Apr 20

RideWest 2024 - Day 2

Day 2

Oakey - Chinchilla

174km

Today the weather gods were not in our favour – we started out with a crisp morning, a beautiful sunrise and blue skies… but by about 10am, it turned, and oh did it turn… the temperature dropped to just 13 degrees, coupled with the fact that it was pouring rain, and into the wind – our poor cyclists were chilled to the bone. Literally shivering, with frozen fingers and muscles cramping, it was a very hard slog through to out lunch stop at Kogan. Enter the heroes of the day The Kogan Hotel – who welcomed us with open arms… built a fire for us, put the heater on for us, and served us over 15 trays of hot chips!! The beautiful team and residents of Kogan, didn’t bat an eyelid to help serve the greater good. The true spirit of Aussie legends - we thank you!

Other people, we were grateful for today – Warren from Oakey Police Station, who joined us for the first leg of our day ensuring that we got through the Warrego Hwy section without incident. We travelled through the beautiful farmlands of Jondaryan, with the vibrant colours of the Sorghum setting a beautiful backdrop for the morning’s cycling. We even had an escapee calf join us roadside – startled by the travelling entourage – the calf panicked and dashed across the road behind the cyclists and between the support cars, adding a touch of unexpected excitement to our journey.

Today also marked the beginning of the highly anticipated Golden Spoon Awards, where our crew and riders showcase their culinary skills with delectable sweets and savouries. The campaigning for votes in the Golden Spoon Awards has been strong, with some suggest bribery, favours, and even straight-out threats have been involved to influence the voting counting committee. Credit to Team Woolie for decking out the bus with the campaign messages and their custom-made hi-vis vests including Vote 1 Team Woolie messaging.

Despite the relentless rain and remaining 60 kilometers to Chinchilla, our resilient cyclists pressed on, undeterred. Today, it was the shared determination to reach the finish line and relish in the promise of hot showers that pushed our cyclists home.

The depths of the camaraderie deepened today, as team members leaned on each other for strength and warmth, with the support crew shedding all the outer layers of clothing and whatever was packed in their cars to warm up the freezing riders… it is only together that we make it to the end!

A special mention today for John – a birthday celebration…. No better way to celebrate a birthday than riding 177km through the rain with your newest friends!!

Tonight we got to celebrate the King and Queen of the mountain - the first riders up the range (after handicaps are taken into account).

King of the Mountain - Greg Hefferan
Queen of the Mountain - Elyse Ruhle

Congratulations to you both!!

Highlights of the day:

Chris – Seeing the pain and suffering on everyone else’s faces, made me realise I wasn’t alone – we were all in it together. Better Together.
Petrea: Getting on the bike for the first time. Although with only 5km of cycling before the rain set in – it wasn’t the best leg to have joined!
Danny – Stopping at Kogan Hotel and warming up by the fire.
Kell (199) – The Kogan locals lighting a fire for us.
Rob Perry – Saga’s muffins – or maybe the chocolate slice.
Frazer – huddling around the fire like a group of Mexicans