It has been an absolute pleasure to have this group of enthusiastic
and fun loving people on a Cyclerides tour, It may be work for me, but it’s not
exactly your boring 9-5 slog, it became much more about hanging out with a
really great bunch of guys and trying, sometimes successfully, to steer them in
the right direction.
Starting the tour off by getting the message that they were "stuck
in Frankfurt" after missing their flight, mainly due to the distraction of a bar, was a
little disconcerting at first, but at least it provided a low base from which to
build their experience up from. Anyway I won’t go too much into the daily story,
this has been very well covered collectively in the daily blogs/masterpieces written
by the individual members of the “Nuff plus one” team.
Instead as I sit here at CDG Airport waiting for my flight
home, I would like to give my take on the individual “Nuff plus one” members:
Simon – Wins the “Travel
light and hope your washing dries” award, a skill not in common with any of his
fellow team members or the writer himself I might add. Although he did run into
some trouble when something was spilt on the “Amani” shorts resulting in the
need to borrow an emergency pair from one of his fellow team members. Simon was
present on every ride and gave it his all, certainly getting the most out of
the tour, no regrets for him.
Hamo – Undeniably
the winner of the “Most Enthusiastic bordering on Hyperactive” award, definitely
didn’t miss out on anything, always ready and rearing to go early, sometimes
had to held back (mostly unsuccessfully). He also contributed generously to the
French economy by way of product purchases at every stop, and I mean every
stop, coffee stop, lunch stop, toilet stop, oh lets just stop so I can buy
another shirt.
Dr Carl – Amongst
other things I think the “I’ll wear white if I want to” award for what I feel
is a very brave decision to don the all white kit on many of the days,
especially brave when you consider his close encounter with an oncoming vehicle
on one of the descents could have resulted in the staining of said kit. Dr Carl
must also get a mention for his staying ability both on the bike and more
importantly on a very late Friday night in Paris, his effort in still being
able to do the Paris by bike tour Saturday morning is indeed worthy of note.
Dydey – It has to
be the “You’ll never lose me in these shoes” award for those BRIGHT orange
shoes, I still recall looking down from 2630m of the Galibier and clearly
seeing the orange shoes weaving around the hairpins many metres below. A couple
of other mentions being his ability to get in his rhythm up a climb and making
it look easy, a couple descending brake locking moments also come to mind.
Lionel – Gets the
“Lets leave before the sun comes up” award, maybe that’s an exaggeration so
lets just say Lionel was always first up and always suggesting an earlier
rather than later start. I’m still trying to work out whether he likes to ride
early or just wants to make sure he’s able to get to the bar before the rest of
France. Lionel also comes to mind as a somewhat nervous passenger/co driver, or
could it possibly be my driving????
Craig – It’s got
to be the “broken ribs won’t stop me” award or maybe the “never to Mountainbike down a world class course before a 2 week cycling tour again” award, pick
either of the above. Probably not a great decision to tackle the World Title downhill
course with little experience just before your 2 week cycle tour but to his
credit he didn’t let the broken ribs stop him, everyday he battled the climbs
sucking up the pain and not being able to suck up much air into the lungs as a
result, a very gutsy effort.
Dan – If I was
giving more serious awards Dan would get the “KOM” award but alas this award is
not to be presented in this forum, instead I give Dan the “Gourmet food and
fine wine” award for his knowledge and appreciation of the finer things in
life, a skill that came in very handy and was to the benefit of all. Dan was
also carrying an injury although you wouldn’t know it going on the ease at
which he sped up every climb.
Barney – This one
is pretty easy, Barney easily takes the aforementioned “Lets have one more”
award for his generosity and support of his fellow hoteliers, no doubt the main
motivation being to ensure the liquor industry in France remains buoyant,
secondary would have been the potential detriment to his fellow teams members performance
the next day due to overindulgence.
Briss – Another
contender for more than one award but I feel the most relevant albeit not the
most flattering being the “I’ll turn up eventually” award for his consistency in
being the last to be ready to leave each morning/afternoon/whenever we needed
to leave anywhere, he was challenged at one stage for this title but his consistency
won out in the end. Bryce should also get an honourable mention for being able
to get up the HC climbs with the least amount of training, a great effort
considering.
In summing up and in all seriousness this tour has not only
been a great experience for the group, it has also been a great experience for
myself personally. I’ve ridden with many groups but I’ve never witnessed a
group that sticks together so well and actually rides together and genuinely
looks out for each other, it’s quite unique and something the guys should be
proud of.
I look forward to coming over to Wagga Wagga to have a ride with them from time to time and continuing a friendship for years to come.
I look forward to coming over to Wagga Wagga to have a ride with them from time to time and continuing a friendship for years to come.
Thanks heaps guys, you’re the best!!!
Yours in cycling and living life to the fullest,
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