TDC 08' Reflection

This is the email that i sent to the members of the 2008 Tour de Cure. I thought it would be great to share with the entire TDC family a few of the highlights as well as a few special thank you's.

I'd like to take the chance to thank everyone involved in the 2008 Tour de Cure for an amazing experience. Coming into the tour as a relative unknown I was instantly accepted and I cannot thank you all enough for making me feel so welcome. The Tour is an experience that has definitely changed my life. Not only has it put things into perspective but it has given me a greater appreciation for the good people in the world (that's all of you). The final couple of days allowed me to think a bit about what the Tour represents and what the outcomes were. Although the fundraising outcomes were nothing short of spectacular, there were a couple of highlights that really showed the effect that the Tour has had on people.
Bowling and Putt Putt with the Camp Quality Kids was for me close to the best part of the Tour. What really hit home was that unless you asked, you couldn't tell who the effected children were. They all had the same great attitudes and zest for life and deserved to be here just as much as the next kid. I think we have all been given a great lesson in life by these kids, that no matter how bad things may seem, you are only as happy or as sad as you choose to be.
However, it wasn't just the kids that made the tour special. There are a few people who deserve special thanks.
Firstly to James, David and Unit. Thank you all for so publicly sharing your stories. You are the real reasons for the Tour and are what gave me inspiration during the though times. It takes a strong person to get up in front of a crowd and share what is a very personal story and I will never forget those moments. I feel honored to have been a part of your Tour de Cure and am proud to call you all friends.
Secondly to the riders who toiled through the toughest of days. Coming into the tour with a very abbreviated training lead up I personally felt the wrath of both Victoria's and NSW hills. Although I neatly hid my pain under my cool, calm and collected exterior, there were many times where I was most definitely in the hurt basket. Saying that, there were many other riders that did it a lot tougher than me. There were days that riders were forced to dig deep and it was these moments that provided inspiration for the rest of us to keep pushing on.
Thirdly to the support team. You guys are what makes the Tour what it is. Without your incredible efforts we would still be somewhere in Victoria with no money in the bank, no direction and frozen to the bone.
If someone were to ask me what the hardest job on Tour was I'd definitely have to say a support team member. While us riders had all the cycling to do (with sore legs and bums to show for it), the support crew had all the thinking to do (with blank faces and massive yawns to show for it). I was very happy to get to bed at the end of every day, while I knew that the support crew still had many late night hours ahead of them to ensure that when we woke up everything was ready to go.
Yesterday someone asked me how we all came together to form the Tour and it got me to thinking about the common link between everyone. While Gary, Geoff and Sam were the Tour founders, somewhere along the line each member of the Tour decided to give a piece of themselves to the cause. As Gary put it, Coming together is a Challenge, Working together is an Achievement, Staying together is Success. (sorry if I misquoted) The success of the Tour has really relied on each and every member and the results are a testament to the type of people involved. After some consideration I answered the initial question of the common link with that the Tour attracts a certain type of person. While we all have very different jobs, lives and personalities, we all share the desire to change the lives of those less fortunate than us. Its no wonder we all got along so well when you consider that the foundations on which we base our lives are the same. I feel absolutely honored to have been a part of the 2008 Tour and to have shared the experience with such a high caliber of person.
All that remains is to look forward to the upcoming TDC events with anticipation of a reunion with all of the out of state (and country) members.

Best Wishes to you all,
Garrick Transell
Proud to be a 2008 Tour de Cure Member