What a Year!!

It has been a very big year for the Coffee Grinders in 2013.  The organised rides are always well attended and numbers have been steadily increasing throughout the year.  There have been impressive individual participation and performance in road & track racing, mountain biking, and triathlons.  As a group we have participated in events such as the Noosa 85/160, Brissie to the Bay, Bike for Life (Rocky), and our very own 235km Great Divide Gran Fondo.  The Brissie to the Bay is a charity ride of MS Qld and the 14 member TSCG team raised a phenomenal $8447, the 17th highest amount out of 340 teams!!

This year saw the formation of the Port Curtis Bicycle User Group, which our own Graeme and Craig have kindly donated their time to become committee members of.  In August, a large contingent of us (including our families) travelled into Gladstone to attend a community forum with the Council that was organised by the PCBUG.  I think it is fair to say that without our efforts to attend, it would have been embarrassingly small audience with the Council.  Well done to those that participated.

I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Mark and Craig in organising rides such as the Thursday Roll, weekend rides, Calliope & Boyne Valley rides, the Gran Fondo, etc, etc.  Mark has also organised Monday, Wednesday, Friday morning ocean swimming and Wednesday afternoon running, for anyone else out there that doesn't have a wife/husband or family!  The Tannum triathlon is on this Sunday, if you are near the surf club keep an eye out for a number of Grinders that are participating.  Thanks also to the TSCG volunteers who are doing marshalling work for the cycle leg. 

Before closing out with some photos and awards from the Christmas Party, I would like to thank Jody (and Mark might have helped a bit) for organising the clothing purchases throughout the year.  There have been 3 orders placed this year which is a fantastic effort.  It's thrilling to see our jersey being worn at triathlons in London, on the podium at the State Track titles and MTB races, and on the boys in Melbourne.

It's been a fantastic 2013 year and we can look forward to a bigger and better 2014.  Thank-you to all of the people that we leave at home while we are out riding.  Have a happy and safe Christmas and New Year. 

Now to the awards:

Greatest Stirrer - Bloody Wayne : no wonder Kaye is the way she is.
Biggest Scar - Ronnie : she'll be right, it's just a scratch.
Best Trick Gone Wrong - The Fox : could've died! a couple of nurses, no resus but they took photos!
Best Female Crash - Robin : more metal than Robocop.
Best Male Crash - Wentzel : Weipa Wipeout
Crankiest Rider - Kaye : do not fire off a snot rocket near her!!
Closest Near Death - Marty : sticks and stone may ... may kill me.
Outstanding Performance - Dylan : no easy feat to get picked up by an NRS team
Best Dressed - Daryl : the King of Bling
Biggest Motor - Eagle 1 : the big diesel just keeps purring along, always pulling the little pink caboose.
Most Supportive Rider - Garry : never leaves a soldier behind
Best Support Vehicle - Poppy : why ride when you can have air-conditioning?
Most Flat Tyres - Schalk : must have shares in South African tyre company
 
And a couple that I'll throw in for good measure:
The Lone Ranger - Mark : "I'll meet you at the highway"
Mother Duck - Jodie : took good care of young ones, until they dropped her for a faster bunch

2013 Xmas Gathering

What did you do Daryl?  It made Wayne's eyes water!!

 

The speed men