133km
Amberley to Oakey
Nervous energy, doubt- filled minds, “Will I be good enough?” “Will I make it?” “Will I let the team down?” So many thoughts running through the team’s mind as they arrived bright and early at Amberley this morning. Months of training and hard work all lead to this moment, the first day of RideWest 2022.
Our 33 riders and 14 support crew all bid farewell to their family, friends, colleagues and loved ones as they embarked on their 1,311km journey from Brisbane to Longreach. As the peloton pushed off on that first leg of the journey, the self-doubt started to melt away and the confidence grew. Knowing that all the hard yards in training would pay off, and that together as a team, we would be enough, and we will all make it to Longreach.
As we departed Amberley and made our way towards our first stop at Forrest Hill, the team were so grateful to have the guidance of Troy and Duncan our police escorts to help us navigate the traffic. Their presence gave us all peace of mind and made it our smoothest first day of RideWest. At Forrest Hill, our first rest stop for the day we took a moment to celebrate Andrew Perkins (Perky’s) 62nd birthday. What a privilege to share his birthday with him on this his third RideWest adventure.
From Forrest Hill it was on to Murphy’s Creek for another quick stop and a little media meet and greet (check us out on Channel 7 Toowoomba news at the 10min mark), before the big moment – the climb up the Great Dividing Range. In an incredible effort, every single rider successfully made the climb to the top of the range, where well deserved Zooper Doopers were enjoyed by the team.
From then on it was a simple cruise into Oakey with the tail winds guiding us all the way into town, where we were greeted by the lovely ladies and Padre David of St Augustine’s Church Guild. Our team felt so honoured by your greeting and the incredible spread that you put on for our afternoon tea, with the jelly slice the biggest hit! Thank you, Oakey for your incredible hospitality. We felt so incredible welcomed by you all and so well taken care of by the teams at our motels and also the RSL.
Highlights for the team today:
- Everyone made it up the hill!!
- Feeling the first day nerves melt away
- Meeting an incredible crew of people
- The tailwinds!
- Jelly slice from St Augustine’s Church Guild