who refused to get in a vehicle, determined to finish the ride the full way, on the other, the strong rider who came up to help, regardless of how long they were going to take in coming down.

Finally we hit suburbia, and the skies started to show a bit of blue here and there. By the time we got to the Campbelltown Council Chambers for a reception, the sun was making a timid appearance.

The reception at the chambers was a much appreciated relief from the cold. We were welcomed by the Deputy Mayor, Marijka Ryan, who was in awe of the achievement of the Group. She invited us to have hot drinks and a light lunch, and the Riders tucked into it with gusto.

Outside the Chambers, we had a waiting Police escort to take us all the way to the War Memorial. We had green lights all the way, and it was just a spectacle to see. The Riders just looked fantastic. We were joined by a few more riders from Soldier On, and another couple of groups, and we got to the Memorial, where we took photos and had time to get a few hugs by some of the families and friends who met us there.

And then, the time came. The time where we made our way down to the Torrens Parade Grounds to meet with the Governor of South Australia His Excellency Hieu Van Le, thus culminating an epic journey that won't be forgotten. Friends and families were there to greet us. To see riders greet their families after almost 2 weeks away, was emotional and heartwarming.

So after a few words of thanks from the Governor, the President of Adelaide Legacy, Keith Bleechmore, and Andrew Bahr, the spokesperson for the Tour, the Penny was handed over, so it can find his final resting place in the Military Museum at the Keswick Barracks, and the chapter on another wonderful, unforgettable, epic Tour de Legacy was closed.

I would like, if I may, introduce you to the Support Crew, who looked after the Group's needs all the way.

Ian and Jude Powell, in charge of catering, as mentioned above.

Kym Harden, driver of the lead vehicle, who had the job of leading the Group every morning out of the towns, lead us throughout the day and take us, safely, to our final destinations at the end of the day, and act as warning to incoming vehicles that Riders were ahead.

Stephen Lord, who drove the truck behind the peloton, covering their backs to make sure no vehicles would be a danger to them. Also providing drinks at the scheduled stops. Taking all the Riders' luggage and day packs to the next destination, carrying all the spares and tool-kits, and being responsible for taking the precious bike cargo to Canberra from Adelaide before the Tour started.

Anabelle Lord, who looked after the Riders' welfare, provided the much sought after lollies during the whole Ride, was liaison officer between  Media, Legacy Clubs and accommodation, and the Ride Committee.

The abovementioned were part of the inaugural Tour de Legacy in 2013.

We were lucky to have two extra support:

Brett Knuckey, who was kept busy while on the road finding directions for stops and destinations, and after each day's ride, he was there to fix broken bodies as a very popular masseur.

And last, our intrepid photographer, Simon Mills. He was our roaming support. He took the role of unofficial photographer. All photos in this blog must be credited to him. He also took some fantastic footage with a drone.
Nothing was too hard for him to do. Helping Mum and Dad in the morning with breakfast, then, helping Stephen and Anabelle to load the truck with luggage, and then, just going up and down, taking the most sensational photos, from the most surprising places, with a bit of entertainment on the side. We never knew where he was going to pop up next, or how he would be dressed.

Allow me now to introduce the Committe Members and Riders:

The Committee:

Andrew Bahr
David Bendo
Graham Lord
Daniel Raschella
Enio Rossi
Eric Rossi
Peter Short
Richard Staunton

The Committee worked tirelessly for almost 2 years to organise and make this Tour possible.

The Riders - Full Ride -:

Chris Bagg
Andrew Bahr
Peter Beyer
Fran Bonato
Steve Brown
Paul Burns
Jim Covino
Wayne Cullinan
Gavin Hean
Bim Lange
Guy Limbert
Graham Lord
Herb Mack
Sarah McEachern
Peter Moore
Stuart O'Grady
Adam Reid
Andrew Rossi
Eric Rossi
Peter Short
Richard Staunton
Daniel Tregenza
Peter Tymukas
Steve Wheaton
Tim Wheaton

The Riders - Short Ride -:

Shaune Amber
David Bendo
Leo Boesten
Gianni Conci
Scott Dornan
Richard Edwards
Simon Grenfell
Catherine Hughes
Pat Jonker
Gerard Killick
Dave Kissock
James McEwan
Daniel Raschella
Richard Riechelt

39 indomitable Riders who completed a wonderful event.

How does one finish writing about such a wonderful event?

With difficulty, sadness and hope.

It is difficult to say goodbye to a fabulous group of people. New friendships have been formed, but nothing can take away the feeling of camaraderie and mateship, nothing can take away the laughter, the cheeky moments, the moments of reflection, the tiredness, the weather, the exhilaration of the ride, and it will remain with us for a long time to come. I am sure the Tour de Legacy will be the topic of many a dinner conversation, for many weeks to come.

Sadness, because it is over already. The time went so quickly, we hardly had time to adjust.

Hope, because maybe, just maybe, that insane Ride Committee will get together and plant the seed for a new adventure in the future.

Our special thanks have to go to two cycling legends, who graciously gave their time to accompany us on this Legacy fundraiser: Stuart O'Grady, who rode the full length and Patrick Jonker, who joined us at Mildura for the last leg of the Ride. It was an honour and a pleasure to have them with us, not only they are excellent sportspeople, but also excellent human beings.

Finally, as this blog comes to an end, albeit a bit later than expected through circumstances beyond the writer's control, let me summarise what the Ride was.

Tour de Legacy 2015. From Canberra to Adelaide. 1,500 km cycled. 12 days duration. 27 riders the first leg, 39 the second part. 7 Support Crew. Funds raised for Legacy.

That's basically what the Tour was to many people. But for those who were involved in it, it was a completely different world.

This Tour had all the elements of a very special event: the mateship, the camaraderie, the selfless acts, and most importantly, the awareness of why we were doing this in the first place, to help, in our opinion, one of the most worthwhile charities. To this date, the amount raised stands at over $117,000. This amount represents the very generous donations to each of the riders from their supporters. Along with that fantastic result, there was also the incredibly generous support of our Corporate sponsors, which helped make the event a very successful fundraiser for Legacy.

It was a magical event that won't be forgotten.

We hope we have made Legacy proud, and in our hearts, we hope that Private Brealey is looking down on us with pride. 

Now, for some photos of the last day.

Leaving Nuriootpa on our last leg of the Ride

Kym leading us out of town

Going through Tanunda

And the, the heavens opened

Beautiful scenery, even when wet

The fabulous Barossa Legacy ladies!

The fantastic and hard working Support Crew

From left to right: Simon Mills, Ian Powell, Judy Powell, Brett Knuckey, Kym Harden, Anabelle Lord and Stephen Lord

Welcome refreshments at Campbelltown Council Chambers

At the War Memorial

The Group at the Torrens Parade Grounds

Emotional scenes when some of our Riders wore their Medals

His Excellency Hieu Van Le welcoming the Tour

Andrew Bahr handing over the Penny into the hands of the Governor

Private Brealey made it back

The Group. What an impressive sight!

And so it ends. Thank you to those who have read and commented on this blog. I hope I was able to deliver a small glimpse on the activities of this fantastic and epic Tour de Legacy.

Who knows, I might be honoured to write on the next blog about the next Tour.

Until then,

Cheers,

Anabelle Lord
Support Crew
Tour de Legacy

Day 11 Berri to Nuriootpa

Today was a big day, 186 km to Nuriootpa, in the heart of the fabled Barossa Valley. The weather was good, albeit cloudy. We rode through Loxton and then, we just kept going and going through a somewhat tedious scenery.
Something really good in our favour was the fact that once we left Loxton, the traffic was almost non existent, so the Group could relax a little, knowing that they pretty much had the road to themselves.

Our two favourite sportspeople decided to entertain the rest of the Group by performing a few skilled tricks. Impressive stuff. The terrain was slightly undulating for most of the ride.

We had a welcome lunch at Swan Reach and after that, we made our way to the ferry, to cross the mighty Murray River. When we hit the road again, we found it had gentle crests, I guess in preparation for the massive climb on Sedan Hill.

Finally, we arrived at the town of Sedan. We stopped in there for the Riders to have a few last bursts of energy in the shape of lollies, and an encouraging talk to prepare them mentally for the giant climb.

And off they went, steady, steady, each and every one of the Group, made their triumphant way to the top, some -we won't mention names- at speed, others not so speedy, but they all made it. It was wonderful to see. Sedan Hill had been that big, great obstacle, and once that obstacle was overcome, it was like this great weight had been taken off their shoulders.

Once at the top, we all gathered to hear the Last Post, a very emotional moment for all of us.

We continued from there to Angaston, for a well deserved coffee break. A reward after such a mighty feat.

Finally we arrived at Nuriootpa, where a Civic Reception was waiting for us at the Council Chambers. There were members of the Group's and Crew's families who had come up to see us, which was much appreciated. We had a fantastic time at the Council Reception, with fabulous local produce provided and of course, we got to sample the Region's excellent wines.

Councillor Bim Lange, one of our Riders, did his nightly ritual of finding fault with the Riders and giving them a lot of fines, which is always fun to see and a great way to raise money between the Group and Support Crew.

After the Reception, we made our way to our accommodation and then got ready for what it would be our last meal together on this Tour.

Here are some photos of the day's ride.

Keeping an eye on the bikes

Riding to Swan Reach

Very long and straight road at times

Crossing the river on the ferry

Patrick Jonker and Catherine Hughes. Thumbs up for a great climb at Sedan Hill

The Rossi brothers posing with Stuart O'Grady at the Nuriootpa Reception

Tomorrow is our last day. It is going to be an emotional and hard day, because even though it is only 80 km to Adelaide, we have a feeling the weather Gods are not happy. We'll see.

Until then,

Cheers.

Day 10 Mildura to Berri

Today was one of the busiest on the road, since we started the Tour in Canberra. We left Mildura at 7.30 am, because we knew it was going to be a long ride. Truck after truck, caravan after caravan, made the road a bit congested at times, and certainly very, very busy.
But, the Group soldiered on, riding 160 km in almost perfect weather conditions, wonderful clear skies and a slight head wind.
We also had an additional 14 Riders, who came up to Mildura from Adelaide, which changed the dynamics of the ride. The original Group of 25 had a few days to ride together and get used to each other. These 14 riders, were thrown into the deep end, on one of the longest rides in the Tour. But, they did very well, they proved they could ride as if they had been with us right from the beginning.

We had the pleasure of having the legend Patrick Jonker join us from Mildura. He is not only a great sportsman, but a great sport. He was always ready to help others, spoke to anyone and everyone and he has a wonderful personality.

After a few stops, we arrived at the place where our Riders were very eager to stop. After 10 days away, and over 1,000 km cycled, we finally hit the South Australian border. Few cheers and a few photos were taken.

We continued onto Paringa to have lunch, and we stopped at this lovely park, opposite this enormous "Black Stump", absolutely beautiful.

After lunch, we proceeded to Renmark for a quick media call, and not long after, we arrived at our destination, the lovely riverside town of Berri, where we were warmly welcomed by the members of the Riverland Legacy Group. After having a bit of a rest, a clean up and a soothing dip in the pool, we went for drinks at the function room of our Caravan Park, where we got to meet the Mayor of the Berri Barmera region, Mr Peter Hunt.

Dinner followed, and again, we only have praise for all the work that the different Legacy Clubs have done for us. The dinner was a fantastic event. Several dishes to cater for everyone's tastes and dietary requirements were set for us. Delicious fresh fruit that was savoured with gusto, and then whatever was left, was kindly donated by the Legacy Club, because they knew we had to get rid of every piece of fruit and vegetable on crossing the border. There was much laughter and conversation, and lovely stories were told. All in all, a wonderful evening.

But all good things have to come to an end, and it was time for us to go back to our cabins and have a rest, as tomorrow is going to be a hard ride. On our way to Nuriootpa, we have to climb Sedan Hill, not an easy Hill at all, and it will test the endurance of the Riders.

Here are some photos of the day's ride:

Keith Bleechmore, President of Adelaide Legacy and Mrs Bleechmore, drove to Mildura to send the complete group of 39 riders off.

There is always one

Bim Lange carrying the Penny

Beautiful shot

A lot of respect for these two wonderful sportspeople, Patrick Jonker and Stuart O'Grady

We could always find a kind member of the public giving a donation

Tim Wheaton's turn to carry Private Brealey's Penny

Patrick Jonker and the Penny

We made it to South Australia!

The Black Stump. What an extraordinary sight

Mr Peter Hunt, Mayor of Berri Barmera

We had some visitors... A lot of weird and wonderful things have happened in this Tour so far

The Aunt of one of the Legacy organisers, Sue Andrew, charmed our photographer Simon

Here is the link to the day's video, taken by one of our Riders, Peter Short.

Video, Day 10, Mildura to Berri

To Nuriootpa tomorrow. 186 km with a massive hill almost at the end of the day's ride. A test of endurance, for sure.

Until then,

Cheers.

Day 9 Euston to Mildura

What a beautiful ride it was.

The weather Gods were smiling at us again. One of the best riding days we could have. It was only a short ride, of some 80 km, and the wind was helping us along, doing an average of  30 km/h. Perfect weather for a perfect ride.

The Group was just flying. The look of exhilaration on their faces was certainly priceless.

We had a special guest rider to our Group. The Education Minister for New South Wales, Mr Adrian Piccoli, joined us at Euston and rode with us, after donning the distinctive Legacy jersey, all the way to Mildura.

Once in Mildura, we made our way to JayCee Park, where the Lions Club, in conjunction with Legacy, prepared a phenomenal lunch with an enormous barbeque and lots of salads.

One can't say enough about the work that Legacy does. Every town we have stopped, there have always been members there to, either, welcome us or farewell us. Nothing is ever too hard  for them. Their kindness and support will always be remembered.

After the lunch, we had to say goodbye to Mr Piccoli. He enjoyed the ride very much and gave us an excellent donation, to add to the funds raised already. I hope in future, when he goes for his bike rides, he will wear the Legacy jersey with pride and think of this day.

We left the park and made our way to our accommodation, where we met with the 14 riders who came from Adelaide to join us for the "short ride", expanding our group from 25 to 39.There were a  lot of excited faces around.

Thanks to the generosity of Legacy by providing buses, we made our way to the Mildura Civic Centre for a reception, where were welcomed by the Mayor and several Councillors, as well as lots of members from the Mildura branch of Legacy. It was a great event to finish off a fantastic day.

Here are some photos of the day:

Adrian Piccoli holding the Penny for the first stage of the ride

Riding to Mildura in perfect conditions

The Group in action

Mr Piccoli handing over the Penny to the next rider, Andrew Bahr

What a beautiful part of of the country. Serene

Pit stop at the local service station for a reviving cup of coffee

Stuart O'Grady and Adrian Piccoli

Kim Harden, part of the Support Crew, at JayCee Park

The boys getting stuck into some fantastic food

Members of Legacy, Lions, Mr Piccoli, the Riders and Support

Jim Covino's turn to carry our Ward

Beautiful Park for a beautiful welcome to Mildura

Mr Peter Crisp MLA for Mildura holding the Penny

Last, this was the view from our accommodation in Euston.

Absolutely beautiful and tranquil setting.

Tomorrow we ride to Berri which puts us back in South Australia. I am sure there will be a stop at the border for a photo opportunity. However, before we get there, there will be a long 170 km to cover.

Let's hope the weather will keep being kind to us.

Until then,

Cheers!

.

Day 8 Swan Hill to Euston

As for the last couple of days, today was very cold, 3 or 4 degrees, which made things that little extra difficult.  We left the Caravan Park at 7.30 am for a 140 km ride to Euston. We rode well, and luckily, we had a tail wind which helped getting to our destination a bit quicker.

The average speed was 30 km/h, sometimes going as high as 35 or 36 km/h. It was a fantastic ride, but the sun was shining and the cold soon forgotten. The problem with some of these rides is that, they are long but can become quite tedious, due to a lack of scenery or towns.

We arrived at our accommodation, to a beautiful setting next to the river. The group had plenty of time to relax and clean up, to end up a glorious day at the Resort's restaurant for a well deserved dinner.

Here are some photos of the day:

A very early and cold breakfast

Andrew Rossi carrying the penny for the first section of the ride

Nice photo of the group 

Morning tea is being set up replenish the energy used.

peter Beyer handing over the penny to Peter Tymukas

From the side mirror

Getting into Robinvale

Tomorrow is a nice recovery ride, about 85 km to Mildura. We will have a special guest riding with us, all the way to Mildura. So tune in for more in the next blog.

Until then,

Cheers

Please click on the link below to see the video of the day's ride, taken by Peter Short.

Day 8 Swan Hill to Euston

Please, keep donating to our Group through the Legacy Everyday Heroes pages. We really want to smash a few records.