Long Ride - Day 8



At home, happy, but I want to start again.

 Beechworth to Point Cook (398 kms)

When I woke on the final day of the Long Ride I knew something special was coming to an end, and although I was feeling a little weird about it, I was going to make sure that this was one of the best days.

With only 400 kilometres to ride I decided to have a little sleep in and woke at around 8am. I lyed in bed for a while remembering what the Long Ride was all about and whether it had made a difference to men's health.

After quickly packing the bike I went looking for a service station to refuel, can you believe that one of the prettiest towns you will ever see and tried to do so by not having a place to get fuel. After checking all of the in and out roads to the town I was about to give up when I noticed there was one that seemed to be right in the geographical centre of the town, in the strangest of locations. Anyway, I fuelled up, they only had low octane fuel, and with a bike already running lean, burping and farting on the over run, it was certainly going to be interesting.



I should've stopped here for breakfast.

 The first port of call was Myrtleford just around 30 kilometres away. A bigger town I knew at least there would be a decent cafe to get some breakfast for the final day. The bakery looked good, there was a few people there, and the smell coming from the place suggested it would be worthwhile. Was I wrong, the coffee taste like it was from a jar, and the ham and cheese croissant I ordered turned out to be a bacon and egg sandwich, the service was appalling, two teenage girls who were more interested in planning their weekend.

As I was getting back on the bike that's when I noticed the Fez Cafe across the road, I should've gone there. I'd seen this place once on Postcard's or one of those shows and it looked pretty good. Oh well, there's a mental note.

Back on the bike the place of significance would be Mansfield but not before heading towards Wangaratta through Milawa and Oxley, then turn left to start heading south. The roads up here were built for my type of bike, open with just enough sweeping bends to keep you interested and the scenery is some of the best around. Open farm land with plenty of interesting natural and man made landmarks,

Once in Moyhu I decided to stop and check the map to make sure I was on the right track and to see when the next fuel stop would be. It was here I had brainfade and as I pulled to the side of the road and put the stand down disaster struck. The stand either wasn't on firm ground or hadn't ;locked as it should. As I leaned the bike over it kept going, there was nothing I could do but to let it go and fall over. I sat on the nature strip looking at a 260 kilogram bike lying on its sided wondering how the hell was I going to lift it.

Somehow I managed and with disgust in myself I rode on, only to find I could no longer change gears, first and neutral was all I had. My bike has a heel gear shift lever, not that I ever use it, which had been bent in the fall and was fouling on the stand. I needed to pull to the side of the road and bend it back into shape, amazingly this was the only damage done so it was to Whitfield for fuel.

The whole way down this road I was cursing that I had dropped the bike, but thankful no damage was done. Whitfield is a picturesque town and essentially the end of the King Valley. IT would've been great to stop and enjoy some beautiful cheeses and even more beautiful wines, but time was against me know.



On top of the world ... the Whitfield-Mansfield Rd

 The only fuel I could find at Whitfield was again low quality stuff, but it had to do as I was about to take on the Whitfield-Mansfield Road another great bike road that these parts have. No sooner had I started heading into the hills that I saw bikes coming the other way, this road is so good that people even get out on week days to enjoy it.

This road essentially gets you out of the King Valley by winding its way over the surrounding mountains, you climb to ridiculous heights before plunging down the other side, in a serious of brilliant corners. As you reach Bridge Creek the road sweeps to the left and then continues on more or less flat ground until you reach Mansfield.

Mansfield would be the last fuel stop before hitting somewhere close to home, but of course there had to be a few stops on the way home. The reception in Mansfield was great, people were asking what the flag on my bike was and were ready for a chat about the Long Ride. The funniest thing was an elderly couple who asked and when I told them, the wife turned to her husband and said "see you silly old bugger, go and get yourself checked out" if the Long Ride has succeeded on getting this one man to get a check up then it was a huge success.



Feeling the serenity.

 The next stop was Bonnie Doon. Not only did I need to feel the serenity but I also had to see Lake Eildon overflowing with water, I never thought I would see this in my life time. It was amazing, the water was just below the bridge and trees were fully submerged. It was amazing.

Now on to Healesville, but not before a final stop at Marysville, the town so destroyed by the Black Saturday bushfire's just a few years ago. I'm sure all bikes riders will agree that you have to stop in Marysville and support the local community, they have supported riders for such a long time with their great roads and hospitality and now they have lost everything. It still amazes me that every time I've been to this part of the world since the bushfire's that how much of it has been taken away, but it is great to see the people are rebuilding.

I stopped at the Marysville Bakery and had one of their great pies and a drink before a guy from New Zealander came over looking at my bike. We soon turned the conversation to the Long Ride. He told me he his brother had passed away from prostate cancer and was very impressed by what we had achieved, he questioned the patches on my jacket and was extremely thankful to those companies that had shown support. I'm not ashamed to say that we both got a little emotional.

Just before I was about to take on the Black Spur, another gent came over to speak to me, he congratulated me for what he had just overheard, but then strangely turned the conversation to old diesel trains. What the?

This went on for at least 20 minutes, and every time I tried to get away he go back to something called the W45 V8 diesel, apparently it only produced around 1000 horsepower but had a beautiful sound. He told me there was one running still near Wollongong. There was no way I was going to tell him I was there just a few days ago. What diesel trains have to do with Prostate Cancer I will never know. But hey, this is what this ride was all about, getting out there and meeting people.

Once on the Spur I knew that this great thing was definitely coming to an end. As I reached Healesville it was almost cemented. One last fuel stop and then into suburbia. As the traffic began to increase I realised it was definitely over, while I was glad to be home, the ride could've gone on for a few more thousand kilometres.



So now you tell me!

 After 3100 kilometres, or 8 days on the bike, the Long Ride was definitely over. Along the way I have met some amazing people, made great friends. I've celebrated my 40th birthday, with people I barely know, yet feel a bond to them that will never go away. I've seen some stunning scenery and helped spread the word about this terrible disease which can be treated so easily.

After almost 59 hours of sitting on the bike my bum is quite sore, but was it worth it? Of course it was, and I would do it all again tomorrow. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and one that has helped make a difference to men's health.

Thanks to all of you, I have helped raise almost $9000 and the support you have given has been fantastic. To the businesses that came along for the ride: Saferay; Sorani Tiling Contractors; TMC (The Macintosh Corporation); and Ugly Fish, I hope you got something out of it. The donations you made were a huge help and I can't thank you enough.

In total the Long Ride 2011 has so far raised around $160,000, and this continues to grow as pledges continue to come in. You can all feel that you have been a part of something special, so thank you very much.

So what's next?

Well the next Long Ride will take part in early 2013 and will see the ride heading towards Cook Town in far north Queensland. This might mean a bike with a bit more comfort but we will see. Hopefully some of you will come along for the physical ride, and if not, then I hope you do continue to support the ride and be assured that every cent raised goes directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Again, thank you all for the support, and until next time ... here's up ya bum!

Long Ride - Day 7



Imagine how little I could see.

 Bega to Beechworth (456 kms)

Oh my, how could such a great start to a day turn to plop so quickly?

It started with a great sleep in, followed by left over pizza for breakfast, then leisurely packed up the bike, before heading out for fuel. The local constabulary were keen to check me out, at first I think he thought I was a gang member with all the patches but once I explained everything he was keen to get me on the good roads, suggesting I take the Snowy Mountains Highway to where it joins the Monaro for the ride to Cooma. He keenly gave me tips on the best bits and where to take it easy, he even told me the regular spots where the highway patrol hangs out. Why can't all coppers be like this good bloke?

Once on the Snowy Mountain Hwy the road started rather sedately and I thought the constable was having a laugh, but at least the scenery was stunning and certainly made the ride worth it. Then came the turns, and boy did they come, one after another and a great degree of difference between them all.

All of a sudden I was on the approach to Brown Mountain, my police mate had told me about this and warned me it was restricted to 60kph, and policed heavily. What a pity, it was one of the best bike roads I have been on, plenty of corners, great road surface and very little traffic. But who in their right mind decided to make this a 60 limited road. Bloody hell.

It did allow me to stop at one of the best lookouts I have seen, and enjoy the view with 2 caravans of old couples. They seemed terrified that a 'biker' had stopped where they were, until they saw the patch on my back. I couldn't stop them from chatting after that. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I even tucked ion behind them on the road and cruised along at their very leisurely pace. This was a blessing. Not far down the road a smallish kangaroo hopped out in front of them, it must of decided the Landcruiser wasn't worth taking on and quickly got out of the way. If I'd been on my own I'm sure I would've been spread on the road wrestling with Skippy.

Once back on the Monaro Highway I left the 'nomads' behind and quickly headed toward Cooma on this familiar stretch of road. The people of Cooma were just as receptive as the first time we were here, but I couldn't hang around, the weather was starting to look awful and I was desperate to get to Jindabyne before it set in.

Too late, I didn't make it as far as Berridale before it started to bucket down. I stopped at the first place I could find shelter and put the wet weather gear on, I thought I would make the whole distance without having to use them.

Once at Jindabyne, it was nothing like I imagined it to be, perhaps the movie of the same name doesn't do it justice.  It's modern and actually quite nice, this place might be on the cards some other time.



The better section of the Alpine Way.



Not far along was the toll gate for the Alpine Way, you only have to pay if you are visiting one of the ski resorts.  It was here I was told that there was still snow at Thredbo, what worried me was that I would actually be climbing higher than that. Hopefully the rain would wash the roads clean if need be.

There was clearly snow on the nearby hills but thankfully none on the roads however, the rain was making the conditions slippery enough and considering that the best part of this road is almost 40 kilometres of hairpins bends it was tough.  Added with patches of extreme fog it was certainly a tough ride.  Then there were the 'roos.  I came out of a fog patch to find 2 big buggers hopping along beside me.  Thankfully they stayed there, but it was enough for me to slow down, and just in time because around the next corner another decided his time was up and stepped out in front of me.  I had one of those moments, the ones were you think your time is up.   With the rear brake locked and the front almost at that point I was able to keep the bike upright, but by god it had been close.

From here on it was a sedate ride, and in fact the 40km took me almost 3 hours to complete.  I would love to take on this road in the dry, it is easily the best road I've ridden.  I don't know how many corners, but it would have to be well into the hundreds, and the elevation change is staggering, 1200 metres between the lowest and highest point, which is 1600 metres (from here you can see the highest point of the Australian continent).  This truly is a great road, despite everything trying to keep you off it.

As I crossed over the border and into Victoria the roads became somewhat sedate and were still a challenge with steady rain.  Ladies, I've found the best exfoliation method around, wear an open face helmet at 100kph while it's raining ... the upper half of my face is as smooth as a babies bum.

While the roads were reasonably boring the scenery again was stunning, I really can't understand people going overseas for holidays if they haven't even visited stuff like this on their back doorstep.

After 9 hours of riding I finally reached the beautiful little town of  Beechworth, one of Ned Kelly's haunts.  After checking into the motel and having a 40 minute shower (trying to get some of my body parts to reappear, it's amazing what the cold can do) I went for a walk around the town and bought dinner ... fish and chips, and they were good, very good.  The whole time I was thankful for three things I had brought with me to guard against the rain ... the Buff to cover my face, the Ugly Fish glasses that definitely did a great job and most of all the Bibble Bar wet weather gear, by far the best wet weather gear I have ever owned and the best value for money.

I hope the weather is better tomorrow for the run to home.

Long RIde - Day 6

Sydney to Bega (431 kms)

On The Road Again.

God it was good to get back on the road, but after one and half hours of just riding through Sydney, the bum was starting to get sore, very sore. It was peak hour when leaving Sydney and I thought the traffic would be horrendous, seriously what do the people of Sydney know about traffic problems, they need to do a peak hour on the Westgate Freeway in Melbourne.

With the Long Ride officially over I was on my own, and in many ways loving it, there's nothing better than being on the road on your own, doing your own thing and at your own pace.

The first target was Wollongong, or at least the road that bypasses it, but I had to get fuel here. The servo was the first place someone asked me what the patches and flag were about, once I explained it the elderly gent and his wife were gracious enough top promise they would go online and make a donation, even if they don't they at least understand something about the Long Ride.

Most the route would take in the Princes Hwy, and the further it gets away from Wollongong the better it gets, much better, but it wasn't enough, I wanted to take in a few scenes and an equal amount of curves, so it was onto the Grand Pacific Drive which in a way runs parallel with the Princes.

The Grand Pacific is a great road, especially on a cruiser, and during midweek there were few tourists, so the road was mine. Unfortunately it only comes and goes and the rest of the time it's onto the Princes, but like I said this is a pretty good road, although extremely rough in places, and seems to be full of road works, so there's the occasional time that you are riding on gravel and other times stopped at traffic lights.

Once through Kiama Heights the road is almost as good as the great roads like the Great Ocean Road or Monaro Hwy, but with plenty of wide sweeping corners. The scenery is simply stunning and if the weather not looked like it was going to bucket down I would've stopped and enjoyed it more.

At Gerringong the road takes an inland detour until it reaches Nowra and the first of many swing bridges that you will cross. The further south you go the more bridges you will cross due to the many rivers and lakes in this area, as I said the scenery is stunning.

Ulladulla sees the highway back on the coast all the way to Bateman's Bay. A beautiful little place but one that has been affected strongly by commercial tourism. It's hard to imagine how this quaint little hamlet may once have looked. I was going to stop here for lunch, but really wanted an old school pub meal, there's no such places in Bateman's Bay, the best option was to see what was ahead despite my butt cheeks now being completely numb and screaming for me to stop.

My brain wasn't listening to my bum and I just kept on going, the weather was really starting to look bad and besides I had just passed the Snowy Mountains Hwy which meant Bega was only a few kilometres away. OK so I was here, the days riding was over, thankfully. I found a motel that had vacancies, and promptly asked if they had spa rooms ... are you kidding this was another one of those places from the 1950's, it was strangely quiet too, I swear if I saw Janet Leigh I would be out of hear as quick as a flash.

As soon as I got in my room I collapsed on the bed, it was 3pm ... almost 3 hours later I was woken by convoy on construction workers all seemingly coming home ... they were using this place as a base while working on the many roadsites. At least Norman Bates probably wasn't around.

After a feed of pizza from Mal's Pizza Bite, and I must say one of the best pizzas I have ever had, it's off to bed to dream to sun gods that the forecasted rain doesn't come tomorrow as I head across the alps.

Long Ride - Day 5

Canberra to Sydney (293 kms)





Definetly not the longest leg of the Long Ride but in many ways the most stressful.



The day started with a presentation to Terrence Shaddick, who had been one of the group to ride all the way from Western Australia, in fact he had ridden from Newman. Big T loved the sunnies, and was thrilled that they even match the colour of his bike.

Once on the road we headed to a roadside truck stop a few kilometres outside of the nations capital to get a quick bite to eat, bacon and eggs on toast, it was bloody awful. We also met up with another motor cycle club, this time the Patriots, a bunch of serving members of the Royal Australian Air Force.

From here it was a 180 kilopmetre ride to Pheasants Nest for the last fuel stop and to try and get some on the road photos of the Patriots.

The ride was almost dead straight and freeway conditions, it was made a little more enjoyable by the fact that we decided to ride in formation and the further we went the more bikes joined in making it a great site, bikes as far as you could see and all in a staggered 2 by 2 configuration.

We eventually got to the truck stop at Pheasants Nest, and immediately there was a sense that something extremely special was beginning to happen. We all got prepared and headed to the final stop before we hit Sydney; Mascot Airport where we would all group and ride into the CBD as one.

By now the numbers had swelled to well over 300 bikes and the atmosphere was electric, this was certainly going to be something special.

All riders formed up behind event organiser, Chris Dunn at 1pm, and we rode on for the final 9 kilometres. It was amazing to see the approval and congratulations we were getting from the many motorists and pedestrians as we came off the freeway and into the Sydney CBD. The ABC helicopter hovered above making sure that the whole thing was covered. It was just a pitty that the more mainstream media didn't take notice, perhaps mens health issues aren't pink enough.

Another issue we faced was a lack of police presence which left some of us getting lost in the rabbit warren that is Sydney. NSW Police had promised an escort but apparantly on the day the officers who were charged with the task weren't contactable ... fair dinkum, don't get me started on this.

We eventually found our way and rolled into the foreshore at Darling Harbour, it was an amazing site, at least 400 motorcycles of all breeds and brands rolling into the paved area, and most riders in their pale blue prostate shirts. The scene was even more amazing when those that had ridden the whole way dismounted and in a show of real emotion began hugging each other. I'm not talking that trendy handshake and chest bump type hug that the 'youngens' are doing these days, I'm talking real embraces, that convey the love and respect that all of these riders have foor each other. I'm not ashamed to say that the emotion got to me, and was on the point of bliubbering like a school girl.

The amazed onlookers couldn't believe what they were seeing, but for us riders it was something quite hard to explain. It was now time to celebrate what the Long Ride 2011 had achieved. The tales were already beginning to flow, as was the amber stuff at the Hard Rock Cafe. After a few photos, more stories and chats with ABC television and the public it was time to take off for our last 'official' stop ... the Urban Hotel in St Leonards.

Once we were all settled in, we headed off to Luna Park, where we would embark on the final celebration aboard a Sydney Harbour cruise.

Again the tales were being reeled off everywhere, and seemed to be getting more exciting as the alcohol took hold. It was a great night with stories of how the long ride originated and why. Tales of the past riders who had unfortunately secumbed to bthe terrible disease we are on this ride for. People who had riden the furtherest were commended as were those that helped raise the most money, this is where I would like to thank all of you ... I was ranked third, behind Arnold Keuker from Brisbane and Guy Mander from Perth ... I really can't explain what your generosity means to me, and you be assured that every cent raised went straight to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. The PCFA were extremely appreciative of the help that you guys have given them. Again it was an emotional thing, especially as an auction got underway and people dug even deeper. I couldn't believe that $50 was reached for a $3 stubby holder, but hey, we all know it's for a great cause.

It was also announced that so far the Long Ride 2011 had raised over $150,000.00, and hopefully the rides home could raise more funds.

As the night wore on friendships were cemented by the exchanging of contact details, and discussions of where to meet for the next Long Ride.

If the way I felt the next morning is anything to go on, then there were certainly going to be some sore heads. In fact I was amazed that so many riders got started for home very early. I'm staying in Sydney for a few days and will then head down the New South Wales south coast for the Long Ride home. A few of the guys from Westeren Australia have shown an interest so I might have riding partners some of the way. It will also be a chance for all riders to keep spreading the world about men's health and prostate cancer and hopefully raise further funds for the cause.

Long Ride - Day 4

Sale to Canberra (532kms)

If anyone said that getting from southern Victoria to Canberra in almost 12 hours and that it was one of the best days ever, you would normally laugh at them. Let's face it, Canberra is a boring place and it's generally even more boring getting there. Not necessarily so!

The morning started early, the departure was 7am, as I got up and was woken by the bite of the cold I couldn't help but marvel at a father and son combination who are travelling in something from 1950's England. I'm not sure what the hell it is, a BSA, I think, and it has the weirdest sidecar you will ever see but they have done it and are having a ball of a time, if not slow. The start up procedure alone took the old man at least 20 minutes ... prime this, stroke that, pump the whatsit and then give it a good kick.

As they continued to work at starting this bike I turned the key, pushed the starter and rode away.

As we left Sale, the first port of call was Bairnsdale, ok so this isn't a great bike road, but the reception we received in Bairnsdale was great, especially from the kids who were loving the assortment of bikes. From Bairnsdale the next stop would be Cann River after we rode through Lakes Entrance. I've been here before, yet never realised how pretty this place is, the fact it wasn't swelling with tourists certainly helped.

Cann River marked the turning point onto which has to be regarded as one of the best bike roads around, the Monaro Highway, with its hundreds of kilometres of twists and turns. But before we could do that we stopped at the local memorial and paid homage to those who have fallen fighting for our country, it was after all Remembrance Day, and the ceremony put on by the Cann River locals was one of the most touching I have ever witnessed. The ceremony seemed to instill in us why we are doing this ride in the first place.

As we headed into the hills it was clear that the weather would well and truly be on our side, the higher we went the clearer it became although the the temperature did drop significantly. This prompted a few of us to have a decent crack at some of the corners, I couldn't help but be impressed by some of the old blokes throwing some pretty big bikes around, it was a pleasure to sit behind them a watch.

As we crossed into New South Wales we were greeted by a huge reception at Cooma, where the local Lions Club had put on a BBQ to help us raise funds, they did this as a thank you to everyone who was taking part in the ride. It was a great honor and humbling to be respected like this.

After a feed it was time to get back on the bike and start the last leg of the days ride to Canberra, the last part was also the most dreary, as the Monaro straightened out as it climbed over the high country. It was from here that to the left we could see snow capped mountains, most loved this, for me it was perhaps a signal of what was to come as I would be headed that way in just a few days.

Once we were in the Australia Capital Territory border we were met by ride captains who would escort us to Parliament House for an official photo. It was quite a site to see almost 300 motorcycles lined up between the two parliament houses, we had our photos taken a few impromptu speeches were made, Senator Kate Lundy spoke up and said she was disappointed that no one else from our government had joined her. Perhaps men's health isn't important enough for a Health Minister or Prime Minister to take notice.

At 6pm we finally go to our hotel, stark difference to the night before, either way it was great to be off the bike after almost 11 hours of riding ... I have to say, my bum needs a good massage.

Not long after arriving at the hotel I was asked if I would like to go to HMAS Harman, the only inland naval base I know of, to visit the Vietnam Veterans Motor Cycle Club. Yeah these guys are the ones who have the leather jackets, with club patches on them, like most 'outlaw' motorcycle 'gangs' they have a strict hierarchy built on respect and values, they just tend not to be involved in organised crime.

It was a great pleasure to meet these guys, and see their clubroom, and become involved in a small way in their inner sanctum, the way they greet each other and talk etc. I was also very interested to hear that you didn't need to be a Vietnam Veteran to be a member, you don't even need to be a member (past or present) of the armed forces.

They were extremely impressed with what we were doing and were going to support us the next day as we ride into Sydney, this would be a great honour, and something I will never forget.

From meeting these guys we were taken to the Queanbeyan Bowls Club by one of the members. There's no doubt that this place isn't cheap, and has the the worst covered band I have ever heard, but you can't deny that the beer is ice cold and the steaks are thick and juicy, just what was needed after a very tiring day of riding.

Long Ride - Day 3

Queenscliff to Sale (371 kms)

After a stormy night in the port town of Queenscliff there was a little apprenhension that Thursday morning would be met with the same conditions and therefore the crossing of Port Phillip Bay would be rough, in fact it was almost the complete opposite.

Beautiful sunshine met us as we packed the bikes and rode through the picturesque town to the Sorrento ferry. Around 40 bikes were loaded onboard for the 9am crossing, it was quite a site, especially for the senior citizen group on the same voyage, at first most seemed terrified until they realised what the ride was about and soon became biog fans.

The forty minute trip across the bay went without hassle and was actually very calm which should've set the scene for what was to come, it didn't quite go that way.

No sooner had we disembarked the ferry we were stopped by the local constabulary. No laws had been broken yet we still had to stop. Once the motorcycle riding office discovered what we were up to he was quick to talk bikes and advise us of the best roads and how to get to them. We followed his directions and found they were bullplop, we got lost, and me coming from Melbourne couldn't find the right way. We ended up in Frankston, which the guys from Brisbane thought was beautiful, although there were a "hell of a lot of young mothers".

Once we found our way to the Soth Gippsland Highway it was a matter of how soon could we drop Arnold and his sidecar, for the sportsbikes it didn't take long, I wasn't too far behind on the cruiser.

The South Gippsland Highway is regarded as one of the best bike roads in Australia.  Granted it's good, but get of your bum and go looking, there's much better roads out there.  For me the best thing about the SGH is the town of Alberton.

It's this weird little place just before Yarram, it doesn't have much, in fact I would go so far to say that it has nothing, besides this giant kick arse pup - surrounded by nothing.  It's like it was built to take on the big Marino, or the big Bananna ... Alberton, we have the big Pub.

Our last stop was essentially Yarram for a quick stretch before we took on the straighter run of the SGH to Sale, the last stop before many more bikes start joining the ride.

Local business really got behind us in Sale, a BBQ was put on, which raised additional funds, and plans for the next few days were announced.  We were told that invitations had been sent to all major political leaders of our country.  Julia Gillard, had only just replied 2 days ago to say she would not attend our arrival in Canberra.  Tony Abbott is still to reply.  Nicola Roxon, the federal minister for health had refused to attend, stating something more urgent.  However, Senator Kate Lundy will be meeting us and riding into Canberra with us, she might even come along for the ride to Sydney.

Well, I'm off to bed now, in the hotel that is a throw back to the 1950's ... oh country towns, bless them.

Long Ride - Day 2

Geelong to Queenscliff (via Apollo Bay)

Bloody hell could things get any worse?

Waking to torrential rain seemed bad enough but a once over of the bike revealed a flat rear tyre ... in a change over reminiscent of the best Formula One team, the tyre was removed and repaired within an hour, although the schedule was well and truly behind time, making it up through the hills between Colac and Apollo Bay would be a lot of fun.

After around 2 hours of some pretty serious riding, and getting absolutely covered in splattered insects I eventually caught the main group at Apollo Bay only to find out that this leg had been far worse than what I had been through.

Two of the Melbourne based riders who were doing the Tasmanian leg had crashed, so serious that both bikes had been written off. Thankfully both riders are ok and will still head to Sydney, in a car.

The Great Ocean Road had also taken its toll with a bike being dropped and another secumbing to mechanical issues. The worst of it happened the night before as the riders headed into Hamilton. One poor sod was taken on by our rather stupid wildlife at 100kph, he swurved and missed the roo but ended up in a ditch with his bike on top of him. The result was a helicopter ride back to Melbourne.

Once we got into Queenscliff the rides first major festivities started. The Queenscliff Bowls Club had put on a free BBQ for the riders and friends, while an auction and raffle were held. A presentation of $3000 was made by Chemring, a local Geelong based business, that was greatly received.

As the merriment continued and everyone was made aware that all riders were ok despite the incidents it was revealed that the ride so far has raised $145,000 and with many more donations along the way it was looking extremely good to beat all targets.

Long Ride - Day 1

Point Cook to Geelong

What could be simpler than riding down the most boring road in Australia, the Princes Freeway between Melbourne and Geelong? Well it seems most things.

The day started reasonably well with the bike fully loaded and setting off at around 2pm, the plan being to ride to G-town and take it easy for the rest of the afternoon. Around 5 minutes on the freeway was a pretty clear guide to how people were seeing the Long Ride, lots of support, toots and the thumbs up.

This continued all the way to around the twin BP servos (near the Avalon aurport) when all of a sudden a ute pulled alongside with the driver gesticulating wildly. What the hell was wrong?

We both pulled over and to my horror the driver told me he had seen my trusty Ugly Fish glasses case go flying, he said he had tried to stop me a few kilometres back but I was in a world of my own. What was more horrorfying was the fact that my day to day specs were in the case, which I thought was securely in my jacket pocket, and as Fearless Fly used to say, "without my glasses, I'm helpless".

There was little I could do but laugh and immediately turn around and head for home, hopefully to find an old pair of glasses to wear, either that or live in the Uglies for the next two weeks, this might not be too bad as I had the clear goggles with me too.

After getting home I was lucky enough to find another pair of glasses and so the Long Ride began again, and we were off to Geelong for a second time. This time I took the back and more 'scenic' way to the freeway through Werribee were again the support was great. Back on the freeway I was keen to see if I could find the glasses and case, or what was left of them. I couldn't find them although did briefly glimpse something that resembled a case but at 100kph who could be really sure.

So with this behind me I settled in for the first night of ride and readied myself for the ride to Queenscliff tomorrow via Apollo Bay and the Great Ocean Road. The whole time lamenting that a lesson learned is to make sure everything is secured even on your own person and how a simple 60km, 40 minute ride turned into 150kms and 2 and a quarter hour ride.

On a better note the Long Ride has now surpassed the $100,000 mark and continues to rise steadily, my contribution has stalled slightly at around $8,700 but I'm confident that it can go beyond the 10k target.

A vast number of Long Riders started their adventure a few days ago prompting final preparations for the Victorian riders. My pre-ride preparation started with a final check and service of the old girl at City West Yamaha in Hopppers Crossing, all things looked good, no major issues.

With the bike in prime condition and ready to go the next step was the final major fund raising push, the drawing of the raffle for the Ugly Fish sunglasses pack. Fellow Long Rider, Terrence Shaddick was the lucky winner and will pick up the prize pack during the ride. Terrence was quite excited about the win and even more grateful that the raffle helped raise over $330 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. A huge thank you to everyone who bought tickets.

In total the Long Ride has so far raised $98,000 for the PCFA, my target goal of $10,000 is still slightly short at $8,300. I'm still hopefully that the additional funds can be raised and help send the total over $100,000. Any help in raising the further funds will be greatly appreciated, details can be found at http://pcfafundraising.org.au/leigh_wilkins

For me this now means the ride is just around the corner, a final check of the bike, pack the bags and off we go. The first day will be Tuesday ...

Leigh's Long Ride

Back in August 2011 I decided to take part in the Long Ride to help raise awareness of prostate cancer and to help raise funds for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, little did I realise then how bog this would become and how generous people could be.

My father suffered from this disease a few years ago and I myself am fast approachiung the age that regular check ups begin, so the cause is pretty close to my heart (or bumhole as I've been told).  Having already taken part in the Pink Ribbon ride for breast cancer awareness, I felt I wanted to offer more, and to be challenged more, to attempt a longer ride.

What could be longer than The Long Ride?

The Long Ride is a week long motorcycle ride that sees around 1000 riders from all around the country and overseas converge on Darling Harbour, Sydney (November 12, 2011).  Throughout the week the riders meet at predetermined points along the main route (Sydney - Nyngan - Broken Hill - Loxton - Hamilton - Queenscliff - Sale - Canberra - Sydney) before we are jpoined for the ride into Darling Harbour.

Along this route more than 30 towns and cities will be visited where the locals will be made aware of theb issues of men's health, especially prostate cancer.  While this is the main route, riders from other centres will make many more stops on their own journeys  as they meet with the main group.  Riders coming from Perth will be riding through almost 70 towns.  Some riders will have competed almost 5000 kilometres by the time they arrive in Sydney.

While the major purpose of the ride is to raise awareness of prostate cancer and mens health in general, another primary goal is to raise as much funds as possible for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.
I'll be joining with the riders coming in from Western Australia; Queensland; New South Wales; and South Australia on November 9 in Apollo Bay before heading to Queenscliff along the world famous Great Ocean Road.

Initially I set myself a target of raising $5000 and through the very generous natuire of family; friends; and work colleagues found that this was probably going to be too low.  The target was quickly raised to $10,000 and things are looking good.

As well as individual donations many people have chipped in with other fund raising events like morning teas; bake off's; raffles and the like and to these people (you know who you all are) I give a huge thank you as your contributions has helped significantly.

Through the help of another rider, based in Queensland, Arnold Keuker, I have also been able to secure some corporate sponsorships / donations which will see me wearing the companies logos on a riders vest to promote the very generous nature of these businesses.  These companies deserve a massive thank you -

• Saferay Pty Ltd
• Sorani Tiling Conttractors
• TMC - The Macintosh Corporation
• Ugly Fish Eyewear

Funds have also bveen raised through the very generous donations of other businesses who have provided prizes for raffles and sporting events.

• The Meredith Golf Club
• Mercure Hotel, Geelong
• Mercure Hotel, Spring Street
• Bunnings
• The Dog Rocks Hotel, Batesford
• The Esplanade Hotel, Queenscliff
• Donaghadee Wines
• Tasman Meats

I can't thank everyone enough who has helped me so far, this goes along way to helping us beat this terrible disease.

If you would like to donate to the Long Ride pleased visit http://pcfafunbdraising.org.au/leigh_wilkins