Big Kids Camp
– the best kept secret about the JDRF Ride for a Cure Weekend.
2007 Ride Report by Cath Stephensen
Cath has been type one diabetic for over twenty five years and a member of the HypoActive
Murray to Moyne relay challenge. In 2007 she signed up for the Ride for the Cure challenge not
only for herself but for her two brothers and sister who also have type one diabetes.
WOW! What a weekend. Do I start at the finish or at the beginning? I’ve just come from watching stage 5 of the Tour Down Under, and seeing Robbie McEwan win the final sprint to the line – Exhilaration & adrenaline to the max! I LOVE watching racing of any kind, I’m an armchair competitor and delight in trying to outguess the participants strategies, before they even know they’re doing it. But who am I kidding? I also revel in my brushes with fame – Hey I use the same orthotics specialist as Simon Gerrans, I’ve seen his signed letters of commendation in the waiting room and his jersey framed on the wall. Watching a live stage of the Tour with Gerrans leading the 2nd last lap and McEwan winning is something else!
I wasn‘t sure what to expect with my first `Ride for a Cure’, but I certainly didn’t expect the level of comfort and hospitality that I received. On arrival at Adelaide airport, I was greeted by a very cheerful Jamie and Katrina, who guided us through baggage collection and bike retrieval, shepherding us to the coaches that were taking us to the Novotel Barossa. On arrival at the Novotel, our bikes were simply handed over to the Bernie Jones Cycles mechanics, to be reassembled, and we picked them up when we were ready. Then onto registration, from where I came out laden with two ride jerseys, one pair of niks, a new backpack and two caps, new waterbottle, snack packs of muesli bars, biscuits and dip, blood plum paste to go with cheese and a 1.25 litre bottle of water. On the way to the predinner drinks and dinner, I noted the hotel swimming pool, the massage room and the bar, for later reference. At dinner I found myself in a room of very happy people, all mingling and being noisy and cheerful. The best kept secret was starting to dawn on me. This weekend isn’t about the ride….
Ride day was cool, and a little drizzly – perfect for tough riding. I had fortunately registered to ride with Team Accu-Chek who provided us with a very snazzy team shirt & niks. I set off chasing the leaders, and shortly found myself all alone. Soon however, I was joined by Alex and Jan and Pam and two riders from The Fat Boys club who rode with us and coached us and coaxed us and formed us into a decent bunch getting us travelling along nicely through those rolling Barossa Hills. We managed a creditable 25kph for the first 80k. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to maintain the pace for another 4 hours over the second 80k, so gracefully retired at the lunch break. Alex and Jan and Pam continued to the 122 k mark, but were picked up by the sweep as they had fallen behind the pace required to complete the course. What a sterling effort. This is no Beach Rd. Ride. When I went to lunch, I found I was not the only 160k rider who had pulled out. I was joined in defeat by 29 year old Nathan, a top level AFL player, (and a few others). So I didn’t feel too bad! I felt even better when the heavens opened and the rain became torrential and a cool southerly change swept in. So I rode back to the Novotel, luxuriated in a hot bath for a while, had a little nap, then went and had a massage. Now the party really began. The Saturday night dinner was held at the Jacobs Creek Visitors Centre, a delightfully modern building with huge floor to ceiling glass all around giving stunning views of the vineyards and the Barossa Hills. Yes we ended up dancing, yes we ended up at midnight back at the bar at the Novotel, while some went into Tanundra and danced the night away. I crept off to bed at 1am. I won’t say I was seedy on Sunday morning, but I did enjoy a late and rather quiet breakfast, keeping to myself by burying my nose in the paper. Then onto the buses and off to Adelaide for stage 5 of the Tour Down Under, where we had security passes to the JDRF Corporate tent. How fantastic! Food and wine supplied, great company, great racing and Robbie winning the stage! Whoo Hoo! Funny thing, I slept all the way home on the plane and don’t remember much after leaving the corporate tent
Ahh, I think I’ll just have to put my name down for this again next year. Anyone care to
join me?