Now after two days of scoffing gels, energy bars and washing it down with Sharky's special Spizz you can imagine our surprise when we rolled into Springfield and pulled into The Corner shopping centre where we stopped at the Thai Emperor restaurant.
Soon we were treated to all sorts of beautiful thai food from curry puffs to satay chicken through to curries!! It was an absolute feast and we didn't hold back.
With only 25kms to go and a belly full of thai food morale was sky high but as we headed out we had a small climb to navigate and a few riders started to question the use of curry puffs as a ready source of energy for cycling but who cares it was delicious.
After some 420kms of cycling I guess it was bound to happen....we took a wrong turn and added a few more kms to the trip. Of course Sharky copped the blame as we rectified our course and headed home.
Whether it was the sniff of home or the fact that we had been riding as a group for two days but the peleton was riding really well and as we rode into the Uni there was a real sense of achievement among the group. 440kms in two days in some pretty atrocious weather up some massive climbs I guess we had good reason to be proud of our efforts. The welcome home was great. The road crew and some family members were there to greet us with resounding applause which really topped it off.
As we patted each other on the back the traditional handshakes were replaced with hugs, yes even the Cyc'd boys showed their softer side embracing each other as we congratulated each other on our efforts.
Once this initial euphoria had calmed down Sharky formed the Smiddy huddle and said some truly inspirational words which made us feel 10 feet tall. Here's a little of what he had to say:
The Smiddy huddle is a tradition. It allows us to thank those who made our trip possible and safe. It allows us time to reflect on lost loved ones and to remember why we are doing this. To be part of the fight against cancer. To make our own contribution to this fight. To make a difference as best we can.
Looking around the group there were some pretty tired faces but without fail each face showed a sense of pride a sense of achievement and they were happy faces....tired but happy faces.
I hope you have enjoyed this 5 part report as that brings this chapter of our training to a close. We still have 5 weeks to go so there will be lots more posts still to come.
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