Date Published: 17 Nov 2010 7:34pm
Author:Sam Bach
After a night in arguably the worst accommodation so far, yes even worse than Yaamba!, we were on the road early after the traditional Caribou Boy’s breakfast, driving 350 k’s to the start in Geraldton. Around the Binnu area the arid dry outback gives way to scrub along the side of the road, a few trees and then opens out into paddocks and farmland. Vast crop fields replace the dry stony ground, houses and farm sheds can be seen along the roadside.
The day of the Marked Man
A few kilometres out of Geraldton the red and blue team converged and rolled through the last of the wheat fields under the escort of the Geraldton branch of the WA Fire Service. And after a BBQ lunch and an appropriate period of listening to the blue teams tales of the night’s stage Red team was off, still under the escort of the WA Fire Service, heading for Gingin along a brand new coastal highway.
With a strong sea breeze blowing the early pace was slow, but with the Red Teams' captain offering a swim in the Indian Ocean as a carrot riders pushed on. Sadly jellyfish shaped like a box cut swim time short and riders were forced to enjoy the cliff top views instead. With the sun setting over the sand dunes the convoy pulled into the beachside hamlet of Jurien Bay to refuel. Significantly ahead of the mock up, the team decided to leave the QuarterMaster ration packs in the trailer and opted for a sit down meal in the beer garden of a local tavern.
As the sun set the temperature dropped and the wind abated, conditions became perfect for chewing through the kilometres, and with a renewed vigour the rubber hit the road with Mark O’Conner and Steve Moore taking the first stint.
Thirty three and a half kilometres into a thirty four kilometre stage disaster struck as a large western grey kangaroo had a last minute change of direction and darted in front of the two riders bringing Mark down.
Mark crashed heavily shattering his Giro Ionis helmet which no doubt saved him from permanent damage. The other fire-fighters present dragged a dazed and confused Mark off the road and assessed the damage. Bike- fine, helmet- done its job and cracked, head- rattled but conscious, memory- scattered, shoulder- sore and back-grazed. In two words- Ambulance time.
The volunteers from the Cervantes branch of St John Ambulance were amazingly quick. Within six minutes the red and blue strobes could be spotted making there way down the highway and within fifteen Mark had been assessed and loaded and was backtracked along the highway to the Jurien Bay medical centre. At the medical centre a beat up Mark was in good spirits and making the same bad jokes he would without the concussion. Despite the trying conditions Mark formed some new relationships in the medical centre and even had the composure to create a secret and somewhat unconventional handshake with nurse Cairas assistant.
With the team split between the road and the medical centre and with Mark in a medical transport ambulance on his way to Perth for X-rays, the team got back to the business at hand and the HOSTPLUS Pedal for Prostate rolled on. With the set backs the red team pulled into Gingin shortly after 0300.
Red team will start riding today at 1400 from Donnybrooke WA and make their way to Albany WA. With 3000 Australian men dying with prostate cancer each year remember to be a man and get yourself checked.