Day 5 - Albury to Shepparton

What a day that was! 175 km of the closest thing to hell, that the Riders had to endure.
It was a hard ride. We left the Motel at 7 am, after Legacy kindly offered us their dining room and kitchen for breakfast, because it was going to be a long ride. We woke up with a very cloudy sky and a few drops of rain. The Group was fine until we stopped for morning tea at Rutherglen. Charming town, like many of them in the area.

About 20 minutes from Rutherglen, it started to rain, and it got heavier and heavier all the way to Yarrawonga, where we stopped for lunch. The Group was soaking wet and they started to get cold.
Fortunately, Mum and Dad had a spectacular lunch of hot chicken and chips prepared for us. It certainly helped them to get a bit warm. As we were doing our own thing, this old couple started talking to the Riders and the lady, very kindly, offered us $100.00 donation.

It happens that her husband was none other than Glen Dix, probably best recognised as the legendary official starter of the Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide.

Needless to say that the Group talked and had photos taken with him, and then Mr Dix was kind enough to start the ride with his checkered flag, which he carries with him in his vehicle. Photo below. For a few moments, the Riders forgot about the cold and their wet clothes. Another moment that will be stored in their memories from this wonderful event.

But the good times had to come to an end. The Group started again towards Shepparton. Another 75 km of nightmarish conditions ahead of them. They did a fantastic job, fighting rain and poor visibility, riding at 30/35 km/h. They should be very proud of themselves. Finally, we got to our destination and to hot showers and warm clothes. Well done to all!

Once in Shepparton, we had a small reception with the Mayor, followed by a dinner at Legacy House. Again, they went out of their way to feed us and look after us.

All in all, a really good ride, but they could have done without so much rain.

Now, for some photos of the day.

Starting the day

Stuart O'Grady passing the penny to Richard Staunton

Nice shot!

Our Ward, resting on the Australian Flag

Daniel Tregenza's turn to carry the penny

Glen Dix getting ready to send the Riders off

The media coverage has been fantastic. Here is Andrew Bahr being interviewed by WIN TV

And off they go. Glen Dix doing his stuff, and doing it very well

The Group in motion

Getting close to Shepparton. Lots of weird and wonderful cow sculptures and lots of water

Some of the boys at Legacy House ready with their phones, to tape the news segment of the Ride

This is some of the food the members of Legacy prepared for our dinner. Fantastic effort!

And to finish, the wife of our roving photographer Simon is feeling poorly, so Stuart, being the fantastic sport that he is, sent her his good wishes for a speedy recovery

So another day is over. Tomorrow, to Echuca/Moama. The weather is going to be kinder to us, so we expect a great ride, a short one this time, just 98 km, a bit of recovery from yesterday's event.

Our fundraising effort through our Tour de Legacy Everyday Heroes page is now over $102,000.

One more thing, this is the link to a daily video one of the riders, Peter Short, takes. Have a look to get an idea of how they ride. They will be posted at the end of the daily blog. Check them out.

Day 5 Albury to Shepparton

That's it for the day.

Until next time, 

Cheers