87km
Roma to Mitchell
The 25th of April, Anzac Day, a day when we all stop to pay our respects to those who have served, suffered, and died for us all. We were privileged to share the dawn service with the local community in Roma at the service hosted by the RSL Roma Sub Branch. The RideWest crew were represented by rider Al Armstrong, who lay a wreath on our behalf. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. Lest We Forget.
After attending the dawn service at 4:20am, we ducked back for a sneaky couple of hours sleep before rising and being ready to face another day on the bike. We were very grateful to see Susan from Gravity coffee one of our corporate sponsors on the coffee machine this morning, serving up everyone’s custom orders – we love you, Susan!
We got on the road around 8:30am heading out of Roma and off to our first stop of the day in Muckadilla. The weather was not looking quite so favourable today, with the first drops of rain starting to fall and some chilly winds keeping it fresh. In Muckadilla we took the opportunity to do a quick photo op by the blue tree. The Blue Tree Project is another charity that has its mission closely aligned with RideWest’s, to help spark difficult conversations and encourage people to speak up when battling mental health concerns. By spreading the blue paint and spreading the message that "it’s OK to not be OK", they too are working to try and help break down the stigma that’s still largely attached to mental health.
After our Morning Tea stop it was just a quick 48km into Mitchell. Our team were flying today reaching speeds of up to 45km/hr, of course the riders will tell you it all comes down to their skill and strength and not the favourable conditions and tail wind giving the team a helpful little push. We arrived safely into Mitchell just before 12pm (despite a handful of not so pleasant vehicles making some questionable driving choices!!)
Our favourite past time in Mitchell is enjoy a BBQ hamburger lunch and a couple of cold ones at the Major Mitchell Caravan Park, before ducking up to The Great Artesian Spa for a soak in the mineral water springs. We were very lucky to have the majority of the rain hold off until after our arrival, but the drizzly weather certainly makes for some perfect afternoon napping conditions before we head out again tomorrow for another big day, heading into Charleville, a first for RideWest that we are all so excited about.
Tonight, we headed to the Hotel Richards for our nightly feast and a nice friendly (not competitive at all) round of pub trivia, hosted by Hannah and Petrea. Congratulations to Team Menzies and co...
Highlights of the day –
Evan - that everyone made it safely to Mitchell, despite the best efforts of a handful of drivers we encountered today making some questionable choices.
Mat – enjoyed the nice open roads so that I could get great shots of the peloton.
Perky – Anzac Day dawn service in Roma, and the short day
Tmac – Enjoying the incredible burgers from Ladbrooks Butchery in Roma
Carmel – Heff’s caramel slice and getting drive the bus today