Why I rode from Sydney to the Gold Coast and slept in a swag

I was very fortunate to be able to participate in the 2014 Sydney to Surfers Cycle Tour, an event that raises much needed funds for Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off The Streets (YOTS) charity. YOTS is a non-denominational program helping chronically homeless, neglected and drug addicted young Australians as they work towards turning their lives around. It is based on the philosophy that every young person has greatness within. Participating in the 2014 ride was an incredibly humbling and rewarding experience and one I will never forget. Below are notes from my seven days of cycling (and camping) between Sydney and Surfers Paradise.

Day 1 notes: Day 1 and Sydney greeted us with a cold northerly. I couldn’t quite work it out. I thought cold wind always blows from the south, so if it was cold, surely it would be behind us…. Despite the cold the group was in good spirits.

The ride started at Hornsby and we quickly rolled through the hills of the old Pacific Highway. It was a difficult ride with wind gushes from the side and front. The rolling hills provided beautiful aspects of the Hawkesbury River and farming land up and through the central coast.

Arrived at Morisset after 114kms. Because of a bit of rain, the camp ground was boggy. I secured some higher ground near the waste treatment plant. It was the best of a bad bunch but in reality no smell 

First night was dinner at the local bowls club. This is the first time I had an opportunity to speak to one of the youth that the charity has worked with. Her story – she left home at 11 years of age, lived a few years in Western Sydney on the streets, found her way to the YOTS shelter and with their support is part way through her chefs training.

Day 2 notes: I woke with water in my tent. Mental note: Zip up both inside and outside doors. All my riding clothes were dry though so all good.

The wind was worse today than yesterday. Thankfully no rain. Rode pretty hard all day. Made it to camp in Bulahdelah about 1:30pm. Finished off the day with 2 coffees and some carrot cake.

There are a number of youth that the charity are currently working with or have worked with in the past who are participating in the ride. They leave each day at 7:00am and arrive at about 5:00pm, absolutely spent. They ride all sorts of bikes and I really do admire their resolve to keep it going all day. Some are riding part sections but they are binding together to work well as a team. So, my 8:00am start and 1:30pm finish pales into comparison. They set their tents up as the sun sets and do it all again the next morning.

Day 3 notes: Beautiful Conditions. Clear sky. No Wind. Perfect day for a ride. Today was highway riding with a support vehicle for safety. All day riding 35kph. Pulled up at 1:30pm in North Haven which is a beautiful part of the world. It holds a special place for me because is a Port Macquarie Ironman turnaround point for the ride leg (I completed the Port Macquarie Ironman in 2013).

Really nothing too dramatic to report. Flat, fast riding. Covered approximately 130kms today.

 Day 4 notes: Unfortunately because of roadworks between Port Mac and Macksville today was a mixed day. NSW RTA cancelled permits at last minute so we had to ride, bus, ride to our destination. We rode about 80kms of the planned 120kms. Finished the day at picturesque Nambucca Heads.

Dinner presentation. I’m in Pack 2 and we had King of the Mountain competition which I was lucky (stubborn) enough to take out. It entailed a 5km climb with an average gradient of 10% with a 17% section that can only be described as ‘a wall’. For all the non-riders reading this – It was a very tough bugger.

Day 5 notes: I’ll start with a major highlight of trip: Dinner last night. The YOTS ride has been going for over 15 years. The annual tradition is to have a dinner and every ‘pack’ does a speech. The packs are graded riders. There are ten packs and the YOTS kids are pack 10. They average 20kph when they are riding (to give you a comparison the group I was in averaged 33kph).

The one thing I have been struck with this trip is the determination and inspiration of the YOTS kids. They are aged between 14 to 16 years. Last night their pack captain spoke. This is the third year she has participated in the ride. The first year she attended as a YOTS kid and has since gone onto their Step Up Program. This is a combination of year 11 and 12 high school studies and involved her taking a leadership/mentoring role within the organisation (to help kids who have just entered the program). She said “There is no such thing as a bad child, just a bad situation”. That really melted my heart…

They told a few stories but their overwhelming theme was… bad stuff has happened in their lives but they have been given an opportunity and it’s about focusing on the future and the positives that they have now…

We also saw the direct result of a child who had come through the YOTS charity. She took on the Step Up program and was awarded a scholarship of $6,000 towards education. She put this towards studies to become a Youth Worker, and has gone on to complete formal qualifications and now works with other young children. It is just a fantastic story. There are also a couple of other young people coming through the Step Up Program that have been successful in getting $6,000 towards tertiary qualifications.

Riding on day 5 – This was by far the toughest day. We rode out of Nambucca Heads into Coffs Habour and then basically went straight into the hills on old roads for the next 100kms. Tough day. We had the very good fortune of having one of the YOTS kids on our leg today. Lachlan had never ridden a bike before 2 months ago. He just never owned one. They couldn’t afford one. So here is this 16 year old kid energetic as all hell, skinny as a rake. He was riding so well in pack 10 that they asked if any other groups would be keen to look after him for a few legs (ie 60kms of 135kms). He did so so well. We had to push him up a few hills but to go from no riding at all to being in a pack was something great to be a part of.

Tomorrow promises to be a hard day – nearly 170kms with hills and then some more hills. I am looking forward to the challenge.

 Day 6 notes: Day 5 was the hardest day…. until today. 170 kms from Grafton to Ballina via any hill and every hill in sight… It wasn’t so much the length of the hills just the number of them. Once we made it through Lismore it was one big hill then follow your nose to the coast. When you can see the Big Prawn you know you have arrived in Ballina.

Our group was a bit ragged today. We were starting to feel the accumulation of a decent week already in the legs. Today we had Jackson in our group. He is a young gun rider doing impressive things in youth track and road racing. He had his 17th birthday earlier in the week and he is riding in our group with his dad. Jackson’s grandfather is also on the ride, but is riding in a different pack as he is a bit slower than he used to be. Jackson got a hunger flat about 140kms into the ride after the last big hill (I don’t think he has done many rides over 100kms). He needed a bit of a helping hand and couldn’t see his dad (tough love!) so I dropped back to tow him. 10kms down the road our pack captain’s back seized up. He needed a bit of a push too. Then it started raining. It must have been quite a sight with me pushing one rider and a few rides stuck on my wheel, with the rain coming down. It was a tough day and a day that really brought the pack together.

Day 7 notes: Slept great last night (exhaustion will do that to a man!). Today was an easier day. Roughly 130kms but with good roads and mostly flat terrain. Spirits were high, enhanced with the promise of a bed tonight rather than a swag. We had a couple of guys in the group with sore heads after last night. Last night was the last night on tour and a few beers were consumed. Those with sore heads looked for the back of the group all morning but came good around lunch. We were keen to get through some kms today so started a touch early. We arrived at our lunch stop at 11:30am, in QLD. Nice to be back! The group sprinted along Mallaway Drive in Palm Beach (I finished back of the pack at best), before pulling into the Broadbeach Tavern about 1:00pm. This is the central meeting point each year. We were the first group in and over the next 2.5 hours we clapped and cheered the other 9 groups as they pulled up to Broadbeach. After a couple of beers and a second lunch the last pack came in about 3:30pm. From there we all roll down to Seaworld with a police escort. It was a great sight with a few hundred riders being met by family and friends.

That night, I battled until 7:30pm to stay awake. I couldn’t look at my bike until Thursday the following week 

Closing thoughts

I embarked on the Sydney to Surfers YOTS (Youth of the Streets) 2014 charity ride with the thought of going on a challenging ride, whilst doing some good towards a charity.

I completed the trip being most proud of the community sponsorship I helped facilitate towards the YOTS kids. This ride is the single biggest fundraiser for YOTS. Specific highlights include, seeing the YOTS kids open up through the week, hearing their future plans and being left knowing that the financial and personal contribution of the ride was going towards actual kids that needed it and were working hard to get their lives on track. Absolutely grass roots stuff. This was all done through a challenging week but with a lot of fun.

It’s a big area of need and it can be hard to know where to start. But how do you eat an elephant….. one bite at a time. It is a cause I, and Tardis Advice team, will continue to support in the future.

Stef

Your donations made a difference. More than you know. Thank you!