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.
To all the riders, support staff crew, organisers,bloggers and film makers a big THANK YOU. From the written daily schedule that we followed religiously to the stories and You Tube presentations we felt that we were there with you but we didn't have the aches or pains to go with it. A very professionally organised activity without a doubt left us in awe, so thank you once again, and a wonderful contribution to a worthy charity.
ReplyDeleteLyn & Norm Tregenza