Pollie Pedal
I am riding in the Pollie Pedal and would like your financial support to sponsor my ride. Pollie Pedal 2008 (a long-distance bicycle ride) will begin in Melbourne on 31 March and finish on 8 April at the Westmead Millennium Institute.
Money raised by Pollie Pedal 2008 will go to the Westmead Millennium Institute for a prostate cancer research laboratory in their new building.
To sponsor my ride, please visit my fund raising page. Any amount is welcome. Thank you for your support.
Tony Abbott spoke about the Pollie Pedal after a recent training session in Canberra.
© Danny Haynes
Simon, 9 April 2008, 11:20:
How’d you go Danny?
Danny Haynes, 26 April 2008, 22:22:
The Pollie Pedal was a great ride. The other cyclists were really friendly and helpful, and I learned a lot about cycling. The ride covered over 1000 kilometres in 9 days travelling from Melbourne to Sydney through Yea, Benalla, Rutherglen, Henty, Junee, Boorowa, Goulburn and Camden before finishing at Westmead Millennium Institute. The drought was obvious in Victoria and much of New South Wales. Only after Boorowa did the land show any green. I rode 700 of the 1,000 kilometres, and rode the full day on 3 of the 9 days.
I had only taken up riding in November 2007, using a hybrid bicycle (a mix of mountain and road bike). Considering my training and equipment, I knew I would not be in the ‘A’ or ‘B’ peloton. My aim was to start ahead of the other riders, then let them overtake. As the lead pelotons enjoyed their coffee, I could catch up and (hopefully) ride ahead to the next stop. If all that wasn’t enough, I was happy for my friends (Phil or Max) to pick me up in the car. While I was slower overall (as expected) I found the hills particularly tough. This could be partly due to my heavier bike and lack of cleats.
Riding started between 7 and 7.30 am every morning. This meant rising in the chilling darkness of 6 am for breakfast and pack up, foreign territory for a night owl. Some mornings, the temperature of the air blowing on our bare knuckles was 4 degrees. In the afternoon, it was straight to the showers, some relaxation, or some local town adventure. Every night at dinner, riders told stories from the day and Tony recited some Banjo Paterson poetry, all from memory!
There was much to learn from the other riders. I learned about the finer points of tyres levers, rim tape, valve types, trip computers, pedals, cleats, tyres, tyre pumps, degreaser, and chain oil. On technique, I found that rather than pushing hard with the leg muscles, the seasoned campaigners increase cadence in a lower gear. This is especially relevant going up hills.
The 4th day, from Rutherglen to Henty (101 kilometres), was my favourite. The ride was mostly flat, on quiet roads between dry farmland. By this stage of the ride I was in form, and travelling at a consistent 30 to 40 kilometres per hour. In some places, around 45 kph with the wind behind my back. I enjoyed the constant pace and quiet bush scenery.
The 8th day, from Goulburn to Camden (146 kilometres) was fun as well. I rode only 130 kilometres on this day as I fell behind the pace on some hills out of Goulburn. Nevertheless what I did ride was fun. There were gentle ups and downs, a few difficult hills, but mostly the direction was down. On one downhill I reached a high speed of 68 kph.
The Pollie Pedal was a great ride. My interest in cycling has been tested, and I’m ready for more. I hope to join the Pollie Pedal again next year, with a new road bike.