sunday - no more training

today is the first day i can safely say my training is now over.  there is nothing more i can do. it's not like cramming for an exam, i actually need to rest for the next 4 days before we blast off!

Quality Putt Putt

Way back in October of this year a few fortunate ones of the Tour de Cure family enjoyed a morning of Putt Putt with some of Camp Quality's finest.
Among the contenders were the ever competitive Cougar, Mal, Kate and Josh, with a cameo from duo Rick Horvat and fiance Ellen. Slowing up each hole was the Hollier duo, who should probably got in some practice before the tournament of all tournaments in Putt Putt.

We should not however discount our younger rivals and their golfing skills. However it was the seasoned veterans that struggled on the twisting courses and undulating hills. Our young foes showed skill and poise above their years when facing a tough par shot and the less then pleasing face of Mr. McBride willing them to miss.

Despite the fierce competition that ensued on the putt putt course, there was a grander purpose to the morning, and this was to present Camp Quality with $85,000 to go towards their National Camp to be proudly supported by Tour de Cure.

This $85,000 will go directly to the formation of a National Camp for those children and their families suffering from Cancer. Camp Quality will use this money to formulate the structure, location and timing of the Camp to occur in 2009.

A huge thanks to all those that came and were gracious in defeat. And to the continued effort of Camp Quality in making laughter the best medicine, Tour de Cure gladly laughs all the way to the bank with them.

Around the Bay in a day

Saturday October 18 signalled the start of an action packed weekend of cycling in Melbourne and a small group of TDCers were there to soak it up and 'fly the flag'.

With many of the pro teams in town for the last stage of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, there was a real buzz in the air !

Team CSC was already well positioned with both the yellow and green jerseys on the backs of CSC riders Stuart O'Grady and Matt Goss in the lead up to the finale and given that they are a major sponsor of Tour de Cure, we were there to cheer them on.

Thanks also to CSC, Mal Heath and I had the pleasure of participating in a group ride with the CSC pro team on the Saturday morning and this was a unique chance to meet legends such as Stuart O'Grady and Brad McGee. We met at the Park View Hotel at 10.30am and after being kitted out in CSC gear, we set out for a few leasurely laps of Albert Park before arriving at the Belgian Beer cafe for a ales and some lunch. It was all great fun and we even got to catch up with some of the CSC staff that joined us for sections of this year's tour from Melbourne to Sydney. Barry and Sarah, in particular were in good form.....Sarah showing off her new bike as well !

Needless to say, Stuey went on to win the Jayco Herald Sun Tour and the champagne corks were flying ! Saturday night celebrations would have been a blast and even more 'over the top' because this was the last race for Brad McGee's professional career. Having enjoyed a long and very accomplished career, Brad now hangs up his 'cleats' but will take over the job of Directeur Sportif for the new team. Good luck Brad !

So it was a great day and after a nice meal at the London Hotel in Richmond we returned to the Hotel for an early...ish night's sleep before tackling 'Around the Bay in a day' the next morning.

Our thanks again to Choice Hotels, who generously provided accomodation at the Comfort Hotel Elizabeth Tower over the weekend. This was the second year in a row that we stayed at the Elizabeth Tower and Carol was once again a great host. Choice Hotels continue to be a strong supporter of Tour de Cure and this is very much appreciated.

It was hard to get out of bed at 4.30am Sunday morning, but once we got over the initial stupor, we were ready to roll ! Who said that the carbs from last night's beers would help !

The weather was a bit overcast but not cold enough to wear winter gear....phew. We were pretty happy about that as we headed down Swanston St to meet up with Dan and Mark who are contemplating riding in the 2009 TDC. So, off we went...the 5 of us.

We had opted for the 210km Sorrento return trip this year so instead of crossing the bay and returning to Melbourne via Geelong, as we had done in the past, we turned around and returned via the coast road.

It was an absolutely fantastic ride ! No punctures...thankyou Victoria, your roads are beautiful and so much better than what we are used to in Sydney.

After lunch and a coffee in Sorrento, we set off for the return trip and what a trip it was ! We hooked up with a couple of good 'bunches' who set a very respectable speed of approx 40-45km/h for most of the way. We were back in St Kilda by about 12.30pm. Dan made a great suggestion for lunch and we stopped at 'Racers' cafe for eggs, toast and coffee..beauuutiful ! You really get an appreciation for Melbourne's strong cycling culture as this cafe was dedicated to cyclists and had large hooks from which to hag your bike plus a replica of Cadels Ridley Noah proudly displayed above the counter.

Bonjour Tour de Cure

As any keen cyclist would agree, the place to be in July every year is France. The Tour de France is in full swing, the weather is great and the cycling is awesome.

I had the great priviledge of spending 4 weeks of holiday in Southern France and Spain this year, with my family. Of course I packed my bike and covered over 700km of Spanish coastline and French mountain passes. Naturally, I was wearing TDC kit and it was amazing how much interest it received !

Obviously the French don't understand the word 'cure' so the TDC was quickly renamed the 'Tour de guerrissance' during my stay !



My family comes from the small town of Mazamet in the Languedoc region of France and it is nestled in a valley surrounded by 'La Montagne Noir' or 'The black Mountain'. This is the home town of famous French cyclist Lauren Jalabert (JaJa) and it is pretty obvious why he was such a good climber !!! Lots of big bloody mountains.


My 'standard' ride was a 50km loop including the Pic de Nore which is at an altitude of 1100m. 25km up and 25km down !!!
I must say that riding up there in the early morning, with occasional encounters with deer is truly amazing and the view from the summit beautiful on a clear day.



Our first visit to the Tour de France was the stage finish in Foix. It was a great day and in particular because Cadel was still in yellow !! My kids had a ball but were confused why the Tour de Cure wasn't riding ....ha !!!!










Of particular note, I made a visit to the famous Mont Ventoux not far from Avignon in the Provence region of France. Dubbed the 'Giant of Provence' I set out on the 22km climb culminating at the summit some 2000metres high.
There were literally hundreds of riders from all corners of the world making their 'pilgrimage' to this truly iconic mountain.
A daunting sight was the monument to Tom Simpson who died in the 60's while climbing Mont Ventoux in the Tour de France.

After a quick stop to pay hommage to Tom, I completed the ride at the summit. To my surprise and extreme enjoyment, there is a lolly market there for all those riders needing a sugar fix. Let me tell you, you definately need it !! I had my fill and then set out on the terrifying decent ! While I clocked 83km/h this was pretty lame compared to fellow TDC ride Mike Bolt who reached 97km/h the day before !!

That night I returned to Nimes for the Tour de France stage finish and met up with TDC riders Gary Bertwistle, Mike Bolt, Denver Beven and also Simon Martin and Shane who were all doing various trips to follow the Tour. We had a great dinner together and thought about our mates in Oz freezing to death on their early morning rides......ughh.

The rest of the trip was a mix of great family time, eating, drinking and soaking up the sun. Not that it has anything to do with riding but sunflowers are part of the 'essence' of Southern France in Summer and this shot of my son Max really captures it all.

So now I'm back. The tan is wearing off, I've put on 4 kilos and it's back to work. I had my first early morning ride from Maiseys today......brrrr.

Adieu la France, a la prochaine !

Trans Alping Steve Davies

Whilst we were absorbed by a thrilling Tour de France and Cadel’s superhuman efforts riding against the sheer might of Team CSC, another enthralling cycle race loomed nearby in Europe over some impressive Alps.

Tour de Cure Sydney rider, Steve Davies, teamed up with MTB mate Richard Paine of Singapore under Davies' aptly named company Think Global to compete in the gruelling Jeantex Bike Transalp 2008 from 19 – 26 July.



Resplendent in Tour de Cure cycling kit, Davies and Paine and 1,098 other riders set off from Fussen, Germany, taking on the majestic mountain ranges of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy, before rolling into Riva del Garda, Italy one week later. They covered 600km, a vertical gain of over 21,000m with Think Global's riders spending 45 hours and fifty minutes each in the saddle. Think Painful!

By invitation only, 550 teams from around the world competed in five race categories. Think Global finished 65th in the Master Men's category and 268th overall.

Congratulations Steve and Richard. A great effort and fantastic result.

Enjoy a well earned rest boys. Steve take some joy in knowing your TDC HTFU credits have now been topped up... to the max.

Splashing out - THORPIE helps the TDC

A Very kind and gracious Ian Thorpe took time out from his busy pre Beijing Games trip to share his secrets of acheivement for the upcoming Day of Inspiration.

To have accomplished so much and remain humble and down to earth is truly inspiring.

Thanks Ian!

We know those who attend the Day of Inspiration will appreciate your time and the pearls of wisdom you shared.

To hear what Ian had to say be at the Day of Inspiration. Click on Events in the Tour de Cure home page to book your tickets now.

All Fired up!

On this morning's very cold and crisp training ride we saw what happens to a Porsche when you forget to ash outside the window on these cold days.

Happy to report that the Driver (of German origin) was safe and already on the phone to his insurance company as we rode up to ask if he was alright............hmmmm!








DON'T SMOKE AND DRIVE................it's just not worth it........or is it....hmmmm