Order Number 3 Open!

Still can't believe it but we're opening another order for Grinder gear! The usual kit will be available with a special edition jersey coming out in the next week or so that will certainly appeal to those wanting to be seen! Please contact me or someone that knows me if you're keen or just after more information. I'll confirm pricing and update the blog in the coming week.

Saturday Calliope Ride

The ride on Saturday from Calliope wasn't the biggest turnout we've had but the numbers were still good with a few new faces from Gladstone that certainly bolstered the speed of the hundy ride! I think I think I heard just over 34 average? The 60 group was more of a gentleman's paced ride and 2 groups formed early on splitting to 3 but reforming back to 2 at halfway. Thanks to Wentzel and Brad for waiting for Jody and I at the turnaround and towing us home.

The riders certainly came back in drips and drabs but it was a good session at the brew shop with plenty of discussion. The temperature was still a little cool at the brew shop with some looking very cold even though it was mid morning by the time the rides were finished. This will only get worse over the next few rides.....brrrrrrrr!

 

Sunday Morning BBQ a HIT!

This morning we held our BBQ to raise funds for the Grinder MS Ride team and I'm wrap to say the team  raised $450!!! A special thanks to Garry and Marian for donating all the food and more importantly their time to prepare and cook us all a huge feed; Awesome. I don't know about you guys but I was drooling more than once and the coffee was great as well ;-)
On a separate note it was also a great opportunity for the families of a lot of the regular riders to come along and meet up and put some names to faces.
Also a thanks to the 'Northerners' that ventured south to help support the great cause.

Tannum Blue Loop

Finally we will have some new road to add to our extremely limited choice out here at Boyne/Tannum. Somewhat landlocked by roadworks we don't have the best of it even on a good day. I expect they will finish laying the hotmix tomorrow so we shouldn't have to wait long now. I think we'll pick up about 2.5 k's of silky smooth riding in a loop.

Minimum Safe Passing Distance

 Most of you would already know about this but in case you don't there's an E-Petition to make it law for motorists to leave a safe distance between them and a cyclist when overtaking.

An extract from the document -

Queensland citizens draws to the attention of the House deficiencies in the current overtaking laws in that motorists may come dangerously close to a cyclist while overtaking and at considerable speed, posing an undeniable risk and yet breach no law.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to enact legislation to modify existing regulations requiring that a motorist maintain a minimum safe distance of one point five metres between their vehicle and a cyclist whilst overtaking, with a thirty metre exemption at intersections to allow for filtering.

The petition is now available online:

http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-assembly/petitions/e-petition?PetNum=2109

Tour De Chaplain Camping

July 20 sees the Tour De Chaplain out in the Boyne Valley again this year. The ride starts and finishes at Futter Creek between Calliope and Nagoorin. We're looking at camping there for the weekend if anyone is interested feel free to join us. We'll be there Friday night so we're there ready in the morning and so we can make a weekend of it. It should be great to do the ride and put the feet up straight away after doing the hundy. I'm guessing there will be a decent crowd so it should be a pretty good Saturday night :) Of course if you're super keen and do a roll on Sunday morning....after Saturday night i don't think it will be a popular choice....Be warned it will be bloody freezing out there at that time of the year.....More details to come so stay tuned.

Calliope Ride is Back!

It would seem the Calliope ride will be a regular ride from now on with great feedback from many people. First ride will be May 25 departing the IGA at 7am as the weather out that way is very unforgiving during the cooler months. Distances will be 60 and 100 at this stage unless something changes.

Brissy to the Bay Breakfast

To help raise funds for the Grinder Team doing the Brissy to the Bay ride next month we will be having a breakfast down at the Esplanade after the Sunday ride on the 26th of May. More details to come but it will be a decent feed with plenty of coffee of course. More details to come but pencil it into your calendar.

CWA Meeting & Bloody Wayne

Tonight's roll started out with a couple of old women on the front with the pace very steady for the first lap. Once they rolled off it was a scenario we are all too familiar with when 'Bloody Wayne' gets on the front :)
Once he was once discarded Scotty and yours truly steered the bus home at a much more sedate pace I'm sure everyone was happy with. ;-)
A good turn out with about 18 or so in the end doing the roll with quite a few regulars MIA. Great sight to see Kev there once again doing the roll in his winter woollies.

Sunday Wrap

What a great turn out for the Sunday ride with about 16 or so in the end if the ladies group was added into the mix. Of course Scotty applied the heat as he usually does early on and the group soon broke into 2. Marty and Steve jumped on and it was a solid pace from there pretty much to the end of the ride. The fire at the Smelter threw a spanner in the works and the usual loop wasn't completed. A great ride and a great roll up at the brew shop afterwards. Just imagine if the Menace, Mike, Daryl and the fox were there as well!

OZ IRONMAN 2013

This year there were a few locals (that I know) head south to experience Ironman once again and 1 for the first time. I'll just post up the times and some brief comments for now.
The G showed great improvement over his NZ effort (not hard mind you) and came in with a 12:42. A typical G swim and very measured ride saw him ready to make his move on the run. Well that's how it looked but it was not to be.
Ryan was set for a smoking time. All indicators were pointing to a very sharp time but a (and i'm sure he'll agree) disappointing swim time he was under the pump early. A great ride (well i think it was) had him back in contention for a 10 hour race if the running gods smiled on him. The run started out well but it quickly became apparent this wasn't going to be his day. 11:20  was on the timer when he ran under it. You have to feel for Ryan because he trained the house down for this race.
Cathy was the newbie and was very excited (understatement of the year) when we spoke to her the day before the event. Cath was in the water swimming for almost 2 hours before getting out on the bike. That's a huge effort. A steady bike saw her finish the ride in 7:08. Cath ran a solid marathon to finish the race in 14:43 and become an Ironman. Champion effort Cath.
There was another ex local Clem who raced and lets just say if he was a race horse you'd shoot him. Clem is one of those people that has natural talent, you know the ones all us ordinary folk hate because they just seem to do it easy :) Clem has had a checkered past with this distance and this year he really looked like qualifying for Kona; yes he's that good on his day. Anyway it was not to be with the wheels falling off during the bike. I have heard of unconfirmed reports of a small Asian man loitering near his bike in transition not long before the start of the race....I know he's signed up for Melbourne so maybe redemption awaits.
As I write this I know they are all at the Iroanman dinner and would be bouncing off the walls with excitement. All in all a fantastic effort by all.

More pics from Noosa