The bus

After months of training and preparation, the team certainly looked the part. Tyler organized stickers for the bus and the car and we were definitely the best looking team (in terms of vehicles at least) on the ride. We set off for Echuca undeterred by the prevailing winds. All the riders were Simon’s family or friends and they were here to raise awareness of Huntington’s Disease a cause he passionately believes in, having been on the Board of Huntington’s Victoria for over 8 years as Treasurer.  The goal, to complete the 520kms journey, try our best, have fun and raise as much money as possible to help people living with Huntington’s Disease.

T shirt presentations

After setting up camp in Echuca, Team Leader Simon presented us all with our official team t-shirts and we went out for dinner. We made quite an impression on the locals in our matching shirts and were stopped and asked questions so we got to tell the Huntington’s story many times.

Team photo

Just minutes before the start, we quickly assembled the riders for a team snap. Left to right: back: Frank, Angela, Chris, Jacob, Tyler, Rick, Paul, Front: Peter, Tony, Simon, Kevin. But where was Dean?

The start

The support crew never felt completely organised (What have we forgotten? What don’t we know? What haven’t we thought through?) and this became very clear at the start of the ride when we pulled up the support car and got out to see the riders start their ride. The day had been busy already, with both Leanne and Ruth working frantically making, bagging and labelling 60 chicken, ham and salad rolls to feed the riders, while they warmed up and prepared themselves mentally for the gruelling challenge ahead. There had been no time for breakfast, or the early morning walk along the riverbank in Echuca, we had promised ourselves.

It was very emotional watching them set off on this big trek, that’s Chris, Dean and Rick in black in the middle of the pack, but then we suddenly remembered we were supposed to be behind them in the car! A quick run and shout got us collected and we set off to catch up, not realising that this would be the last few quiet minutes for many hours!

Dean, Rick and Chris made a strong start on the ride with plenty of communication and team work, while the others got back on the bus and drove to the first changeover point. Leanne and Ruth caught up with them and the long process of following behind and making sure we didn’t run over the other teams began.

Changeovers

Our first two changeovers were not the most efficient, and we soon realised that the first aid kit was on the team bus, along with the spare tyres and tubes for the bikes.  A hurried exchange with the team members on the bus at the roadside, while trying to repair Chris’s tyre soon fixed this problem and we were on our way again.

This group of riders had been brought together by Simon’s emotional story and all wanted to help him achieve his goal. They had ridden together for many weeks in preparation, but had not trained for the speed and coordination that this ride demanded.  It was inspiring to watch every rider on the team exceed their expectations of their own ability, either by riding longer distances than they had imagined or by riding at a much faster pace.

Tony and Kevin were new to the team as they were Simon’s friends from gym. They soon blended into the team and worked together to maintain the best team pace and keep everyone together.

Chris, however, had a horror run, with several punctures along the way disrupting his ride. This was nothing compared to the time when the bus was stopped by the marshals who told them they had lost a bike off the rack, and of course, it turned out to be Chris’s!  He was able to make his contribution to the ride by borrowing other bikes and keeping in the team, and he managed to keep his sense of humour through all the tribulations!

Angela

One inspiring scene was watching Angela, the sole female rider, try to keep up with the men while riding a hybrid bike that made it all the harder. When she fell behind, she put so much effort into her riding that all we could think of was her determination to do this for her best friend Joanne, Simon’s wife, who had died of HD a year ago.  On another leg of the journey, Paul,  Angela and Peter and showed such great support for each other by working together and keeping within each other’s pace to make sure the team could stay together and make the distance.  Peter, Simon’s brother, was the entertainer on the team, keeping everyone amused with his jokes and observations on the ride. He was also an important part of the support crew, driving the bus to give Darren a break and supporting the car crew at night.

Tyler and Simon L to R

The teams had been set up according to ability, so we could make the ride distances match the teams, but we had to keep changing the team composition as people continued to outdo themselves. Simon’s son, Jacob, was injured, having rolled his ankle a few days before but he overcame this injury to keep pace in his team all the way through. Simon, who had fallen heavily from his bike only a week before found himself riding at 40kms per hour in challenging head winds with the A Team for most of the ride. 

The team on the road

The support crew were soon able to identify every team member by the back of their calves. Frank (lily white with very fine ankles!) had never ridden before training for this challenge, and watching him keep up with his team mates, or make up ground again on the flat parts after losing ground on the hills was amazing!

Rick, (muscular, tanned and hairy calves! He clearly didn’t wax down for this ride like the others!) a camping friend of Simon set the pace early, riding in the A Team at an average pace of 40 kms per hour through some very strong winds. When we lagged behind, a quick decision from the team manager reshuffled the schedule and the A Team were put to work to make up ground, allowing us to overtake some other teams and keep away from the marshals.

Dean (nicknamed ‘The Android’) was the fittest and most experienced rider on the team. He gave everyone advice and support along the way, but the most moving part of his ride was his night ride with Tyler into Hamilton between 1.00am and 2.00am on Sunday morning, in freezing cold with cross winds and drizzle. Tyler had had the courage to volunteer for this leg of the ride and it turned out to be a huge challenge. By this stage, the support crew had learned to drive very close behind the riders in the night time, so the road could be lit ahead, and with the high beams, this made a huge difference. After a long day of riding, Tyler battled the dark and forbidding hills and Dean took on all of the head wind and kept calling encouraging words to keep his team mate going. When we finally got to Hamilton at 2.00am, the roads seemed to go on forever before we found the large cattle pavilion that was to be our sleeping place for the next 3 hours.

Simon and Ruth in Hamilton

We woke in Hamilton to the smell of greasy bacon and egg sandwiches, kindly prepared for us by the locals, in the same pavilion (yes, it’s the large shed in the background) where we had slept along with hundreds of other riders who just found a bit of asphalt and settled down to sleep in our clothes. Simon and Ruth found some time to talk strategy before the team set off again, this time with the bus behind, and the car was sent ahead to await the team’s arrival in Port Fairy.

The support crew parked the car and spent a comfortable morning sipping Chai tea in a café, while the riders battled freezing cross winds, drizzle and the wayward riding of other teams on the crowded road to Port Fairy.

Dean, Angela and Paul

The team’s arrival in Port Fairy was greeted with huge shouts of “Go Hunters” from all over. The support crew and many family members were waiting at the finish line to greet the wet and tired riders and cheer them on.  Other teams were treated to hot chocolates or coffees, but our team was greeted with a large supply of stubbies, which were well enjoyed!

The support crew, Darren, Ruth and Leanne

Darren was new to the team, with most of us meeting him for the first time on the Friday that we drove to Echuca,  but he quickly endeared himself to everyone and become an essential part of the team by driving the bus for most of the way, only relieved by Peter. Everyone said we would be bored following a crew of riders over 520kms in 24 hours. They couldn’t have been more wrong. We felt privileged to have watched this group of friends support each other and overcome their challenges to achieve this goal.

Peter and Lauren

Peter was welcomed at the finish line by his daughter Lauren, who had raised $12.60 for her uncle Simon, by charging her family a fee to play her Wii 

The whole team

A tired but happy team celebrated the finish of the event. This was a wonderful team experience and many new friendships were formed. The riders are planning to go out again next year and will be regularly training together on Sundays.

 After a hot shower and a huge barbeque lunch, Simon and Ruth made some presentations and thanked the team for their wonderful efforts. Congratulations to the whole team. In total, over $16,000 was raised to support the Huntington’s Community, and The Hunters were the highest fundraising team on the whole Murray to Moyne ride. Thanks to all the friends and colleagues who donated money and goods to support the team and to the corporate sponsors who generously contributed to the success of this fundraising effort.

Simon and Peter celebrated their achievement and then relaxed to watch the Bulldogs thrash the Kangaroos.

Our Sponsors

The Hunter’s gratefully acknowledges the support of the following organisations: