CHATTIN’ CHAINS May 2015

30th Anniversary Tour Sunday, 3rd May 2015, just as the dawn sun was breaking through the clouds the Touring aspirants gathered at Burswood park, some having just loaded their luggage onto the truck, others trying, some successfully some not, to cadge a cup of coffee from the coffee van (in situ to cater for another crowd), all of us awaiting the formal 8 am send off.

Cr Rob Butler, Deputy Lord Mayor of Perth, addressed those assembled and spoke of his own various cycling experiences, Graham (Pres) then introduced Matt Fulton, CEO of WestCycle who spoke of the high regard our Club is held in within the cycling community with regard to safety and presence on the roads and paths. Pastor Murray Patchett of Lakeside Christian Church then blessed the peloton and wished us Godspeed and a safe journey, after which Cr Butler officially started the Ride. The riders headed off – after John solved his dilemma with his backpack and regained his composure (in other words, picked himself up off the ground and got on his bike) - along the bike path en route to the first scheduled stop of the Ride, 40k south to Zig Zag Road, Baldivis. Some of us, tho’, were a bit more laden up than others, and then there were those who weren’t sure which way was south. Our unofficial ride starter, Michelle, rang the bell, to start us rolling along.

Perth to Busselton

Commemorative Bicycle Tour

Sunday 3rd May, 2015 to

Thursday 7th May, 2015

Yes, we’re touring.

We all made it for morning tea, welcomed by Thea and her band of helpers – truck driver Neville, bus driver Eric, tour organiser Delys with overseer Ross.

And then on to Pinjarra and our overnight destination Sir Ross McLarty Park: 93k in all. The weather was brisk and threatening for the morning early start but, though one heavy shower caught some of the peloton just after morning tea, we all arrived dry. The route was slightly undulating early on and a slight mishap was reported of three lady riders getting in the mix and ending up on the ground – which was not in Val, Liz and Marg’s plans for Day 1 - and wasn’t pleasant, resulting in one broken helmet and grazed elbow, one bump on the head and sore shoulder and two very large inner thigh haematomas from the cross and handle bars – Ouch!!

The group of six taking the Canning Bridge to Mandurah train option had a very pleasant, uneventful flat 26k ride to meet up with the main peloton for a rewarding lunch at Pinjarra Bakery where startled diners were temporarily blinded by our Kevin’s psychedelic socks.

Meanwhile, out at camp, we knew if the rain stayed away that afternoon we could tent on the footy oval, just had to be careful of pegs into reticulation. Otherwise we had to go to higher ground on the cricket oval, which was a long way from the showers and loos. Thankfully the footy oval held its own and nobody punctured the retic. The ladies CUBICLE-less showering facilities were enhanced by Maurie and Freda’s plastic installations – who’s bashful? Next stop do away with the plastic and let it all hang out.

Of course, we did get some rain in the evening but by then we were happily ensconced in the bar for Happy Hour with a beer or wine to whet our whistles and embellish our day’s adventures. Our esteemed IP Webmaster David dressed for dinner (very nice) but the rest of us went casual.

The evening’s entertainment duo Nev and Brian of the much sought after “N&B Revue” stayed with the day’s theme – farms with ducks ducking, dogs dogging, rams ramming and bulls bulling – very apt and with much hilarity all round.

Just checking we’re where we think we are.

Alarmingly, whilst we were all jollifying, Dennis and John’s tent sprung a few leaks, so new billets were sought; John found shelter safe and dry in the bike hall and Dennis charmed his way into somebody else’s tent.

Day 2 dawned a bit bleak, necessitating donning of rainwear .

The wind was a howling southwester – not nice. We had 3.8k of Highway into a head wind, then turned off for a pleasant 6k along Old Bunbury Road but we then turned south again through the pastures of Waroona and met the wind head on once more. The rain had stopped but not many took their rain gear off – it was too cold. We ploughed on, destination Harvey, with 35kmh winds gusting to 45 kmh, for another supposed 16k, desperate for that cuppa and victuals, all our hopes temporarily dashed as the 16k turned to 21k ‘cos the trailer had had to relocate. But the coffee was hot and the food scrumptious; the catering mob did us proud.

Fed and watered - Now we’re all smiles.

Pretty good tucker, huh?

Strong winds, nah; nothing like a few laps of the paddock!

On the road again with a guiding hand and words of encouragement, heading for Yarloop 40k or so away.

You can do it, mate! It’s not far now.

Neville practising his N&B Revue flash-dance routine

Brian of N&B Revue with tonight’s wardrobe change

Yarloop is a heritage precinct town, the history of which was evident as we passed the Wooden Gazebo with its historical silhouettes and the Steam Workshop and Museum. Those who lunched in the town were able to cycle the 2.5k Heritage Trail with its replica buildings of times past. The wind had not abated during morning tea but our direction had changed for the better and over the next 40k we were able to more appreciate our surrounds, and lively chatter (rather than curses) could be heard for the first time that day.

Most of the day’s route was gently undulating with a 2.4% climb coming into Yarloop pretty much the only heart pumper, and, of course the decline was super fast.

Mad Mazzie’s Mottley Molls.

Tall stories among the tall timbers at Yarloop

Harvey was sunny if not warm. There was not much shelter on the hockey oval but the facilities were excellent – a nice long verandah for tents, first come first served, a basketball court perimeter to store our bikes & hot showers WITH CUBICLES.

Wot d’ya reckon – just a quick whack!

Just a short ride into town to the best café, the Lemongrass Fusion owned by a fellow cyclist – as attested to by the décor.

Sightseeing was the order of the afternoon; some with a shoe fettish shopped; others strolled through the Heritage Rose Garden and Memorial Park but we were all back at camp to assemble in the dining hall for Happy Hour and stories, the lines between fact and fiction blurring somewhat as the evening progressed. Lucy’s lovely ladies provided a sumptuous evening meal which we leisurely lingered over until it was time for the evening’s entertainment. (Of course, we still had last night’s brain-draining questionnaire to mull over, too, before the Bunbury 4 pm cut-off.) The question on everyone’s lips, though: Is the N&B troupe in the house? Wowee! we’re in luck again: one final performance, standing room only.

It was definitely a five star act, wardrobe mistresses and artistes alike; so very comical, and the climax side-splittingly funny. And then we gradually drifted back to our tents, etc.

You want me to do what?? Take your clothes off!

Do you know what he wants me to do? – take his clothes off !!

Lucy’s Lovely Ladies BUT the evening was not over:

“Is it a jet plane?” “A tornado?” “What is raining down on our tent?” OMG, no. The jet-powered oval sprinklers have come on and we’re all bedded down for the night. Yep – you guessed it: Kerry’s tent was just millimetres from a sprinkler; Yvonne’s just centimetres. Reg literally rose to the occasion, taking his life in his hands (feet, really) and stood on the sprinkler to try to smother it until help came in the form of Steve who took over, others having alerted the Shire to our dilemma, and after a half an hour’s drenching, calm was restored, Kerry was bailed out and relocated in John’s tent for the night (he having slept through the drama and wondered why there was a woman in his tent next morning) and the rest of the pyjama-clad onlookers crawled back into sleeping bags.

Anyone for a moonlight paddle.

Chivalry at its best.

Day 3 saw us off to Bunbury. (Tonight’s the night of our

Questionnaire finale. Exciting stuff.) The sun was warm, the winds balmy and the day’s route planned along flat roads through dairy country of Wokalup, Benger and Brunswick.

Big Al modelling the Tour Jersey - and very svelte, too.

Dammit! Why am I on the wrong side of the fence?

I just snuck in for a quick snack – ssshh!

Easyriding but we’re still turning left for coffee & cake

After morning tea we headed west towards the coast and Australind where we lunched at any one of the plentiful eateries. The route would now be very different, riding along suburban pathways, across driveways and past shop fronts.

But Graham forgot his bike and had to run back for it. There’s always one.

And there goes the luggage. Who needs a truck.

Our essential and sometimes life-saving Sag Wagon. We pedalled on into Bunbury and were welcomed at the Footy Club and shown where to erect Tent City, & we did it all again.

Do I really want to do this. And then it was time to test that female bravado: Ladies showers with NO CUBICLES AND NO PLASTIC - sexxyyy!! (Don’t know

about sexy but it was certainly breezy.)

Freda’s Feisty Frauleins

What too much fresh air can do to you.

Colin & Company

Those of us who hadn’t lunched at Australind cycled into Bunbury after “tent erection” for a snack and sight-see.

Is that blood on the forehead, nose; is it mud on the helmet ?? Two spokes, wheel buckle, brake re-adjustment – bummer. So - a person spotted sidling into the Bunbury Medical Centre – was it forehead, nose, the helmet or the wheel to be checked? Whatever – “keep up the good patchwork” was the prognosis. That evening’s Happy Hour rollicked along for its usual hour and a bit, with much table and yarn swapping. We dined upstairs in safety to make way for the Ladies Darts Competition, the start of which was imminent – yep, definitely a good move getting a glimpse of the throwing arms of the ladies.

And Freda (of Freda’s Feisty Frauleins) took out the questionnaire prize – well done Mrs Mepham.

Day 4 dawned – well, I think we beat the dawn. After brekkie

(what was that grey stuff?) the shadows were still long. We were now nearing the end and today was “Chris’s Ride” in memory of our friend and colleague Chris Muller, Chris having reconnoitred today’s route into Busselton. Some groups found it a bit tricky getting out of Bunbury; a few

did their own sightseeing; others forged a new route; others liked some parts of the route so much that they repeated it not once but twice; others tried going around in circles. Great fun!! We were headed for Busselton via Capel and Ludlow. The weather was idyllic for cycling. The path along the oceanfront was spectacular and

then up through leafy Tuart Walk bike path and on to Dalyellup. The country lush with lots of lovely gardens and creeks. The roads, initially, properties we rode past through Gelorup were all green and were anything but flat and there were a couple of 2.4%-ers, but ‘cos when you struggle up the good times are when coming down the other side, it was all worth it and the route was absolutely tops. Morning tea at Stratham was just short of cordon bleu as usual but we needed to be up and off ASAP to make our Busselton destination in time.

There was time, though, to snap our Octogenarians all together for the first time.

John, Elizabeth, Joan, Jeanette, Nick, Warren, Doug Once back on the coastal strip through Ludlow the road flattened out and we were able to zoom through the Tuart Forrest into Geographe Bay in good time.

A couple of Geographe Bay Cycling Club members cycled out to meet us at Ludlow but had to drop off early and head back to town.

Rob Tognela, President, Geographe Bay Cycling Club Gillian Dixon (former O55CC member but now GBCC) joined Rob, GBCC President (who had been with us from the Sunday start) and they stayed with us for the ride into the jetty carpark where we were given directions for the night’s billets.

Our Octogenarians leading the peloton into Busselton. Most of us were booked at the caravan park, though some had succumbed to fatigue and wet gear and forwent their tents for a warm, cosy, dry chalet – smart people.

I’m thinking “The End Is Nigh” – forget “Thrifty”. Kent Street Bakery beckoned a few, of course, and others were sighted at The Dome. In the afternoon the weather came over a bit drizzly but we got our luggage out and our tents up and our bikes in the truck out of the rain. Happy Hour and dinner were booked at the Bowling Club, and the bar was open nice and early, the price of drinks pleasantly surprisingly easy on the pocket. As we were walking to and from the venue, it didn’t matter if some of us over-imbibed a little, except, of course, for those hardy souls preparing to ride back to Perth the next morning.

The farewell dinner was a grand affair, much work having gone into the table settings and cake arranging. Commendations, too, to the cooks and kitchen and wait staff having to time their service between all our speech-making. The Mayor of Busselton, Cr Ian Stubbs and wife Rhonda were honoured guests, as were Rob Tognela, President of the Georgraphe Bay Cycling Club, and his partner Noela. John Yeats did his usual class act as MC and the jokes were a hit.

Graham (Pres) thanked everyone concerned and presented the prizes and awards to the lucky and deserving recipients.

Importantly, of course, there was special mention made of Delys and Ross Howlett’s incomparable dedication to ensuring that the Tour was the great success that it was.

Hon Pres expressing our overwhelming thanks to Delys & Ross. At the Presentation of Awards and Prizes part of the evening it was evident how fortunate we were to have such generous sponsors & the recipients were very pleased with their trophies. Sincere and heartfelt “Thank You” extended to:

CITY OF BUSSELTON MALAGA CYCLES PEPPERMINT PARK CARAVAN PARK GEOGRAPHE RESORT ERIC AND RONELE GARD COLIN MELLOWS VICKI RICHARDS ROSS AND DELYS HOWLETT

And to the Cycle Touring Association for the loan of their bicycle trailer. Then there was the morning after. We breakfasted grandly, packed up efficiently and departed gradually – with the exception, of course, of those hardy and energetic fellow members who rode all the way (or part of) back to Perth.

THE END

Chefs extraordinaire Tom & Dave and Crew

SOME PHOTOS NEED NO EXPLANATION –

THEY TELL THEIR OWN STORY