Passing Pandora- Home stretch

David Stephens leads Andy Bayliss up to the top of Pandora Pass.

Brian Birchall, Shane Paul and Tim Coates before descending from Pandora Pass.

Pandora's Pass

STAGE 17

Jack Gillard

Nardeen Hayden

Dunedoo to Coolah – Wednesday, March 24, 201051kms





A demanding day starting at 7.30am from the Dunedoo Hotel. While short the dirt roads had some heavy sand which claimed a number of riders.The four hour trek into Coolah was also over a panoramic mountain range, climbing some 400m in elevation from Dunedoo and then collapsing back to the valley floor with an invigorating 3km descent.Dave Stephens reached 73.3kmph in the descent.


“Good fun,” David Stephens said at the Coolah Central School where Nardeen Hayden gave another impressive safety talk on bike riding and the necessity to wear approved helmets.“He got me,” a laughing Mal Nash said.“I was almost 73kmph.”The big downhill was a rewarding end to a testing day where some of the dirt roads through local properties were capped in heavy sand.


Those sand parts claimed plenty of victims.


“I came down before the heavy sand,” Phil Stewart said at one of the drink breaks.


“Like a turtle on my back flapping around. Luckily I had Shane’o the medical man there just in case.”


John Mercer was another to come down in the sand while big Ken West said he fell twice.


At that stop Jack Gillard let loose his box of bocce balls for a quick game in the sand.From that break a number of riders walked their bikes for a few hundred metres until they reached more firm going.


“And you chose this route,” bus driver Brian Birchall radioed to ride organizer Barry Walton, who was struggling with the sand at one stage.“Baz’ arm came out in a one-fingered salute before a lilting voice replied over the CB “Always look on the right side of life”.


Then Bob Freeman’s voice arrowed out: “Westie’s down again.”


Luckily it wasn’t serious. A little further on and Baz warns Birch of a “water jump”.


“You need a snorkel,” asked a resting Tim Coates over the radio.


“A big one,” replied the metrognome.


Tim Coates was having a rest day to ensure his back and body would complete the final two legs, tomorrow’s 133km leg to Quirindi and Friday’s final 74km leg to Tamworth.


Coates has ridden the majority of the 1500km or so already covered on a Merida mountain bike given to him specially to ride.Tim, who is the president of the Tamworth Chamber of Commerce, Tamworth District Football Association and Tamworth Development Corporation, also runs Australian Training and Consulting (ATAC).He’s a busy man but delighted to be on the Mountain Bike Challenge.The Merida bike was given to him by one of his employees at ATAC, Geoff Tall.Tall’s stepson, Steve James, died tragically a few years ago.“He never got to ride it,” Tim said.“His mum said it would be fantastic if his bike could make the journey in support of such a great cause.”That bike has now travelled more than 1400km and will ride into Tamworth.One of the highlights for the riders has been the two school visits at Dunedoo and Coolah.Nardeen Hayden gave two interesting talks at both schools to some attentive and bright-eyed students.Her egg demonstrations were egcellent.At Dunedoo the principal was Peter Campbell, a former Pirate rugby union player from the early ‘80s in Tamworth.He has been there for about three years and loves his job in control of around 220 students.“The kids are great,” Peter Campbell said.“They love this type of thing.“We’ve had two other bike rides come through the last couple of years and the kids love talking to people about their bikes.”The school has a mufti day and gold coin donation and raises $231.They also, with the help of the local P&A, put on an afternoon tea.That night the local Lions Club hosts us for tea at the local Golf Club where another $680 is raised for the bike ride.

Nearing the end, almost

THE Barossa Valley to Tamworth Mountain Bike Challenge welcomed two new riders, Tracey Evans and Julie Lonergan to its 2010 epic yesterday.Team Rylstone, as they are known, joined in for a 90km leg along the Golden Highway. As of Dubbo, the riders had clocked up just over 91 hours since leaving Lyndoch (in the Barossa Valley) on Saturday, March 6.More than 1400 kms have been traversed with Tracey and Julie eager to join in.Tracey is a registered nurse in Rylstone and riding her third charity ride."Been on the last two September rides," she said of the regular seven day rides."Wanted to do these for personal reasons and the fitness", she said."They've been great, fantastic."Julie Lonergan runs a vineyard and guesthouse in Rylstone."I like cycling", she said in answer to why she is on the charity ride."And Mrs Evans invited me. I was a road cyclist though".Her previous racing experience stood her in good stead for yesterday's first leg.It's fun," she said."I did the September one last year. We've got three days now on this, gives you something to aim for".Yesterday's leg was a short for stage this writer. I completed just 6kms after riding 70kms the previous day. Arriving in Dubbo had never felt so good on Monday, after Rick Lavers, Bob Freeman and Mick McLoughlin ensured I climbed most hills.At one stage I had to walk one monster undulation with Bob Freeman carrying my bike the last 50 metres.Today is a short leg of about 60km through some dirt roads and over some big hills to Coolah from Dunedoo.I've ridden 592km so far. Another 8km would be nice.

STAGE 15 Peak Hill to Dubbo

90kms Left 7am arrived 1.30pm

Steve Warden going into Peak Hill

Nardeen Hayden

FOUR new riders – Nardeen Hayden Peter Rohr, David Stephens and Tony Farnham – joined the Barossa Valley to Tamworth Mountain Bike Challenge Sunday night.
Their first stage was a 90km trek that took in some country roads along the Newell Highway.
It also included plenty of dirt.
For Manilla’s Nardeen Hayden the charity ride is nothing new.
She’s been riding the charity and other long distance rides for a number of years.
“This is my eighth charity ride for the helicopter,’ she said early yesterday.
“I’ve also done a few other rides with friends, did a Manly to Manilla.”
Nardeen runs the Westpac Instore at Manilla as well as teaching (maths/science) and relishes the chance to ride in the charity events.
“It’s a personal challenge,” she said.
“Challenges you in a away you haven’t been challenged before.”
She said conquering the physical and mental aspects of distance rides makes obstacles and problems at home seem minimal when she returns.
Born and bred in Manilla she is a stones’s throw from the Royal Hotel, or as she puts it a “waterbomb” or two.
She laughs about lobbing waterbombs at the Royal, which is run by Tom and Vicki Cocking.
They have been good friends to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service in the past and accommodated riders on their Manilla legs of the September rides.

They have been good friends to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service in the past and accommodated riders on their Manilla legs of the September rides.
Vicki Cocking didn’t know Nardeen was on this current trek but was delighted to learn of it yesterday.
“It would be a fabulous experience,” she said.
‘We’ll have to throw a bit of sponsorship your way. And we’ll get a few of the patrons to throw in during the week and see what we can do.”
Yesterday’s 90km leg started at 7am with a quick run down from ride captain, Rick Lavers.
“We have to be in Dubbo by 3pm because Carly Gillard (one of the Newcastle riders has to be there to have her nails done,” Rick said.
“I might get mine done too,” replies Bruce Jeffrey from the shadows.
Carly is a bridesmaid at a wedding this weekend.

DAY 17 Forbes to Parkes

Mal Nash (left) and Peter Watson on the dirt

Challenge day riders (from left) Allan Moyle, Jack Gillard, Klaus Novac, Mal Nash and Bob Freeman. Big Ken West was absent, diving in the pool like a two-year-old dolphin.

56km

A late start at 9am has a wait for new boy John Barber to kick into gear.
Barber and Bernie Caffrey are from St George and Dalby and missed the first two weeks of the Barossa Valley to Tamworth Mountain Bike Challenge because of the Queensland floods.
John, a cotton consultant, and Bernie, a crop management consultant are mates of Tamworth's Steve Warden.
They are riding the rest of the trip and on their first Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service charity ride although both rode the Brisbane to Townsville leg of Rotary's Great Australian Bike Ride last year.
"Haven't been on a ride since then," John Barber said.
He also played rugby at Narrabri with Steve Warden and also played top level soccer in Sydney for 20 years.
"I love team sports," he said.
"On this you meet people and go places. It's also good on your knees.
"Steve invited me to come. It's for a good cause."
Bernie Caffrey, 59, is looking forward to final six stages after completing today's quick run from Forbes to Parkes via a few dirt roads.
"I have been looking forward to this," he said.
"But I haven't done much on the mountain bike."
The recent floods have seen to that.
Windsor's Craig Norman, a mate of Inverell teacher Bob Freeman, also joined the bike ride today.
Craig was intending to ride the full 20 days but work commitments have cut that back to just this weekend.
"And unfortunately they are the two shortest days of the ride," Craig said at the Parkview Motor Inn, Parkes.
It was a unique day though with half a dozen of the riders electing to ride in singlets as part of teh Newlo Challenge.
Kurri's Mongrel Bastards had challenged NDL sports editor Geoff Newling to ride a full leg without taking a rest in Brian Birchall's "sad bus".
German Olympian Klaus Novac also made a reappearance after debuting on a recent Mongrel Bastards trek from Western Australia to Newcastle.
Klaus Novac, alias Morton Porker, alias Martin Parker, went the whole hog to.
He rode in budgie smugglers, singlet and thongs and was up the front all day.
Jack Gillard, Mal Nash and Nick McLoughlin go to extreme lengths to make sure Newlo rides the full distance.
Bruce Jeffrey also tells Newlo if he rides the full distance he'll have an alcohol free day.
The whole group is delighted when Newlo coasts into Parkes after some "hand of god" assistance from Jack, Chum and Nick.
Although Bruce admits he had a couple of stubbies after a exacting little run with some steep undualtions towards the end.

DAY 16 West Wyalong to Forbes

133km - leave 7am.

A gruelling day in 32 degree heat with an unscheduled stop where the brain's trust had to work out which way to Forbes.
The long stage started with a warning from ride organiser Barry Walton that some of the dirt road on the trek was "washed out" from recent rains.
There is about 40km of dirt but it wasn't soft or rain afected.
"It was pretty good, only a couple of soft patches," said Mal Nash at the lunch break.
The first main break of the day, for breakfast, is at the entrance to teh property, Baaloo Park. It's owned by the Staniforth's, who are the parents of Australian Wallaby and Western Force winger, Scott Staniforth.
Maurice Doughan, one of our seven support crew, has taken a detour over night to visit his sister who lives nearby.
Turns out his sister and the Staniforths are good friends.
Later in the day Maurie asks a local farmer for some directions only to find he played cricket with his son.
The farmer Peter Hammond, 92, also remembers one of Maurie's great mates, Allan Donnelly, a police detective who helped Peter and the local abbattoir find meat thieves many years previous.
Maurie and Allan Donnelly are great mates from their days in the police force with Allan now retired in Tamworth and one of the leading lights in the local Tamworth Harness Racing Club.
Back to breakfast though and Mal Nash and Kurri's infamous son, Morton Porker, are talking about the ride.
"Today is a preserve, reserve and conserve day," Morton tells Nashie.
"Yeah but I will go silly somewhere," Mal said.
"Do it late," Morton says.
At lunch Morton also reminds us of some of his riding credos.
"Make a friend of pain and you will have a friend for life," he reminds us.
His best though is: "It's a battle between the mind and the body and the body never gives up."
The final leg into Forbes is along the Newell Highway.
Jack Gillard excels with two or three flats.
One more flat, the boys reckon, and he'll be a block of units. He estimates he's had 22 so far.
After changing one tube he and Inverell's Nick McLoughlin time trial to catch up to the main peloton and clock between 30 and 40kmph before Jack has another flat.
This time he grabs one of Alan Moyle's slick spares.
They catch the waiting main bunch about 8km out of Forbes.
Jack's arm goes up in thanks to tap Nick on the shoulder as they glide in.
On arriving at the Plainsman Motel the pool is an immediate hit although Carly Gillard forgets she has her mobile phone in her ride shirt pocket.
It is currently drying out while the riders and support crew will be damping down at tonight's Rotary Club dinner in our honour at the nearby Vandenburgh Hotel.
Tomorrow is a relatively short stage to Parkes, 33km by highway but between 40 and 60kmph by the dirt road route Barry Walton has devised.

Giving along the way

THE SPONTANEOUS generosity of people along the Barossa Valley to Tamworth Mountain Bike Challenge has been one of the endearing qualities.
Watching a retired couple dig out all the "shrapnel" they had in their camper van on the Hay Plain or a farmer near Carrathool dive through his ute at 6.30am to deliver more coins are special moments.
That spontaneous generosity reappeared again on Thursday after the 23 riders and seven support crew reached West Wyalong.
After arriving in town Geoff Newling borrowed one of the support vehicles and drove out to nearby Ungarie to check out where his grandfather had lived many years ago.
He had not been back to Ungarie in more than 40 years and had a vague recollection of a house, big dam and bamboo patch.
The bamboo patch was still partly there but the dam had been filled in.
Jake Thomas had also hopped in for the ride because he had an old friend who he had met working on the railways who had told him numerous stories of Ungarie.
They stopped in at the Central Hotel for a quick refreshment after having a look around. There were two Johns in the pub, John the owner and John Wells.
They had a quick chat with them about Jake's mate and Newlo's relatives.
As they were leaving the two Johns handed over $20 each for the rescue helicopter.
Newlo and Jake walked out of there feeling like kings with $40.
Earlier that day Newlo had also received a telephone call from John Sloane in Tamworth.
He owns The Equine Inn Motel in Tamworth.
Turns out John's home town is West Wyalong.
All teh riders stayed at the Tattersalls Hotel, which is on the corner of Monash Street and the main road.
"I grew up in Monash Street," John, a builder by trade, recalled.
"I used to work at the pub too, did a lot of renovations on the old pub. It was the first brick building in West Wyalong."
Then the knockout.
"When you reach Tamworth we (at the motel) will have a cheque for $200 for you," he said.
Left Newlo delighted and made Barry Walton's day.
It reminded us of a few other heartwarming moments along the way.
Like sitting in the Balranald Ex-Servicemens Club having a punt with Barry and ride captain Rick Lavers.
A lady and her husband, on their way around a Australia, dropped $50 on the table after a win.
Or racecaller Steve Hawkins, a mate of Newlo's, who was working at Albion Park dogs that day.
He not only tips us a good winner at the dogs but then puts over a plug for the ride on SKY Racing.
Then there was the bowls night at Hay Bowling and Golf Club, where club secretary manager Bob Weston, handed over a cheque for $1200.
Or one the first day out in Coolah when Steve Billett charges close to cost price for a new tyre to go on the breakfast van trailer.
He is waiting for the riders us to return next week (Wednesday) to celebrate with us across the road. Should be a good night.