All funds raised during my ride across Australia went to either the Australian or New Zealand Heart Foundation depending on the donor’s wish.
It was a thrill to be named Best Individual Fund-raiser for 2011 by the Queensland Branch of the Australian Heart Foundation.
Special thanks to EVERYONE who supported my ride.
It was a thrill to be named Best Individual Fund-raiser for 2011 by the Queensland Branch of the Australian Heart Foundation.
Special thanks to EVERYONE who supported my ride.
Morgans Seafood
Bird o Passage Parade Scarborough Boat Harbour - Qld - 4020 Tel: 3203 4592 Restaurant and Teppanyaki Room Fish Market / Takeaway / Oyster Bar / Sushi Bar Functions and weddings www.morganseafood.com.au |
Day 41 - May 10th, 2011
Doolandella (Qld) to Scarborough (Qld)
69.5 kms.
Doolandella (Qld) to Scarborough (Qld)
69.5 kms.
I can't change any more plans - cos this is the last day and by this afternoon I will be home in Scarborough.
This is the rough outline as to how today will go:
9:30 a.m.
Depart Doolandella and make my way slowly through Brisbane and
over the Story Bridge and towards Sandgate Road.
11:30 am to 12:30
travel along Sandgate Road from the Maccas near Toyota SciFleet (Abbotsford Road area) to the Deagon Racecourse.
12:30 to 1:00
From Deagon Racecourse around to the Sandgate waterfront and to the Ted Smout bridge.
1:00 pm to 200 pm
Cross the Ted Smout bridge and ride around the Redcliffe Peninsula finishing up at the Scarborough sign pictured below at 2:00 pm
A very leisurely and enjoyable day to end my GIANT bike ride across Australia!!
Doolandella to Scarborough
Distance travelled - 69.34 kms
Highest speed - 51.20 kms
Average speed - 21.40 kms
Hours on the bike - 3 hrs, 14 mins 52 secs
Today, my journey ends!!
What a strange feeling it was this morning getting ready to leave. So close to finishing - I didn't want things to go wrong on the final leg, and yet I knew that traffic wise, getting across Brisbane would be pretty hectic!!
After breakfast, and going over the planned route with Colin who gave us some extra valuable information on the roads we would be taking, I was on the road right on my planned departure time. We had decided it was safest for me to wear my hi-vis jacket and travel in front of the Jucy Grande so I would get some protection from that, and Pat could have the hazard lights flashing to warn traffic that I was ahead. You couldn't have a better vehicle to undertake this "protective pilot" role. Nobody could miss the shiny green and purple Jucy!!
Fortunately the main early morning rush of traffic had gone (one reason for my planned departure time) and we had a trouble free journey along Blunder Rd without putting a foot wrong - around past Archerfield Airport, along Beaudesert Road, into Ipswich Road, past the Gabba, over the Story Bridge, across Fortitude Valley, past the Ekka Showgrounds, arriving at Maccas at the start of Sandgate Rd - 30 mins ahead of schedule.
While I was waiting for Pat to turn in - what an unexpected but delightful surprise to see Paul ride up!!! Wow - that was fabulous, and a terrific thing for Paul to do!! Pat has since said she too felt huge relief when she saw Paul there as she had been worried about me negotiating the busy Sandgate Road. After a cup of coffee, Pat headed off to the Deagon Racecourse along Sandgate Road - and all fingers are crossed at the moment that she didn't get a speeding ticket from a plain clothes "ute" that was taking photo's!!!!!
Meanwhile, my day became a lot more relaxed as Paul effortlessly guided me around a few streets I have never ridden on to come out on the cycle track which gave us a traffic free trip through Toombul, Nudgee, the Boondall Wetlands and to the Deagon Racecourse exactly to the minute he had told Pat it would take!!
And who should be there ............... John Brookman ...... and Lily - wagging her tail and giving me big licks when I patted her. Gosh these moments are great!!!
On around to the Sandgate waterfront and how fabulous Moreton Bay looked!! The tide was well in, sun shining and the sea absolutely sparkling. Everything just looked like it was smiling!!!!!! Thinking about it, I hadn't seen the sea since Port Augusta - 3 weeks ago!!!!! No wonder it looked so good!!
Around the bay and at the start of the Ted Smout bridge - there were my cycling buddies - Beth and Lynda - great to see your smiling faces!!!!!!!
It is hard to describe the feeling of riding back across the bridge that I have ridden and jogged across so many times. I would reflect on the trip to get here, starting so long ago now in Perth, Western Australia. I finally started to think - YES - I've done it!!!!! I've always loved running and riding around the Redcliffe Peninsula - and today was no exception - it just looked magical.
I had promised a 2:00 pm ride into Scarborough, we were a little ahead of schedule so had a small break to take in the bay and for me to really enjoy the moment - then - the final 2 kms to the finish line!!!!
That moment will never be forgotten - Paul was urging me to have a blat and cross the line with my hands in the air - hahahahahahaha - me letting go of the handlbars would have meant a less than graceful fall I would imagine!!!! So, I felt real joy - but didn't show it in the traditional cyclists manner!!!!!!!
To all of those, particularly from the Scarborough Business Hub who organised my home-coming, and my friends who came to the finish line - THANKS. I was hoping the ribbons I had to ride thru were not too tough and would break rather than an embarrassing fall - and you guys had it all worked out perfectly - I had no need to worry!!
It was somewhat a blur of faces to me - and it ended up being very hard for me to see and speak to everyone. I would catch glimpses of some of you and wanted to catch up later - but didn't manage to get to everyone on the day. In the days and weeks to come, I will catch up with you all. Ladies from the Weight Reduction Club of Redcliffe - you are a terrific, supportive group - and again you excelled yourselves!!! To see kiwi's - Bud, Janet and Lyn there - great!!!! Thanks to the Heart Foundation people for being there - and to Channel 7 for covering the finish and having it on the TV news that night!!!! It was quite gob-smacking and I was pretty nervous being interviewed.
Great day, great friends - and I finally allowed myself to be able to say - I've done it!!!! Scarborough (WA) to Scarborough (Qld) on a push bike - and my final odometer reading - 4565.48 kms!!!!!!!!
Distance travelled - 69.34 kms
Highest speed - 51.20 kms
Average speed - 21.40 kms
Hours on the bike - 3 hrs, 14 mins 52 secs
Today, my journey ends!!
What a strange feeling it was this morning getting ready to leave. So close to finishing - I didn't want things to go wrong on the final leg, and yet I knew that traffic wise, getting across Brisbane would be pretty hectic!!
After breakfast, and going over the planned route with Colin who gave us some extra valuable information on the roads we would be taking, I was on the road right on my planned departure time. We had decided it was safest for me to wear my hi-vis jacket and travel in front of the Jucy Grande so I would get some protection from that, and Pat could have the hazard lights flashing to warn traffic that I was ahead. You couldn't have a better vehicle to undertake this "protective pilot" role. Nobody could miss the shiny green and purple Jucy!!
Fortunately the main early morning rush of traffic had gone (one reason for my planned departure time) and we had a trouble free journey along Blunder Rd without putting a foot wrong - around past Archerfield Airport, along Beaudesert Road, into Ipswich Road, past the Gabba, over the Story Bridge, across Fortitude Valley, past the Ekka Showgrounds, arriving at Maccas at the start of Sandgate Rd - 30 mins ahead of schedule.
While I was waiting for Pat to turn in - what an unexpected but delightful surprise to see Paul ride up!!! Wow - that was fabulous, and a terrific thing for Paul to do!! Pat has since said she too felt huge relief when she saw Paul there as she had been worried about me negotiating the busy Sandgate Road. After a cup of coffee, Pat headed off to the Deagon Racecourse along Sandgate Road - and all fingers are crossed at the moment that she didn't get a speeding ticket from a plain clothes "ute" that was taking photo's!!!!!
Meanwhile, my day became a lot more relaxed as Paul effortlessly guided me around a few streets I have never ridden on to come out on the cycle track which gave us a traffic free trip through Toombul, Nudgee, the Boondall Wetlands and to the Deagon Racecourse exactly to the minute he had told Pat it would take!!
And who should be there ............... John Brookman ...... and Lily - wagging her tail and giving me big licks when I patted her. Gosh these moments are great!!!
On around to the Sandgate waterfront and how fabulous Moreton Bay looked!! The tide was well in, sun shining and the sea absolutely sparkling. Everything just looked like it was smiling!!!!!! Thinking about it, I hadn't seen the sea since Port Augusta - 3 weeks ago!!!!! No wonder it looked so good!!
Around the bay and at the start of the Ted Smout bridge - there were my cycling buddies - Beth and Lynda - great to see your smiling faces!!!!!!!
It is hard to describe the feeling of riding back across the bridge that I have ridden and jogged across so many times. I would reflect on the trip to get here, starting so long ago now in Perth, Western Australia. I finally started to think - YES - I've done it!!!!! I've always loved running and riding around the Redcliffe Peninsula - and today was no exception - it just looked magical.
I had promised a 2:00 pm ride into Scarborough, we were a little ahead of schedule so had a small break to take in the bay and for me to really enjoy the moment - then - the final 2 kms to the finish line!!!!
That moment will never be forgotten - Paul was urging me to have a blat and cross the line with my hands in the air - hahahahahahaha - me letting go of the handlbars would have meant a less than graceful fall I would imagine!!!! So, I felt real joy - but didn't show it in the traditional cyclists manner!!!!!!!
To all of those, particularly from the Scarborough Business Hub who organised my home-coming, and my friends who came to the finish line - THANKS. I was hoping the ribbons I had to ride thru were not too tough and would break rather than an embarrassing fall - and you guys had it all worked out perfectly - I had no need to worry!!
It was somewhat a blur of faces to me - and it ended up being very hard for me to see and speak to everyone. I would catch glimpses of some of you and wanted to catch up later - but didn't manage to get to everyone on the day. In the days and weeks to come, I will catch up with you all. Ladies from the Weight Reduction Club of Redcliffe - you are a terrific, supportive group - and again you excelled yourselves!!! To see kiwi's - Bud, Janet and Lyn there - great!!!! Thanks to the Heart Foundation people for being there - and to Channel 7 for covering the finish and having it on the TV news that night!!!! It was quite gob-smacking and I was pretty nervous being interviewed.
Great day, great friends - and I finally allowed myself to be able to say - I've done it!!!! Scarborough (WA) to Scarborough (Qld) on a push bike - and my final odometer reading - 4565.48 kms!!!!!!!!
If anybody has photo's of the last day that would be suitable to go on here, please email them to me!! - [email protected] Thanks!! |
One of the greatest discoveries you will make, one of your greatest surprises, is to find you can do what you were afraid you couldn’t do – Henry Ford