100km ride?....Easy

The Rock Riders NT hit the road again as a group on the 12^th May and some of us were ready to tackle a 100Km ride.... training remains pretty low key at the moment as the mornings are bitterly cold however we never get sick of the beautiful sunrises we witness out here in God’s country... Each of us had a Challenge and this time for some of us it was Ride from Yulara out to Kata Tjuta, have a rest and Ride back Approx 100km... Jen Clarke’s Challenge was to Ride out there with Mandy. Ben was keen to get over the 100km mark as was Roger, Leon and myself while Matt was just keen to ride on his new bike with new shoes and new shirt.

The every reliable Road Crew...well Adrian, was there to drive out and support all of us, drinks in the car and he was also carrying our special training food....”Allen’s Red Frogs”. Adrian was going to stop at the 25km mark for us to take on water and a snack and also had the bike rack on the back if any of us got into trouble....and to bring Mandy and Jen back when they reached Walpa Gorge

8:00 was the meet time at the bus stop out the front of the camp ground...at 4am a text came through from Ben saying he had a meeting at 10:00 and was heading out now.......Mandy and Jen hit the road at 7:30 to get a head start on the guys......As the clock ticked over to 8:00 Roger, Leon, Matt and I headed out looking every bit the professional Cyclists we are.....or the New term I just learnt; MAMIL’s (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) which is probably a better description for us.......

The first 10 Kms went well, averaging 27kph and all of us were pretty comfortable in the saddle and had a good rhythm ride as 4....We turned right at the intersection of the Lasseter Hwy and the Red centre way (road to the rock) and came across Ben just returning from his ride out and back, the poor guy was freezing he looked like he’d just stepped out of the cool room at the Outy! The wind was blowing the sun just starting to shine...we didn’t have time to stop, a wave and a “g’day” and Ben was behind us.....

We were all riding well as a group, taking turns leading for a couple of kms each and then slipping back to the end of the group, this was making the ride easy and we were recording good speeds of 31-34kph and feeling good.....then what Roger and I had been waiting for happened....Matt went to the front of the group and kept going...we caught up with him and stayed with him as our speed started to nudge 36kph and I thought “Bloody Freak” we’ll never keep up with him.....and then Roger went to the front and I followed along with Leon as Matt shuffled to the back, order was restored and a more gentle speed returned....but Matt kept falling behind and after a couple of bends was out of sight.........

At the 25km mark Adrian was parked on the road side and we stopped and refilled our water and Powerade and grabbed handfuls of Red Frogs...”The official food for MAMIL’s”....Then Matt came around the bend complaining that his bike was not working correctly....After a quick inspection we discovered his front wheel was not in the forks properly and was very loose...Problem sorted, his gears were slipping badly, Roger finetuned the gears and he was ready to go again.....Adrian advised us Mandy and Jen were making great time and were probably 8kms ahead of us and riding well...

The Next 20kms flew by averaging speeds in excess of 36kms, but unfortunately Matt could not keep up, we kept an eye on him for a while but he just slowly dropped away into the distance (we didn’t slow down and wait as we have a rule that everyone rides to their own ability) and then we hit this thing called head wind that dropped our speed to under 20 for large sections of the final 8 or 9 kms... and slowly rode into the car park of Walpa Gorge and waiting for us were Mandy, Jen and Adrian.....we all had a bit of a rest, re filled our water and hooked into more Red Frogs, bananas, Snakes and other goodies. We hung around for about 20 mins waiting for Matt, but figured he was probably waiting somewhere on the roadside for Adrian to collect him and got ready to head back

A group photo was taken and then we were off on the return journey, about 5 Kms into the return trip and we were cursing the wind, we may have been averaging 36kms a while ago but we were now struggling to get above 22kms now and the thought of riding another 45kms like this was not one of great Joy....Adrian, Mandy and Jen drove past us with the girls bikes on the back rack...I was thinking there was room for another bike on that rack as they drove into the distance...but then thought when they found Matt it would be the place for his bike. So, head Down and dig in boys and we continued to ride in a close group battling the wind.......

At about the 70kms mark an Uluru Express Bus pulled up beside us and the driver was waving at us and pointing to the back of the bus...we thought he was joking and saying ...“get on boys”... but what he was saying was... “I have one of your team on here”... and there was Matt sitting in the back seat with his bike, He had ridden to Valley of the winds car park and was waiting for us, we were at Walpa Gorge waiting for him.....He was cramping bad and it was game over for Matt and off the bus and Matt drove into the distance......Leon made comment “We should have got on the bus” and at this stage he was right.......so we pulled up and had a quick break

85Kms and we started looking ahead to see where Adrian was...no sign of him and we thought he must have taken the girls back home and would come out for us to refill our drinks.......we had another stop stretched and rubbed our calves as we were all starting to cramp up now.......no Adrian so off we went again.......at 95 Kms stopped again for a breather.... we were all struggling at this stage and still no sign of Adrian.........We turned onto the home Hwy and suddenly we found our groove again and the speeds picked back up and we cruised into town averaging our normal 27kph...

All glad we had completed our trip, apart from Matt, a couple of celebratory beers and a good afternoon on the couch made for a great day....ready for a night with Elliot Goblet at the res club later on......

So now our next challenge will be to back that ride up....two days in a row

So far we have raised just over $25,000.....A big thank you to all who have supported us so far, we still have 4.5 months to go and the new target of near on $40,000 is well and truly in reach!

"Somewhere over the rainbow"

Ok, we haven’t posted for a while, but that doesn’t mean we have put the cue in the rack and stopped........The weather has taken a turn and instead of nice mornings of 17-20C and beautiful sunrises we are now greeted with 6C and darkness, which isn’t very motivating to get out of a warm bed to go for a bike ride.......Afternoons for some, weekend rides and wind trainers are now the training times and styles of choice with each member of the Rock Riders doing their own thing.

The Fundraising has been amazing, as a team we have now raised just over $21,000 which is incredible considering where we live and that we still have 6 months still to go before the ride! Every month we hold a Sausage sizzle in town square (just like you see at Bunning’s...LOL) and at the last two sizzles we have cleared just over $1,800 in sales.....that’s a lot of snags!

The Rock Riders NT now total 9, with another cycling convert in Alex Earl joining us after purchasing a road bike and deciding he wanted to do the ride as well....we hope we can grow our membership into double figures soon

Last weekend, we were in Alice Springs for a family visit and decided to take our bikes along.....plan was to go for a nice ride on Sunday morning, nothing strenuous, along the Simpson Gap bike track....A nice track specifically made for bike riders and walkers to go from Larapinta Rd (Flynn’s Grave) to Simpsons gap, a ride of approx 17Kms one way, 34 return. Over coffee and breakfast on Sunday, before the ride, with some friends we discussed the ride to Simpsons gap and decided we could do a more interesting ride the following day to a place called Rainbow Valley. Our friends got very interested and decided they would ride with us and we would make a day of it, pack a lunch etc and so it was...No ride today, but tomorrow it was on.

We stocked up on drinks and energy bars and decided not to make sandwiches due to the fact when we finished we would have lunch at Stuarts Well before driving home to Yulara. About 11pm Sunday night I received a text stating...There  was a slight discrepancy regarding the distance into Rainbow Valley...instead of the 13-15km ride into the valley it was more like 23kms...a 46 Km round trip, which our friends didn’t believe they were up to and that they would catch up with us for a ride sometime in the future....oh well, just Mandy and I off to explore a new part of the Territory where we had not been as yet.

9:30 am Monday morning we left Alice Springs and headed south down the Stuart Hwy and just short of Stuarts Well (Jims Place)was a turn off to Rainbow Valley. The big sign stated “4WD Recommended” not to be deterred we drove in the gate and up the track for 2kms and parked...we drove in 2 Kms as we didn’t want to leave our car on the side of the Hwy, it might not have been there when we got back....at 10:30 am we were changed and bikes assembled out of the car and 5 drink bottles on board for what we thought would be an enjoyable ride with new scenery......8 kms into the ride Mandy made the comment “it’s a nice ride, we must have completed about 3kms?” I informed her we had just completed 8 Kms and that we would be there in no time as the track, although corrugated was firm and pretty good going......at about 10kms in there were road signs advising to take caution...and here’s where the sand started....average speed of 23-25kph dropped to 12-13kph and it was a hard slog...temperature was about 29C and a still day.......

15kms into the ride and the heat, the sand, the corrugations and dust flying in the air as tourist cars went past was turning the enjoyable ride into a bit of a bugger of a ride with no end in sight....we did not have an accurate distance to begin with and just thought...”It can’t be that far”



At about the 20km mark, I got a glimpse of what I hoped was the “Rainbow valley” and so it was...When we got there we agreed it was worth the ride, we sat had some water, a few red frogs (lollies) and some melted chocolate energy bars before willing ourselves to head back. The 24kms had taken us 2hrs 15 mins......we still had to ride back to the car, in the midday heat before driving back to Yulara...not a very well planned trip by us.....Severely underestimated the ride or was it over estimating our ability....?.

Upward and onward.. and off we went...we agreed that I would ride ahead and when I got to the car I would drive back and meet Mandy somewhere along the track.....the day got longer, hotter, dustier and I don’t know how but the sand softer....just over 2hrs later I was at the car...absolutely spent and only an inch of warm water left in my drink bottles....I could not see Mandy anywhere and made quick time of getting my bike in the car and opening a can of Pepsi and a bottle of water from the back of the car and off I went to find Mandy....14kms ,..... Yes 14 Kms down the track I came across Mandy sitting under a tree in the shade, when I pulled up she informed me it was quite nice sitting in the shade with a slight breeze and that she could doze off very easily if she wanted to..............

So...If you want a nice Sunday ride with breath taking scenery and live in the Alice Springs area....I thoroughly recommend you ride Simpsons Gap bike track!  If on the other hand you want to work your butt off, shake every body part you have to near breaking, get sunburnt and eat heaps of dust.......ride Rainbow Valley!

Pizza's, BBQ's and Merchandise

25^th March, the day after our ride to Curtin Springs and we all headed to the residents club for the Family Fun day to celebrate the opening of the wood fired Pizza oven and launch our merchandise

The new Stubby Holders were a big hit and at $10.00 each they are an absolute Bargain

The Caps are popular and the shirts have steady sales

Our major Sponsor/Supporter, Uluru Express and Uluru Motor cycle Tours had purchased a new trike and gave us the opportunity to raffle the first tour for two on this fine piece of machinery around the rock. Kings Canyon resort chipped in with accommodation in a spa suit, Avis assisted getting to Kings Canyon by providing a Hire car as a prize and the ever reliable Camel Farm supplied a Camel tour for two which could be a standard Sunrise/Sunset tour OR a trip via camel to Arnguli Grill for a Dinner prize.  

A huge Thank you must go to all these fantastic donations and companies who continue to assist and allow us to raise money while providing something worthwhile for the hard earned coin being handed over.

At the end of the day we had taken $875 profit from raffles, donations and merchandise had a few cold Beers, some Great Pizzas and caught up with friends and supporters.  Thanks to all “Yularians” who turned up for a great day and to the Res Club staff for allowing us to utilise their Family day function to sell our wares and plug our cause.

A very special mention must go to "Olivia Rose" who presented us with a tin of money she had been collecting (I think the family Swear Jar). On the top of her tin was written "This Money is going to help the sick people get the right medicine to make them better". We purchased a new tin for Olivia and Mandy gave it to her at Child Care this week. A very heart felt gesture indeed.

7^th April, Easter Saturday, and we were hard at it again, cooking up a storm at the Yulara Town Square markets. A big turn out from the team and the day was looking like it was going to be a cracker with the numbers of guests in the resort and our newest team member Jen ready to get amongst it.

Collected the Bread at 9:00am from the bakery in Sails, only to find it was baked yesterday and FROZEN....Exec Chef to the rescue finding 10 loaves to get us started.

9:15 heading into the IGA to collect Sausages and 5kg of sliced Onions....Sausages collected and the onions where supplied whole....Someone from the team was going to have to start slicing onions quickly......Enter Leon....Followed by Mandy, Great job guys, not something anyone would really want to do on a Saturday morning, peel and slice 5kgs of raw onions.

BBQ was supplied with.....an empty gas Bottle, this was fine as we had time to sort out the onions and get everything ready while a new bottle was located and delivered and at 10:00am we were into it, sausages sizzling, Drinks on ice, Onions frying and Merchandise on display.

By 11:00 the supply of Sausages for the day had been sold and we went looking for more, IGA to the rescue again...by 12:00 the second box of sausages were gone....IGA to the rescue again, this time with beef Burgers.....1:00 pm no more burgers or sausages to be had.

A great day was had where the entire team worked as a well oiled unit collecting $1065.70 from BBQ, Merchandise and Donations and a profit of $961.95 after expenses were taken.

The Yulara Post office ran a program where they would donate $1.00 from every post box renewal fee during the month of March. A very kind donation from the post Office of $300 was handed to the team which is a great effort.

We, the Rock Riders NT Team, cannot believe how much support  we receive from our small community which makes each and every training ride that little bit easier, we will be extremely proud when we head to Perth for the ride knowing we will be representing a whole Yulara township.

As it stands today the Rock Riders NT are 4^th overall in the Team Fundraising for the Perth ride out of approx 140 teams having a total of about $18,000 raised.....”Go you good things”

Curtin Springs Super Ride

And so, it was Finally here, the day all of the Rock Riders had been setting themselves for, our first “Big Ride”,  a test to gauge where we are at, Saturday morning 24^th March 6:00am, gathering at Rock Riders HQ (Pearce Residence) to set off for Curtin Springs...85+ Kms away

Ben, Roger, Leon, Mandy and I were all pumped and eager to go, our support driver Adrian was there as was Jenn who would follow later to collect us at Curtin Springs......Jenn was the luckiest Girl in Yulara, seeing so many fine athletic specimens in Lycra so early on a Saturday Morning was a site to behold....a Brisk 15c was the temperature outside...we were all ready and waiting for 6:30am, Matt would not be with us today as he extended his Honeymoon ...and no one had heard from Christian but we would wait until the 6:30 start time before we would leave without him.

6:25am, outside in the driveway, lights on, helmets on, iPods in, no sign of Christian.......Go!  And off we went, albeit casually, out of the resort, right onto the highway and into the dawn breaking Central Australian wilderness along the Lasseter Hwy towards Curtin Springs, where Steak sandwiches and beer awaited us.........15 degrees and a slight cross breeze...why didn’t I wear long sleeves and Skins?

It didn’t take long for the five of us to spread out and settle into our own pace and “comfort” zones with Roger and I doing our normal ride, followed by Leon on his “29er” mountain bike, Ben and Mandy. This was not a ride of speed or to arrive as a group, but for us all to ride at a pace that was “comfortable” and to ensure we all arrived at the end.

15 Kms along the Hwy we commented how we had well and truly left Yulara behind and were in “uncharted waters, In the deep end"...we had not ridden past 13kms on this stretch of road previously and it was Cold, Bloody cold, with the sun still not up, The gentle cross breeze had turned into a 25km head wind and let me tell you Lycra is not warmth giving!

Adrian followed behind the riding group, with signs in the rear window stating “Idiots ahead”....I mean “Caution, Cyclists Ahead”. The car had an esky...Packed full of Cold water & Powerade, a First Aid Kit, everyone’s personal stuff for the other end and there was also a good selection of Red Frogs, Snakes, Jelly babies etc and everything we needed to complete the journey

At 25Km Roger, Leon and I pulled over when we saw Adrian approaching, filled up our drink bottles, got some sweets, and handed out some “GU” and away we went, informing Adrian we would be right for the next Hour and he could stick with the others.....

At about the 26km mark, my toes on left foot started to feel numb like they were frozen...I kept taking my foot out of the cleats to shake it around and wriggling my toes to try and fix this minor issue without stopping...at about the 60km point I had to stop, and no sign of Adrian....we pulled over and stopped, took my shoe off and walked around for a bit and the toes came good, must have had the shoes a bit too tight...we stretched a bit, had a good drink, filled up on sugar Lollies and away we went again. Adrian informed us we were about 12 Kms in front of the others...Roger and I were very keen to get to Curtin Springs, Turn around and ride back 6kms to the others and ride back into the station with them, this would have given us an even 100Km ride.

The wind was a constant pain, fully in our face the whole trip, the road seemed to be a never ending incline..we started to try reverse psychology wishing for bigger hills and stronger wind and guess what...I think we got what we asked for and more.....80Km into the ride we crossed the Cattle Grid into Curtin Springs station, on their land, cursing the head wind and hills and now we had the roughest road surface we had ridden on and decided to stop and have one last break. During this break we informed Leon his rear tire looked flat since we had left the resort....so he pumped it up with the pump he had in the car and then said it felt like a new bike, Roger stretched his back and rubbed his calf...I didn’t want to rub anything as I was sure everywhere hurt evenly and I didn’t want to play favourites with any particular aching muscle......

2kms to rest area, Curtin Springs Road house the sign said, we were almost there....then out of nowhere came a gust of wind that physically pushed all three of us across the road and very nearly knocked me off my bike....into the station we rode and pulled up on the edge of the gravel driveway...deciding If indeed we really wanted to ride back to the others, all the while watching the wind seemingly increasing....the decision was...NO, we would go and get a well deserved beer instead.

We got a Coopers each and stood at the entrance waiting for Ben and Mandy who shortly joined us.

Steak sandwiches all round and Coopers pale ale under the Bough house capped off what had been a great ride, A great day with good friends and team mates....now to start Planning our next major ride as we build up to 200km in 2 days.....Oh, Christian had a Work call out and was on duty until 4:30 am and could not make the ride....

So, Sunday we have the Family Fun Day and Fund raiser at the Residents Club where we will be raffling Harley Rides, Kings Canyon accom, Hire cars and special Dinners while selling our Merchandise....

To Ride or Not to Ride........Kata Tjuta to Yulara

Saturday morning 17^th March, Roger was in Alice Springs,  Matt and Ben were in Perth for Matt & Lucinda’s wedding, (any excuse not  to ride guys!...oh and Congrats on your wedding Matt & Lucinda) Leon was also away and Christian was working.......Mandy and I were looking at the weather deciding if it was too windy to ride, I wanted to wait and see what it was like tomorrow but Mandy convinced me “we have to learn to ride in all weather conditions”....who was I to argue

We loaded the bikes onto the car, got water supplies and off we headed to Kata Tjuta, we were not impressed with the wind as we drove out as it seemed very strong and blowing in the wrong direction for us riding back, we were both questioning our decision to not wait until tomorrow...but “onwards and upwards” as they say

At 10:30 Mandy, after a couple of happy snaps, was on her bike and off up the HWY towards Yulara, some 50 + Kms away. I got my bike off the car, IPod on; Cyclemeter started and followed Mandy about 5 minutes behind. The first few Kms I thought the ride was going to be a easy ride as I was averaging 29-30Kms per hour for the first 7 Kms....this soon dropped to low 20’s and High teens for the remained of the ride.

16Kms into the ride was the first time had could see Mandy since she left the car park, and when I did manage to catch up some tourist driving the opposite direction was trying to talk to her out his car window explaining there were camels ahead beside the road....Thanks mate...trying to ride...see plenty of camels out here.....

The wind was relentless, full on head wind 30km per hour the whole way, temperature was 34c so we were getting really impressed half way between the car and home..........

I stopped for a break at 25 Kms and waited for Mandy to arrive...when she caught up said she had been shouting  for me to stop as the camels, the ones I did not see, were running along the road beside her and would have made a great photo.......After our break about 2 Kms on a herd  of camels came onto the edge of the road, the big Bull Camel walked into the middle of the road and just stared at me while I got closer and got the camera ready...He took off into the bush with his herd before I was in range and missed another good opportunity to the Camel, the road and the Rock in the one shot......

42.5 Kms we stopped again at the Lasseter hwy and Uluru Road for a short stretch and rest....on the home straight now with only 10Kms to go and on familiar road... Of we went and it seemed like we had not been riding at all, wind behind us and a smooth road, average speeds crept up to 30km per hour and in no time we were home...ready for the Couch.....But NO, we had to drive Mandy's car back out to Kata Tjuta and pick up my car first that was still at the Walpa Gorge car park

52.79Km in total, 2:15:40 ride time and a severe Wind/Sun burn in true cyclist patterns on knees and arms...a great ride after long procrastination of “to ride or not to ride”

Now we have had two 50+Km ride under our belts, next weeks ride Yulara to Curtin springs (85kms) should be easy?

STATS

Finished Cycle: 17/03/2012 1:13:44 PM

Route: Kata Tjuta To Yulara

Google Maps URL: http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/fd0b/fdf0/4e45/44af/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20120317-1033.kml

Shortened Google Maps URL: http://j.mp/zPrIw7

Import URL: http://share.abvio.com/fd0b/fdf0/4e45/44af/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20120317-1033.kml

Ride Time: 2:15:40

Stopped Time: 25:04

Distance: 52.79 km

Average: 23.35 km/h

Fastest Speed: 40.55 km/h

Ascent: 79 meters

Descent: 164 meters

Calories: 2238

Training rides & Car Wash

Friday 9^th March, we hit the Highway again, heading north towards Alice Springs for 12.5 Kms, turning around and riding back (25km, three days per week) .....Now we have become a little more High Tech and have heart rate monitors. This new addition has created a new dimension to our training.....trying to ride one day in a High Heart rate zone, the next day in a low heart rate zone (I like these rides) and the other day we just see how we feel, or what sort of a night was had just prior

 Saturday, 10th March was scheduled for our Car Wash fund raiser, two of our team were unable to assist due to prior commitments interstate, but thanks to our friends at the NTFS (Firies) and some loyal supporters and partners of our team we managed to have two lines of cars going through at a time stopping at a washing station, chamois station before heading to be vacuumed... opened the Firies doors and washed through until just after 1pm, collecting  $1,400 profit for our efforts, or $200 each. $200 each?   Yes, our team is very close to growing by 1 more with Christian Holzfeind committing to joining us. Christian came down to wash cars with us as well, welcome aboard Christian

 Sunday, 11^th March a biggish ride was planned with Mandy, Roger, Matt and Myself...we agreed we would ride at a sensible pace, low heart rate and not worry about the time.  Route selected was out to Uluru, around the Rock, coffee and something to eat and then ride back to Yulara, 51Km approx....8:00am we hit the road,  riding at a nice easy pace keeping heart rate below 130bpm or at least around the 130 mark...until we neared the Cultural centre roundabout...we had a couple of tourist Britz vans and a bus behind us so we dug in and took off around the roundabout and off up the road the circumnavigates Uluru, my heart rate jumped to  179bpm and it took a few Kms to bring it back down to around 140 where it stayed for the remainder of the ride.  Half way around the rock, Roger thought it would be a good idea to ride out to Talinguru (Sun rise viewing area) which Matt and I enjoyed immensely...uphill with a very strong head wind...thanks Roger!!

At the Cultural centre we all sat and had our coffee, Powerade and a nice roll with Spaghetti, Bacon and Cheese...this was great food!

After we had recharged our batteries we headed off again back to Yulara this time the heart rate was well up and the average speed was increased dramatically...Riding out we were 5 minutes behind our best ride time...Back home in Yulara we were 2.5 minutes ahead of best!  A great ride covering a total of 58.9 Kms...Should have ridden around block to make it an even 60!

A big thank you to Megan, Steve, Grace, Annemarie, Miranda, Anthony, Jim, Tiana and Lucinda for Their help and hard work yesterday at the Car Wash...

Our Fund Raising has put us over $10,000 for the team with a good 6 months to go!

Team Wear, Blow outs and Merchandise

It’s been a while, Almost a month, since I last put events down for others to read and most probably laugh at.....So, here is a quick snapshot of what we have been up to, individually and as a team

We organised Polo Shirts with the Team name and Logo embroidery on them, along with our very special, kind and wonderful  Sponsors (who paid for the shirts) “Uluru Motorcycle Tours” & “Uluru Express” logos on the Sleeves...Orange is the New Black and what all the cool Kids are wearing!

Mandy and I headed to Kings Canyon on the 18^th Feb, determined to ride the Giles Track, starting from Kathleen springs....a leisurely 22kms of rocky Mountain ridge we have walked many times before... So, bright and early we unloaded the bikes from our car, put helmets on and away we went.......1.6 Km Mandy advised me, Politely, of her age and that she was not a “XXXXX” (Expletive) 18 year old stunt rider!...To which I agreed and as the going was way too tough and my bike was actually suffering from the sharp rocks and pebbles...I needed air in the tyres as they were looking in bad shape. We had walked probably 1.2 Kms of the track and turned around and managed to ride nearly all the way back to the start of the track.  We then planned a quick ride into Kathleen Springs, back out, across to Kings Creek Station for a coffee and back to the car park....about a 26km round trip. So into the springs we rode, Mozzies everywhere near the water. Turned around and headed back towards Kings Creek Station

When we got back to the car, my tyre was getting very Flat and to be honest it was struggling to hold up my Athletic Body.......

I tried inflating the Tyre a little, only to have the valve burst and any air that was in the tube escaped and it was now completely flat!

Needless to say the rest of the Bike ride weekend was a non event...due to the fact I had taken my spare tubes out of my bike saddle pouch and replaced with first aid supplies the previous week when we rode the Sedimentaries...and the tubes were in my back pack....which was at home on the kitchen table.....D’OH!   Blow out number 1

Sunday night, 26^th Feb, the Rock Riders met at the residents club for dinner to discuss training and fund raiser ideas and to get a team Photo. We have plenty of Ideas and some will go into play in the coming weeks...We have a car wash on the 10^th March, a raffle on the 24^th March with great prizes, a BBQ and Merchandise sale at Easter. We have also set the date for our first “Big” group ride, planned for the 25^th March where we will ride to Curtin Springs....88km up the Lasseter highway...naturally when we get there we will have to replenish the Fluids.......Steak Sandwich and cold beer will definitely be the order of the day!

Saturday 3^rd March, Roger decided he would get ready for our “big” ride and get some Km’s into his pedals and headed off for a ride out to the rock and back...a 51Km ride...this took Roger over 2.5 hours and he covered 66Kms.......How does a 51 km ride turn into a 66km ride I hear you ask?.... well all you do is have breakfast/Coffee with your wife and family after you have made it to the Rock and done a lap around it...you then head off and receive a phone call from your wife....ride back to where you left her at the cultural centre at the Rock and......Change her flat car tyre........before continuing on his way back to the resort.......Blow out number 2

Ben and Leon have also been hitting the Rock for their training rides, trying to break Land speed records in the process. What we used to cover, a 14.83km dirt track loop from the Cultural centre to the base of the Rock, around it and back in 47-50 mins Ben and Leon are completing in 33mins....Must be those Bloody “29ers”...Great work, Power riding, by the boys, I only hope they are up to the 88kms on the road and are not worn out 20kms up the Hwy.

Monday 5^th March, Mandy was back into full training after a few days off, riding out to work (Yulara to the UKNP head Quarters..19kms there and 19kms back...while carrying a backpack with her work clothes, boots and lunch. Mandy Smashed her top speed to record 46km per hour.....When Mandy had reached town and due to local speed limits slowed down to about 18kms and was passing the Sails in the desert hotel she was confronted by a 65 seater Coach that failed to stop at the ring road/driveway intersection. Correctly Mandy decided the Bus was bigger than her and ditched the bike and her into the dirt beside the roadway while the bus fully loaded with Sounds of Silence guests continued on happily....Hit and run some might call it......Blow out number 3

During upcoming markets in Yulara over Easter we will be cooking a BBQ and selling our Merchandise;.....T-Shirts, Caps, Stubby Holders and Pens... and hopefully after this we will have enough funds raised to give the good people of Yulara a break from our continual donation requests.....For a while

6 Riders, $2,500 each required, a total of $15,000...Currently as a team we have $7,725, just passed half way....