Day 4 Roma to Mitchell 87km
As day 4 is our ‘short’ day of only 87km, we enjoyed a little sleep in before rolling through Roma to Pumps and Solar where we were treated to a BBQ breakfast. A multi-course feast cooked lovingly by Rhonda and her team was appreciated by all the riders and support crew.
Coming out of Roma today was a big job for the support crew drivers, the five vehicles on the road, 2 in front of the riders and 3 behind have a very important task of managing the traffic and keeping our riders safe. There was a noticeable change this morning in the amount of traffic and the size of the trucks (road trains) coming through. The skill of this team of drivers and spotters is so refined and accurate, it is remarkable to witness. The precision in their focus, decision making, and communication is what keeps the peloton moving and traffic flowing smoothly, leaving the riders to focus purely on their job of keeping those pedals turning over and getting through that next stage.
The first and only rest stop today was in Muckadilla, where we enjoyed more of the delicious home baked goodies that were packed in the truck from our loved ones. As we looked across the road from us, we noticed a bright blue tree with the message, ‘R U Okay?’. These blue trees are part of a movement called the Blue Tree Project. This project is helping raise awareness around mental wellbeing by helping spark difficult conversations, it’s OK to have a blue day. Aligning so perfectly with the RideWest values – we couldn’t help but stop for a pic. #bluetreeproject
The riders had an absolutely beautiful run into Mitchell, cruising in at 40km/hour arriving at the Major Mitchell Caravan park just in time for lunch. It was an all hands on deck cooking festival, with some of the best burger creations in town.
As we had the whole afternoon free in Mitchell we were able to indulge in some much needed R&R. We headed into town to visit The Great Artesian Spa – enjoying the benefits of a soak in the mineralized artesian waters. The two pools, one at 40 degrees and the other at 25 degrees was the perfect recovery for our team’s tired muscles.
This evening we headed in for dinner at Hotel Richards, where we dined in the beer garden under the stars. The food was fresh, delicious, and plentiful, with some calling it the best meal we’ve had this week! After dinner tonight we had a chance to hear some stories from a couple of our ‘veteran’ riders Heff and PC who shared with us why they committed to this ride initially and why they keep coming back year after year. It was really touching for us all to know that although each of us have signed up to this ride for our own personal reasons, we are all bonded together in our goal of making a difference.
A few highlights from the team today:
Charles – cruising into Mitchell at 40km/hour.
Jo – Seeing the R U OK sign and #bluetreeproject, cause we’ve got one back home in the Kerry Valley.
Heff – The fabulous nursing staff for saving my arse #emmaandmelthearsesavers
Tim – The Great Artesian Spa, dipping between the hot and cold pools
Tanya – The Nutella doughnut balls at morning tea
Alex – Being shouted a beer at Hotel Richards by the locals, after seeing our RideWest shirts.
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