CSC (my employer) became involved in Tour de Cure not long before the tour began, so the other CSC Vic BUG people and I had a week before the Melbourne launch to take up the opportunity to do a day’s ride with the Tour de Cure.
It was obvious to me that the Tour de Cure riders had been planning and training for the ride for months, and had been serious about arranging the significant corporate sponsorship and their individual donations. I was left pleased to be representing one of the significant corporate sponsors - CSC, but conscious that I hadn’t had to work on that part of the overall effort like the others, which is important for something like cancer that tends to touch so many of us when we least expect it.
So this is about my impressions of the way it worked - not so much the history of the day which was blogged by someone else right after the finish of the day’s ride.
The organization was superb. Geoff on the road had safety and efficiency working really well, and Sam at all the stops had the arrangements and our movements planned. She had a great roster for the teams of riders at the end of each day, that seemed to give small but necessary tasks out for the smooth running of each overnight stop. The food from the mobile catering truck (Canadian Kitchens) was more than plentiful, tasty and highly nutritious. The porridge at the first of the two(!) breakfasts for the day was excellent, and the beef, beans and rice at lunch was also great!
The bike mechanics (Alex and Tricky Ricky) from King of the Mountain Cyclery were amazing. I had turned up on one of my sons’ old Cadex road bike, and they gave it a check before I rode for the day. Their quick comment about the need for adjustment of handlebars and not needing to raise the seat were proved absolutely correct and left me comfortable and not sore at all at the end of the day. When I had a problem with my front derailleur, Alex’s diagnosis took less a second or two, and his adjustment took under a minute. I could have done the same at home myself and maybe not got it right after an hour’s fiddling! When people had flats they were fixed in a couple of minutes, and the two mechanics “towed” the rider back to the bunch whilst we slowed to maybe 20km/h. When Jack (my 15yo son, who was filling the 2nd CSC spot on the day) started to tire late in the ride they towed him back to the bunch a couple of times too. They were changing tyres for some others, and the occasional slowing for them to rejoin was never irritating - just a reasonable rest, and all the easier to chat to the other riders. This support from the King of the Mountain Cyclery mechanics was something that made the whole ride just work properly.
We cycled at a reasonably quick average pace - about 30 to 32 km/h on the bike computer average whilst moving, but quite often over 40 for some sections on the mostly flat terrain in the Latrobe Valley. For safety we needed to stay together as a group, and pushed on together in the afternoon as the Tour de Cure had a media appointment to keep on arrival in Traralgon. And media is important, when a focus of the event is fundraising.
I had not done a lot of bunch riding before and was impressed with the attention and correctness displayed by the group in communicating with hand signals and a small number of arranged shouted warnings to ensure safety. Many of those from Sydney had been doing extensive training for the tour - several averaging 500-600km/week for the couple of months leading up to the tour. I ride either 30 or 40 km each way to work most days, but feel I would want to do a few more longer rides in the lead up if doing the full distance.
It was a good experience for the day, and we would like to have stayed for the evening’s Cateogry Jersey presentation and dinner, but had to catch a train back to Melbourne. As Jack commented on the way home, “Everyone there was just so nice to be around”. I’d think that knowing about this level of support and structure would make people compete to be involved in the future.
My dad (who did a couple of Around the Bay rides with me) died of cancer in early 2006, my father-in-law found he had prostate cancer a couple of months ago, and I went to a funeral on the Friday afternoon of the ride (day 5) for my next door neighbour Lou, a really nice old guy who lost his battle to cancer the previous weekend.
I don’t think I am special in how cancer has touched me though, having seen the enthusiasm on Tour de Cure. It’s not just some people out for an adventure - they are working at doing something good too…and finding a cure!
If you would like to make a donation to help this great cause please click on the link below. They are trying to reach $550,000 to go towards helping…
Men with cancer via the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia
Funds from Tour de Cure in 2008 will enable the convenor of each of the 73 Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia support groups, and their carer, to attend PCFA’s inaugural national conference “Supporting Quality of Life for Men with Prostate Cancer” to be held on the Gold Coast over the 16th and 17th of November 2008. This conference will NOW bring together representatives of PCFA support groups from across Australia for the very FIRST TIME with some of the world’s most respected authorities on the disease. It was Tour de Cure’s 2007 donation that funded the national conference initiative. The initiative aims to create a forum of learning and education that will further work to find a cure.
Women with cancer via the National Breast Cancer Foundation
Money raised by the 2008 Tour de Cure is going towards sponsoring the ‘Easie Evie’ Robot throughout 2009. The ‘Easie Evie’ Robot can do in one hour what use to take 10 scientists two weeks and is the latest in breast tissue research and analysis. Through this the NBCF aims to identify better methods of detection and improved treatments for breast cancer sufferers, to improve survival rates and ultimately to work towards finding a cure for breast cancer.
Children with cancer via Camp Quality
A National Camp!!
The funds raised from the 2008 Tour de Cure will go towards the creation and implementation of a National Camp for children and their companions suffering with cancer.
This Camp will see children from all across Australia come together to experience the time of their lives! The destination for the 2009 Tour de Cure National Camp is a big secret!
The last national Camp was held in December 2006 and delivered laughter to
411 children and their companions.
CSC and Tour de Cure are on the rode to finding a cure for cancer!
cheers, Andrew Lavery (CSC Corporate Rider)
