It was a perfect December's day that greeted the 1,500 or so cyclists who had converged from all over Brisbane for the Amy Gillet Foundation bikeride.

 

My day started at 0315 with a light breakfast and water and some electrolytes. I then checked my bike and changed into my AMS triathlon cycling gear and rode the seven and half kilometres, to the Loganlea train station at first light. At 0420, I was on Julie Street from Wallace Street, and turned into Trulson Street and I had pulled over to the Mobile service station to change my notes into coins for the train. The train arrived on time, 0500 on the dot. I was on my way to South Brisbane. I had disembarked and ran down the stairs carrying my bike. I was on my bike and exited the train station without any train guard to check my ticket. I made it with a minute or so to spare before the registration was due to close, 0545. The starting time was 0600.

 

I took my sports gel just minutes before the event. I heard the hooter sound and I started from the very back of the pack. There were so many riders that there were masses of cyclists fragmented into their own pelotons numbering anywhere between a hundred or so to half a dozen throughout the entire ride. By the time I had reached the the starting line the first riders were already five minutes away and were making their way through to the Mt. Gravatt busway. It was 0605 when my bike went under the Portfolio Partners 'blown up' sign. I had decided to start from the back of the pack. I have never seen so many cyclists in one place as I saw on this day.

 

The Queensland weather was picture perfect defying the weather forcast which had predicted morning showers. I was particularly impressed with the cyclists behaving very well despite the congestion of traffic from the very start all the way through to Mt. Gravatt. The set of lights split everyone. By the time the cyclists had passed Springwood the stretch of riders were anywhere between two to three kilometres from the lead cyclists to the rearguard. By the timne I had was past Loganholme the front group were out of sight and out of mind.

 

I was doing catch up riding over taking hundreds of cyclists as I had inched my way to the lead groups. I did not draft when I was overtaking cyclists but on the occassion there was a good rider who gave me a good leeward ride for about 500 metres only. The rest of the riders were just on a 'Sunday ride', enjoying the scenary. I was a bit more urgent because this was yet another training ride for my ironman triathlon season.

 

It was under a bridge heading to Eagleby when I had a puncture and I had to pull over to the side of the road. It was infuriating when I realised that my spare tyre tube was a puncture as well. Luckily though my extrta tyre tube was handy so I had inserted this tube just as the supprt car arrived and a foot pump was brought out to ease my mind. I had 120psi to get me going all the way to Surfers Paradise. I was amongst the last of the riders to head into the water stop at Eagleby (Beenleigh). Thankfully, this would give me a reprieve from having to cycle ignominously to Cavill Ave due to a couple of punctures. We had our breakfast at the water stop. I had a couple of muesli bars handy and drank some more electrolytes (for energy) and then some more water (for hydration). Once again I started at the back of the pack as we meandered our way through Beenleigh and onto the V1.

 

At Coomera, it was the halfway mark we had truned into exit 54 due east at the roundabout, before Dreamworld, we headed towards Coomera, and then it was yet another roundabout heading south east. We continued through to the Gold Coast and all the while being wary of the articulated trucks, cars, and motorbikes, to our rightside. We were escorted by official vehicles, the Queensland Police motorbikes, and official marshalls at various checkpoints pointing to various exit points for cyclists. 

 

The route through to Surfers Paradise was the scenic route we went along the beachside seeing the tall skyscrapers in the distance, noticing the new ferris wheel at Seaworld which was something new. I was riding well and then I felt as though my legs were tiring when I was overtaken by three very attractive Queensland Academy of Sport cyclists and a couple who had managed to draft themselves past me to the last 800 or so metres from the finishline. Up until then I was overtaking everyone alone as per usual and was almost spent when I was overwhelmed by this group. I was disinterested to sprint to the finish due to the fact that this was not meant to be a race. Otherwise, in desperation, I would have gone for it. I was relaxed and composed when I reached the finish line. I had dismounted and went straight to Woolworths and bought mysel a 500ml water bottle of Pump. I drank my water quickly as I was watching and listening to Robbie McEwen a local hero and the current Green Sprint Jersey Champion from the Tour De France, 2006. Robbie was signing autographs and going through the usual routine of pubic relations promotions. It was interesting but I was more interested in my return journey and so I had walked through the Cavill Ave Mall remounted my bike and rode to Robina train station.

 

I bought my ticket back to Loganlea and caught the train from Robina. At Nerang, and Helensvale stations, other cyclists boarded the train as well to return to Southbank. I had cycled an additional ten kilometres to Robina. When I had disembarked at Loganlea station I had cycled an additional seven and a half kilometres to Crestmead.

 

When I arrived home I was so famished that I made a couple of sandwiches and drank some more rehydration fluids. I drank my Enduro rehydration satchel that I got in my kit and my usual Hammer HEED which served me well today during my ride.

 

For the record, the ride was only 95km. The extra distance I rode to and from the event was approximately 25km.

 

My day was, on the whole, very satisfactory.