ride4acure

I set out from Gisborne in the pouring rain just after 6am. I had waited for half an hour in hope that the rain would ease however it increased in intensity. So I ‘bit the bullet’ and mounted up and rode out. I absolutely flew down the Calder Freeway averaging 23.8 kms per hour in the pouring rain. I felt like a ‘cycling machine’ as my kids keep telling me. the rain was phenomenal, with great waves of water each time a truck went past! I felt invincible though…..and  I didn’t care about being wet, low visibility, traffic etc….in poor visibility I have three red flashing lights on my helmet, coat and back of bike!

I felt incredible when I arrived in the actual city it really hit home what I’ve done physically riding 1500 kms but also all of the speaking functions I’ve completed en route…..and the amazing final tally for this first ‘tally’ of the fundraising. Yesterday we were able to present a cheque for $40 309 to Assoc. Professor Grant MacCarthur who heads melanoma research at PeterMac. (Aleady overnight we have received almost another $1 000 in donations!)  It was really moving to be back at PeterMac and to see many of the people who so lovingly looked after both Hannah and us as Hannah underwent treatment there.  there were many many people waiting for me to arrive, including both channel 7 and SBS TV, plus Herald Sun newspaper. the scariest moment was when the TV guys asked me to remove my bike helmet! And I complained of ‘hat hair’!

When I pulled up at PeterMac amongst the crowd I saw the beautiful faces of a group of Hannah’s close girlfriends mostly from St Pauls Kempsey and UNE at Armidale…I was overcome with emotion when I saw them and cried with Joy at seeing their beautiful faces.  They had kept it a complete secret, even though I’d been talking to some of them only the week before!  Esther and Joe knew and had been able to keep it secret too!

We (20 of my family and the girls from Kempsey) went out to a great pizza and pasta restaurant last night to celebrate ride4acure’s arrival in Melbourne. The young fella’s went on to dance the night away to all hours at the Casino whilst I went back to my sisters and ‘crashed’ with Joe for the night.

Thanks everyone for the amazingly supportive emails and texts….I really appreciate you efforts to connect with me and the crew.

Good Morning Gang…this is the last morning of this ride and I’ve quit trying to stay in bed and I’ve just hopped up made myself a huge pot of tea and cranked this faithful little computer up yet again to put a few more thoughts together.

I woke up at 3.45 thinking about LOVE. For it’s LOVE that is the true motivator for ride4acure. Love of my daughter Hannah Rose, love of my family, friends, community, country. Love for people with passion to make a difference…I think here in particular of the medical staff both in the wards and in the science labs researching, working tirelessly to make a difference in peoples lives. When ‘melanoma’ knocked at our door it is then I truely have deeply appreciated the passion, dedication and expertise of the medical crews. They are the real ‘heroes’.

It is now steadily raining, which will mean a later start for me due to visibility, however I can pray right now for it to be a ‘pre dawn rinse cycle in the great washing machine cycle of life’  that will be over in a short while…..or not!

I took the ‘crew’ Esther and Joe out for an Italian dinner last night in Gisborne to celebrate the ride. We all rolled out of the resaurant very full, after a delicious meal, glad I’ll be getting on the bike today to burn a few calories! We have a morning tea at Peter Mac after I arrive and then tonight at my sister Kate’s a dinner to celebrate all together. When Ez, Joe and I got home from dinner about 8.30pm Joe and I were going to clean my bike and he discovered I had a flat back tyre. So quick tube change, discovered a vertical ‘staple’ through the tyre into the tube that had caused the problem! So glad he discovered it last night and not me this morning at 5.30 as i go to ride away.  Something so small can pull everything up! I had an interview with 3AW last night just after 9pm and managed to get tyre changed, bike chains and sprockets washed, and a cup of  tea made ready for the interview! so this morning when it’s light I can get away. The rain has eased….birds not singing yet….but it’s only 4.40 now so let’s see.

A huge thank you to all of you who have so generously supported me in words, resources, love, prayer and funds with ride4acure, I couldn’t have done it without you. I might be doing the pedalling but this ride has definately been a community event!

The tally on fundraising this morning is $38 879, just a mere $1 100 short of $40 000! The ‘Cash to Splash’ invite lifted the total by nearly $400…..let’s see what happens in the next few hours. We have the ‘big cheque’ already to do a presentation this morning. Very exciting! If anyone reading this is motivated to donate please simply follow the links online. Blessings Maura

2nd last day setting out....

This is the last day before this ride is complete…well I should clarify the bike riding side of things, as the fundraising continues.We are camped at Gisborne-Hannah’s resting place, a stark reminder that I’m only doing this ride because I and Esther and Joe and the rest of my family, no longer have the beautiful Hannah physically in our lives. This is a tragedy, but from that incredible loss me and my family have lived through this awesome positive ride4acure has emerged and is doing great things to raise awareness and funds to research melanoma. Hannah would be proud.

Woo hoo Gisborne sign is awesome to see afte 1500 kms!

 This morning Joe and I went to Staughton College at Melton (where my sister Kate is the Cookery teacher) and gave the final “Mela-What?” presentation to nearly 200 Year 7 students in their gym for 2009. I have every intention of continuing fundraising in 2010 with another ‘adventure’ – so watch this space!

Today the tally for fundraising has reached $38 579 a mere $1 421 dollars short of $40 000! So if there is anyone out there with “Cash to Splash!” please consider a donation (simply follow the link to donate on this website www.ride4acure.com.au) no matter how small to ride4acure to bring the tally up to a neat $40 000! Maybe a miracle will happen over night eh!  I will be doing a presentation of funds raised to Associate Professor Grant MacCarthur tomorrow as part of the reception at Peter MacCallum.  Grant was Hannahs doctor and is also the ‘chief’ of melanoma research at Peter Mac (largest cancer research facility in the Southern Hemisphere!)  I am so satisfied with the fundraising and am humbled by the generosity of so many people, many known,many unknown but touched by both the disease melanoma personally or simply moved by Hannah’s story, which I might say you would have to have rocks in your heart not to be! A huge thank you to everyone I’ve met and those I haven’t met who have contributed to ride4acure. I’ve been able to both prepare and do this ride because I stand on the shoulders of many who have given me a generous  hand…..so thank you…..Blessings to all.

Joe (looking totally spunky!), me, Ez and Issa at Kilmore Children's First Farm.

We left the Children’s First Foundation (Moira Kelly’s) farm at about 8.15 am and I have to say I felt a little sad leaving. I absolutely loved being there and meeting the incredible crew that live there. Joe had a ball playing witih two other young kids there Issa and Asha from Africa, the three of them teamed up and did laps around the farmhouse on the verandah about a gazillion times! Joe enjoyed being with young people after 6 weeks of adults! I left the farm feeling like I’d known everyone for much longer than a mere 48 hours!

The three muskateers; Joe, Issa and Asha on their bikes!

Friends….:-))

Esther and Asha “New Best Friends”

Issa and Asha went off to bed earlish and we had a delightful evening playing around with facebook stuff with the older young people, swapping ‘friends’ with each other.  Ahmed ( finishing year 10),who is hoping to train for 2012 paralympics in swimming, and with his truckload of determination and focus we can definately see him fulfiling his dream. Maria is also just finishing Year 10 this week and we all felt like we’d known her for ever. Slipped very easily into enjoying each others company. There were two other young men Christian who has a wicked sense of humour and a love of music and Joynta who we didn’t see so much of. The Gaurdians Sally and Pat were fantastic and a constant stream of volunteers who help keep things ticking over. We the bike crew feel blessed to have been so welcomed and well fed over the couple of days….

Have arrived in Gisborne….am staying at a small farm on the edge of town with friends of my sisters.  The caravan is nestled amongst some beautiful roses and trees. Am just about to go get some Chinese for dinner, then Margie Wood from Peter Mac is calling in for a yarn and catch up then into bed for a well earned sleep after pedalling across the Macedon Ranges today. Hill after hill rolled out before me, and it seem like all I did was climb most of the way, averaged a little over 14kms per hour! Felt like my tyres were full of cement-pressure was good, road surface pretty ordinary, but all grist for the mill eh! . No shoulder practically on the road and plenty of very fast, speeding traffic. I much prefer to ride on the highways with a good shoulder than narrow country roads.

Well I am humbled to be here tonight at Moira Kelly’s Farm out of Kilmore.  Moira is the gaurdian of the two little girls Trishna and Krishna who have been surgically seperated in Melbourne at the Children’s Hospital. This farm is home for kids from all around the world who have needed life saving surgery that wasn’t available in their own homelands. Sam, Esther, Joe and I shared dinner with half a dozen of the young people that call this home, plus Sally and Ariana who both work here. This farm is made possible by Rotary and out the front of the farm there are both the Australian flag and the Rotary flag flying proudly. Today a team of 8 camels that set out from Alice springs over a year ago on a fundraising mission to raise money for Children’s First Foundation (Moira Kelly’s charity) arrived in Melbourne and over 100 people walked through the city with the camel crew to the Royal Childrens Hospital.

My day was very challenging and exciting. while i was in the shower this morning at about 7am a lady called Helen, in the next cubicle started chatting to me, we ended up having a yarnabout what I was doing and she very kindly made a $20 donation to ride4acure. I have met so many generous people on the ride. Reinforcing my belief that most people are generous and good.   I left Seymour at 10am in the hope that the ‘downpour’ would ease, which it did briefly, but resumed with full force by 11ish. Torrential rain, gusty head winds, freezing cold temperatures. I had just over 50kms to travel today, and the last 20 of it took me nearly 2 hours it was so wet and windy. I was thoroughly drenched, my shoes gushing water each time i turned the pedals! I was soaked to the skin and freezing cold.  This is so amazing after the weeks of extremely hot weather. Just yesterday was 40 degrees! Today Melbourne had a months rainfall in 24 hours!

Esther rejoined me today driving from Wagga this morning after the Harden Races yesterday which was a great day for ride4acure with a fundraiser happening throughout the day promoted by two jockeys Mark Webber and Ben Duggan (many thanks to both these very generous men for their help in organising the raffles, signed sild of Nash Rawille framed), this raffle is going to run for a few more weeks and will now go onto Gundagai Rodeo next weekend with Esther who will be riding there on Lena (Hannah’s barrel racing mare).

Esther met up with me just as I rode into Broadford, that’s where I left the Hume Highway to head toward Kilmore. We stopped at a gourmet pie shop called Molly Mae’s and I had a curry pie, lemon tart and a coffee! I was freezing,dripping wet and ravenous!  the ladies were terrific and let me sit inside to eat, they also made a donation to ride4acure. Esther had bought a couple of newspapers from both Wagga and Port Macquarie with great write ups about ride4aure andMark and Ben’s fundraising at  the Harden Cup. Will let you know how much money was raised when we have a count up and do the banking tomorrow!

Sam has gone back to work at Taradale where he is training horses. He was reluctant to go as he’s had a fantastic week with us, and I will dearly miss him. We get on really well and are kindred spirits in many ways. Joe will miss Sam’s monopoly playing skills, they’ve had a few marathon games that have gone on for more than 4 hours!

My week is pretty full with -Monday I’m here in Kilmore, then Tuesday riding to Gisborne (which is where Hannah is buried),then Wednesday doing  “Mela-What?” presentation at Staughton college (high school) at Melton, then Thursday riding in very early to be at Peter Mac by 11am. Will ride into the city and down St Andrew’s place to arrive at Peter Mac by 11 (all going well!)

The heat, the heat but glory, glory it’s now raining gently….maybe this’ll break this heatwaves back!  At about 3pm ish we had a massive gusty wind session for half an hour (woke me up from my arvo sleep!) it has been so hot, and that statement is coming from a Northerner!

trying to take photo's of self, this was up a steep pull, with mega trucks attempt 10 at actually getting a vehicle in the shot!

We’re camped on the banks of the Goulburn River and Joe is keen for a fish tomorrow at the Goulburn River Top Tourist Caravan park, who the owners have very generously donated two nights site fee to ride4acure. The Top Tourist Van Parks have been awesome, no hesitation at any of them to donating site fees. I’m humbled.

Had a brilliant bike ride again averaged 18kms per hour on the huge undulating hills in places between Euroa and Seymour, after the last three days of riding on the flat it was great to have a few hills! Never thought I’d be saying that eh!  I  left Euroa at 6am pre sunrise and it was hot then! Kim Honan from Mid North Coast ABC rang in for a live interview just before 7am! It was fantastic to hear a voice from home. Kim was the first journo to interview me on radio about ride4acureack in Kempsey at our Celebrate the Macleay Field Day.  I’m feeling seasoned now though  having had about a dozen interviews on radio. The Wagga Wagga newspaper has ran a great story on ride4acure and Harden Cup, also the Wangaratta Chronicle has ran an article to today.

on track for Seymour

I got here had lunch time (had many ‘phone stops’ today, with about ten calls while I was riding, each of which I had to stop riding to take)  and had a sleep for over nearly three hours in the sweltering heat!  I didn’t realise I was so tired, it has been hot here of a night and daylight til 9pm so I haven’t been going to sleep til 10.30 then getting up at 4.30-5am each day.  Whilst I was having my sojourn this arvo, Young Sam took a couple of very unglamourous shots of me sleeping sprawled out with a wet facewasher on my head!   Joe let the cat out of the bag when I woke up, I quickly deleted evidence of my inglory much to the humour of the boys!

Joe is cooking dinner tonight we have nachos on the menu!

I am a happy little cyclist. I hopped on my “Scottie” at East Benalla and hit the road at 6am with weather predictions of 40 degrees plus and hot westerly winds. I was in Euroa having cycled 65kms from the East side of  Benalla by 11.30am (I did stop for a morning tea break at Violet Town at 8.30am and enjoyed a toasted egg and bacon sanger and a flat white! Yum:-))) then down the Hume to Euroa.

the road today, violet town for morning tea yummo!

horse capital of Victoria!

The road was perfect for cycling and I really enjoyed the ride. Heaps of truckies tooting me today. Was on the radio again with Riverina ABC, they’ve been giving me loads of coverage. A lot of interest is building about the Harden Cup this Saturday and fundraising for ride4acure.

HARDEN CUP ride4acure FUNDRAISER THIS SATURDAY 21ST NOV.  Mark Webber and Ben Duggan will both be riding at Harden Cup this Saturday and also fundraising for ride4acure.  Mark Webber is currently leading the NSW amatuer/approved riders premiership & Ben Duggan coming second.   They have put together a fund raiser for the ride4acure-Hannah Rose Melanoma Research Fund.  They have got a pair of raceday silks worn by Nash Rawiller one of Sydney’s leading Jockey’s & stable rider for the Gai Waterhouse team. Nash wore these silks when he won his 21st group 1 aboard “More Joyous”. Mark & Ben have travelled the NSW picnic curcuit as far as Garah in the north to Lochart in the south,out to Come By Chance in the West.  Both Mark and Ben live on the Mid North Coast and are great mates on & off the track. The picnic’s consist of about 30 meetings per year & with more support they are growing bigger all the time. Its great to be able to put on a day like at Harden for such a great charity. Over the last 9 weeks alone Mark and Ben have chalked up over 10,000 kms and have ridden 20 winners between them.  Its such great atmosphere at these race meetings as its a once a year annual event for the towns & the people love flocking to them.  Mark & Ben are also putting together a few pictures to be viewed on their facebook accounts for anyone that misses out on the fun, & towards the end of the season next year will be making a small documentary on their experience over the last year. It would be great if a lot other clubs would put forward a picnic meeting once a year . Mark and Ben have said that  fundraising that they are doing for ride4acure has really lifted their spirits & they both think they will make it an annual  event, especially around the summer months as people should be very aware of the risks the sun has on us & how dangerous Melanoma can be.

Esther will be at the Harden Cup selling ride4acure merchandise and raffling a Parramatta Eels signed jumper, which is being hand delivered by a couple of the top players! A huge thank you to Mark Morrison for his support here (Morrow is Hannah’s old St Paul’s Senior Girls Rugby coach). My sister Veronica will be going with Esther to lend a hand. I’ll be pedalling down here in Victoria! Apparently we’re in for a cool change on the weekend and a little moisture!

Three of my sisters are coming to visit on Sunday arvo when I’m at Kilmore! Will be good to see them. Sam leaves and Esther takes over the ute  wheel for the last week. I’m amazed how I’m now looking down the barrell of the last week of this ride so soon….30 days has gone in a blink, but when I look at the map and see how far I’ve ridden I think quietly to myself,  “Good Job Mauz!”

I have ridden from Wangaratta leisurely to Benalla down the old Sydney Road and it was fantastic. Rode past a heap of cherry farms with trees bowing down with almost ripe fruit. Was surprised to find that Wangaratta has a “Big Cherry”….

Awesome country full of ripening cherries-this is the Big Cherry out of Wangaratta

 Really could feel the spirit of the legends in the hills….all day riding through Kelly Country and loving it.

Ann Jones' pub where it all happened for Ned at the end.

The Legendary Ned Kelly's Last Stand at Glenrowan

 Was a hot day again, and they reckon tomorrow will tip 40 degrees here so am on the road at 5.30am for Euroa which is a little over 50kms from here.

When I arrived here at 1.30 I simply hopped off my bike and walked straight into the caravan swimming pool fully clothed (other than removing my shoes & socks and phone!) just dived in to the surprise of a couple of young touristy men sitting on the side of the pool!

Had my niece Carley Anderson(on the Matthews side) and her friend Amy come for dinner tonight (and very generously dropped off my computer cord that got accidently left behind in Wangaratta!) oops:-))

I want to thank all the people who are emailing and commenting on the blog, it is fantastic to have so many well wishers messages, they help keep me strong and focused, the road smoother and the hills less steep! Well am off to bed, early start tomorrow!

Melbourne in my sites and on my radar now!

Have been in Wangaratta for a couple of days, riding in on Sunday arvo in the extreme heat from North Albury. Yesterday I visited two high schools here Galen College and also Wangaratta High School, speaking to about 400 young people. Last night I was guest speaker at the Wangaratta Rotary Club and the ride4acure message has been very well received everywhere. This week it is National Skin Cancer Awareness Week, so it is very apt to be speaking to as many people as possible.

At the schools I’m sharing a presentation I’ve created that I call “Mela-What?” which is about Hannah’s journey with melanoma, current statistics, impact of UV radiation and skin cell damage and sunsafe practices. This is a potent message that helps young people make the  connection between sunsafe practices and skin cancer prevention. I can literally see kids joining the dots and making sense of things when they see that this disease effects kids just like them.

Am off to Benalla early tomorrow 50 0dd kms before the heat sets in. The temps hav ebeen consistantly above 35 and close to 40 degrees ever since I left Liverpool a few weeks ago.

Only 9 days to go til I arrive in Melbourne at Peter Mac on Thursday November 26th- there will be a reception at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne at 11am. I’m hoping that plenty of friends and family will be there to Celebrate and welcome me at the end of this ride!

Joe has had a couple of days at Narrandera with his Auntie Veronica, fishing & swimming in the beautiful Murrumbidgee, he also went to school with Veronica’s step son Luke at Narrandera Public School for the day yesterday and he had heaps of fun. He’s on his way here to Wangaratta tonight with his cousin Lizzie (Sam’s sister).

We’re off to Benalla in the morning, then Euroa and then Seymour. Am really enjoying the riding here in Victoria, such beautiful fertile country. Awe striking beauty.

beautiful Victorian countryside....

Hey Gan...on the road again and lovin' it!

Had a brilliant camp at Albury North-Laverton at the Top Tourist Caravan Park again donated generously to ride4acure.  Sam had gone ahead and set up camp and I’d thought I knew where I was going but ended up going the wrong direction off the highway and put in an extra 8 kilometres finding the caravan park! It was so good to get off my bike and into the swimming pool! Hot, hot, hot!  Then had a big sleep for a couple of hours in the shade and then played cards with Sam. Ah the good life eh.

early morning shadow!

Got up at 4.45am and hit the road at 5.30am today to try and get to Wangaratta before it was too hot (which was abou 10am!) rode 75kms but only averaged 17kms per hour. Was a fair few long slow climbs, hot, flies etc, etc. Almost four hours of riding time plus stops.It was awesome crossing the Murray River at sunrise, and also riding my bike into Victoria! Woo Hoo!

riding interstate today!

The country is stunning, with again so much activity happening with harvesting and haymaking.

We’re staying at my Sandi Anderson (Hannah & Esther’s auntie’s home in Wang with her hubby Mick and Carley). And we’re sleeping in the house for the two nights with air conditioning!

Today the road was frequently long and straight with a slight climb as I head nearer to the Great Divide again. I am loving the riding and travelling across this incredible country we live in. And this is country I know. The road between Kempsey and Melbourne is one I know even better now. Had a lovely man Ken, who is an ex truckie stop today at morning tea camp at the Chiltern truck stop and make a donation of $10. Many, many people have done this and it’s awesome. Everyone has a story to tell of their own and doing a ride like this becomes an opportunity to be a ‘conduit’ for those stories.

Am off to two schools tomorrow Galen College in the morning,then Wangaratta High School after lunch. Also chasing up some media coverage and finalising arrangements for other commitments over the rest of the trip.