Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Easi Evie- the TDC effect.
Thursday 14th February gave some of the original and new members of the Tour de Cure family the chance to see where the fundraised monies go, and how helpful their efforts are- not to mention how well recieved!Out at the Westmead Millenium Centre- the research facility attached to the Westmead hospital- we got to be a part of the naming ceremony and see a demonstration of their new research robot, EASI EVIE!
The name EASI EVIE is thanks to the clever Olivia Heath, daughter of Mal. She won the competition that was held to name the robot- and deservedly so. After hearing what EVIE does, the name is so fitting- she makes life so much EASIER for all researchers, and takes some of the steep hills out of the road to finding a cure!
A huge congrats go to Olivia! Well named and well spoken on Thursday.
Tour de Cure's involvement with EASI EVIE came from our 2007 donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (hence the pink writing), and allowed us to adopt EASI EVIE for 2008!
For Alex, Mal & Sam (Tour originals), viewing EVIE would have been awesome as it is a chance to see where their efforts have gone and inspire them to raise more and more this year. For the newbies, Charmaine, Ricky and Tom it was inspiring to see where our first time efforts can take us!
And how about those that get the benefits from using EASI EVIE! All of the hard workers at the Millenium Institute absolutely love EASI EVIE- I think it is something similar to the crush 
that we cyclists have on our bikes!
that we cyclists have on our bikes!Huge congratulations on their hard work and thankyou for hosting us goes to Professor Christine Clark, Dr Rosemary Balleine, Ms Barb Guild & Ms Jane Carpenter. The lucky lady that gets to work with EVIE every day Ms Li Ma does a terrific job- and, just quietly, enjoyed showing off her new favorite piece of equipment.
As for EVIE herself- she is amazing! Her sleek curves, shiny finish, German design- who wouldn't love her!
Practically she is even better... do I have a crush...? EASI EVIE is a robot that extracts DNA samples and stocks up the institutes tissue bank supplies. The number of tissue samples is extremely important when it comes to finding a cure for cancer- the more trials researchers can do, the closer they get to a cure!
What use to take 10 workers, 2 days- EASI EVIE does in 30 minutes!
And because she is pretty much flawless the researchers don't have to put up
with human error either. As Christine was telling us "EVIE is 
certainly going to make our life easier and allow us to be much more productive". Because EVIE is SO great, it allows other institutes, other researchers to access the higher quality and quantity of DNA samples- thats right, EVIE does the hard yards- she's not just a pretty face- wish the bikes would do that sort of work for us!
The TDC effect- On the road to finding a cure with the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Westmead Millenium Institute and EASI EVIE.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
2008 TEAM DRAW
The 2008 Tour de Cure team draw was held on Saturday the 9th of April and Castle Killcare
with 7 weeks to go and an even balance sought amongst teams both for riding ability and fundraising capacity, an unbiased draw was held.
the names of the 30 Tour de Cure riders were placed in a boniculars container and drawn out with official flare and pomp n pagentry by Emanda and Charlie Bertwistle, Saskia Pickup, Brad and Sophie Gemmell (soon to be Coombes/Cougar)
The draw has certainly thrown the cat amongst the pigeons with some clearly strong teams and others who will no doubt surprise all on this dual journey
As individuals we can only raise so much. As one team the sky is the limit
We are committed to raising as much money as we can to find a cure for cancer. We will find a cure for Cancer in our life time..........................with your help and thanks to our generous corporate partners a cure for cancer is out there to be found
Out of Bounds
Sydney to Ettalong and back via Palm Beach has to be one of best rides Sydney has to offer.
Especially when the weather holds out and you see sunshine and blue sky instead of grey clouds and driving rain.
Some of Tour de Cure's best took to the roads on Sunday morning, leaving the club house whilst it was still dark and filled with midnight ragers wondering why we would choose to go to bed at 9pm on a Saturday night jut so we could ride half way to Newcastle and back without anything artificial in our bodies......................All I can say is thank goodness for our VITTORIA COFFEE at 5am.
My trusty training partner Mal was ever present as was the Ferges and Pup. Berty joined us for a pretty rotten coffee at Road warriors before returned the old hwy to Sydney for some solid solo training. Good effort mate
With good time under our belt we decided to take on the Old Road to Mooney Mooney which is still closed due to the slide which we narrowly missed on last years tour. The road in to Mooney Mooney was sensational and free of cars.................gotta love that.
Reaching the road works we were surprised to see that the local council had undertaken some excavations since we were last through................the digger had been busy and so our crossing became more of a mountain bike session than road session. Poor Pup..............his nice WHITE cycling shoes got worn in through the silt and mud in the sand pit.
Realising that we had no time time to ride back and still make our ferry we crossed the PIT and high tailed it to ETTALONG, just in time to get 5 of the best (5 x Bacon & Egg Rolls + 5 Double shot coffee's) to take on the ferry to Palm Beach.
B-Lining it for home, to not spend too much time away from the loved ones, the old fella's as Pup would call us (Stu, Mal, Cougar + Kate) gave some fantastic support to Tom as he rode his 600th km in the week. Have to think that if we (the old fella's) hadn't have been there to help him, I doubt Tom would have been able to finish this ride and clock up his 600th kilometre
Well done Tommy!
Great ride Mal, Tom, Kate and Stu!
6 weeks and counting...............
Especially when the weather holds out and you see sunshine and blue sky instead of grey clouds and driving rain.
Some of Tour de Cure's best took to the roads on Sunday morning, leaving the club house whilst it was still dark and filled with midnight ragers wondering why we would choose to go to bed at 9pm on a Saturday night jut so we could ride half way to Newcastle and back without anything artificial in our bodies......................All I can say is thank goodness for our VITTORIA COFFEE at 5am.
My trusty training partner Mal was ever present as was the Ferges and Pup. Berty joined us for a pretty rotten coffee at Road warriors before returned the old hwy to Sydney for some solid solo training. Good effort mate
With good time under our belt we decided to take on the Old Road to Mooney Mooney which is still closed due to the slide which we narrowly missed on last years tour. The road in to Mooney Mooney was sensational and free of cars.................gotta love that.
Reaching the road works we were surprised to see that the local council had undertaken some excavations since we were last through................the digger had been busy and so our crossing became more of a mountain bike session than road session. Poor Pup..............his nice WHITE cycling shoes got worn in through the silt and mud in the sand pit.
Realising that we had no time time to ride back and still make our ferry we crossed the PIT and high tailed it to ETTALONG, just in time to get 5 of the best (5 x Bacon & Egg Rolls + 5 Double shot coffee's) to take on the ferry to Palm Beach.
B-Lining it for home, to not spend too much time away from the loved ones, the old fella's as Pup would call us (Stu, Mal, Cougar + Kate) gave some fantastic support to Tom as he rode his 600th km in the week. Have to think that if we (the old fella's) hadn't have been there to help him, I doubt Tom would have been able to finish this ride and clock up his 600th kilometre
Well done Tommy!
Great ride Mal, Tom, Kate and Stu!
6 weeks and counting...............
HERE SHE COMES
Well I must admit when TRAVEL FORCE suggested CHARMAINE GAIR join us on this years Tour de Cure just 9 weeks out from the ride I was hoping that Charmaine was an accomplished rider and already clocking up the km's. Far from an accomplished rider, Charmaine's riding experience was to and from work (14km each way) a couple of times a week. 
I am very pleased to report that Charmaine has taken to riding much better than I had hoped and much quicker than I had prayed for. With an athletic background in running and personal fitness Charmaine started this campaign from a better fitness base than most of the other TDC riders. Having said that, cycling fitness is a whole other ball game.......ok wheel game! Getting your body comfortable on a tiny little seat for 6 - 8hrs a day , riding anywhere from 100 - 200km through the beaches and gorges around Sydney will challenge anyone new to the sport.
On our first bright and sunny Saturday in almost a month, Charmaine joined the TDC peleton and headed up the HWY to take on the might Gorges. The 34km from our Club house (MIASEY'S MILITARY RD) to Berowra is a steady climb through some narrow streets in the dark. 14 of the Tour de Cure's best charged up the HWY and Charmaine in only her 2nd bunch ride and 6 TDC training ride, kept pace with the peleton to their turnoff in to Bobbin Head. We kept our steady pace up the HWY to Berowra where we descended in to the gorge to catch the car ferry to the other side.
For those that have not been to this place it is certainly worth a drive one weekend. Lush farms, sweeping hills and beautiful Australian wilderness surrounds you for most of the ride. One thing a cyclist gets to know is that what goes down must come up so our decent whilst a lot of fun only hides the formidable hills on the other side. I say formidable as for a new rider the gorges would be something you undertake a couple (3 -4) months in to your riding. In her 2nd week of training and 6th ride overall with her previous longest ride being 65km and here were are, 45km from home and 55km in to our ride and we start climbing. Not easy by anyones standards!
Like the trooper she is, Charmaine gritted her teeth and pushed her body up the hills at I might say, a pretty handy pace. A pleasing sight for me knowing we have only 6 weeks to get her ready for 1200km and 9568m vertical over 9 days. Not to mention we need to ride at an average speed of 28km/hr in the peleton.
Catching the TDC peleton as we rode to Glaston Gorge we doubled back with them and did Berowra in reverse.................It is a harder climb on the way out this time and again Charmaine impressed all with her courage to not lose too much time on the peleton.
With 6 weeks to go Charmaine is well down the road to helping us find a cure for CANCER.
I am very pleased to report that Charmaine has taken to riding much better than I had hoped and much quicker than I had prayed for. With an athletic background in running and personal fitness Charmaine started this campaign from a better fitness base than most of the other TDC riders. Having said that, cycling fitness is a whole other ball game.......ok wheel game! Getting your body comfortable on a tiny little seat for 6 - 8hrs a day , riding anywhere from 100 - 200km through the beaches and gorges around Sydney will challenge anyone new to the sport.
On our first bright and sunny Saturday in almost a month, Charmaine joined the TDC peleton and headed up the HWY to take on the might Gorges. The 34km from our Club house (MIASEY'S MILITARY RD) to Berowra is a steady climb through some narrow streets in the dark. 14 of the Tour de Cure's best charged up the HWY and Charmaine in only her 2nd bunch ride and 6 TDC training ride, kept pace with the peleton to their turnoff in to Bobbin Head. We kept our steady pace up the HWY to Berowra where we descended in to the gorge to catch the car ferry to the other side.
For those that have not been to this place it is certainly worth a drive one weekend. Lush farms, sweeping hills and beautiful Australian wilderness surrounds you for most of the ride. One thing a cyclist gets to know is that what goes down must come up so our decent whilst a lot of fun only hides the formidable hills on the other side. I say formidable as for a new rider the gorges would be something you undertake a couple (3 -4) months in to your riding. In her 2nd week of training and 6th ride overall with her previous longest ride being 65km and here were are, 45km from home and 55km in to our ride and we start climbing. Not easy by anyones standards!
Like the trooper she is, Charmaine gritted her teeth and pushed her body up the hills at I might say, a pretty handy pace. A pleasing sight for me knowing we have only 6 weeks to get her ready for 1200km and 9568m vertical over 9 days. Not to mention we need to ride at an average speed of 28km/hr in the peleton.
Catching the TDC peleton as we rode to Glaston Gorge we doubled back with them and did Berowra in reverse.................It is a harder climb on the way out this time and again Charmaine impressed all with her courage to not lose too much time on the peleton.
With 6 weeks to go Charmaine is well down the road to helping us find a cure for CANCER.
Nice riding Charmaine.................keep up the good work!
PUP gets OLDER and WISER
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our fresh faced, just out of puberty, smart mouthed, hoping he is in good enough shape to take on the old fella's, TOMMY HOGBIN
Riding in to form at just the right time, Tom you are showing everyone what youthful exuberance and hard work can yield.
Congrats on the Mile stones!
It's great having you along for the ride
6 weeks, 600km, $6000!
6 weeks to go!
Pup is counting down the days, k's and donations- loving the riding!
Starting to chase some of you old fella's-
600 club:
(-woohoo!)
Monday: 88km (Church Point)
Tuesday: 50km (broken spoke/buckled wheel)
Wednesday: nothing- fixing the bike
Thursday: 101km (Eastern suburbs)
Friday: 97km (Eastern suburbs)
Saturday: 128km (Bobbin, Berowra, Gallston, Bobbin)
Sunday: 161km (Ettalong)
Total: 625km
I think the CAAD 9 has suffered more injuries this week then me- poor bike.
To round out the hatrick- somehow I've crept up to $6500 in donations... according to the team site, that has me in 4th place!
Finally- Denver, you just lost 30 seconds of your handicap (not that you need one)- the Pup just got a year older!
Bring on the race to find a cure- Pup's gone on the attack (way too) early!
Pup is counting down the days, k's and donations- loving the riding!
Starting to chase some of you old fella's-
600 club:
(-woohoo!)
Monday: 88km (Church Point)
Tuesday: 50km (broken spoke/buckled wheel)
Wednesday: nothing- fixing the bike
Thursday: 101km (Eastern suburbs)
Friday: 97km (Eastern suburbs)
Saturday: 128km (Bobbin, Berowra, Gallston, Bobbin)
Sunday: 161km (Ettalong)
Total: 625km
I think the CAAD 9 has suffered more injuries this week then me- poor bike.
To round out the hatrick- somehow I've crept up to $6500 in donations... according to the team site, that has me in 4th place!
Finally- Denver, you just lost 30 seconds of your handicap (not that you need one)- the Pup just got a year older!
Bring on the race to find a cure- Pup's gone on the attack (way too) early!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
600km CLUB Crommo + Cougar
What weather we have been having. Sure is making the training harder this year than last. Having driven the route I know first hand the distances and elevations we will be challenged by on this years Tour from Melbourne to Sydney. It really is uphill riding from Melb - Sydney! Can't wait to ride it the other way one of these years.
A huge congratulations to Crommo for clicking in to the 600km club without the constant support and camaraderie we Sydney TDC riders have from the likes of Phil, Mal, Maxie, The Ferges and others who can be relied on for training partners rain hail or shine.......well almost all the time.
Crommo recalled with me how he felt when he joined us on the second day of last years Tour from Surfers to Ballina..................he was a 'Hurtin Unit' as I think he put it. With that feeling stuck in his mind he has consistently ridden 450 - 550km each week since the beginning of the new year. Considering QLD has been under water for most of Jan/Feb that is a huge effort. Testimony to his training was his ease up each hill we encountered on our 300km weekend to Killcare. His dedication doesn't stop there as he has also been off the drink since December.........accounts for the 5kg's he has lost as well.
In our first 7 days on the tour we will clock up 800+ km..................................got to do the work now to enjoy it later.
Safe Riding everyone
A huge congratulations to Crommo for clicking in to the 600km club without the constant support and camaraderie we Sydney TDC riders have from the likes of Phil, Mal, Maxie, The Ferges and others who can be relied on for training partners rain hail or shine.......well almost all the time.
Crommo recalled with me how he felt when he joined us on the second day of last years Tour from Surfers to Ballina..................he was a 'Hurtin Unit' as I think he put it. With that feeling stuck in his mind he has consistently ridden 450 - 550km each week since the beginning of the new year. Considering QLD has been under water for most of Jan/Feb that is a huge effort. Testimony to his training was his ease up each hill we encountered on our 300km weekend to Killcare. His dedication doesn't stop there as he has also been off the drink since December.........accounts for the 5kg's he has lost as well.
In our first 7 days on the tour we will clock up 800+ km..................................got to do the work now to enjoy it later.
Safe Riding everyone
A leader by example
I thought I was pretty good clocking up a second 500km+ week's training for the year along with Phil Moret in what was one of the wettest Sydney weeks for years. Five of the six day's rides were wet, the soaking, sodden, sopping saturating kind of wet - damn wet.
But there's a guy who managed to clock up 635km in this wet. During this week, he dedicated one of those mornings to train and instruct an up-and-coming TDC cyclist. He headed out that day at 4.15am to squeeze in "the overs".
On his last ride for the week, he told me he was going to sit back in the pack and take it easy. And fair enough too. And he did ... for about 15 mins before he took the lead, and regularly lead the pack during a bone-drenching 215km ride. He stopped to repair other riders' punctures, he was with camera in hand, riding ahead, stopping to take shots of the team, and then riding back to the pack, offering subtle advice to riders on riding technique and bunch riding etiquette... and the list could go on and on.
A huge effort Geoff Cougar Coombes - inspirational stuff made all the more remarkable in what were very bleak weather conditions for cycling.
But there's a guy who managed to clock up 635km in this wet. During this week, he dedicated one of those mornings to train and instruct an up-and-coming TDC cyclist. He headed out that day at 4.15am to squeeze in "the overs".
On his last ride for the week, he told me he was going to sit back in the pack and take it easy. And fair enough too. And he did ... for about 15 mins before he took the lead, and regularly lead the pack during a bone-drenching 215km ride. He stopped to repair other riders' punctures, he was with camera in hand, riding ahead, stopping to take shots of the team, and then riding back to the pack, offering subtle advice to riders on riding technique and bunch riding etiquette... and the list could go on and on.
A huge effort Geoff Cougar Coombes - inspirational stuff made all the more remarkable in what were very bleak weather conditions for cycling.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
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