Can you Believe It?

It’s a common conversational opener – declaring our surprise about something.

Can you believe that today is the last day of October? Hasn’t it just flown past.

Can you believe that this month my family have cycled over 1,100kms in total and swam over 16kms.

Can you believe that the Ballarat Pathfinder Club on the Great Cycle Challenge started the month with 5 participants with a goal to ride 1,000kms and to raise $1,000 and has ended up with 9 participants and a combined goal of 2,400kms. Each participant sets an individual goal which are all added together to create our team goal and as of last night our goals were achieved with 2,448kms and we have raised $3,815!

This team has been amazing and while some on the team have been sick and unable to ride, others have been putting in to ensure that as a team our targets are all meet. That’s what a great team does. 7 of the team members rode the Ballarat to Skipton Rail Trail on Sunday, setting a record speed and pushing themselves to ride their best!

I’d like to call your attention to one young man on our team. He only joined in the last few weeks of this month and set himself a goal of 300kms. With 5 days to go he still had 200kms to ride. As of this morning - he only has 24kms left – he has ridden on average 40 kms every day! Can you believe it!

If you are still looking to support someone this month, please support this young man as, obviously he hasn’t had a chance to raise much money personally.

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/riders/ReubenLipkovich

Otherwise if you want to continue to give, Abi would love your support via her breast cancer swimming challenge.

https://fundraise.nbcf.org.au/fundraisers/abigailvanegmond

Let’s finish together strong!

Hiking and Sickness Interlude

My last post was 9 days into the month and I do love symmetry – so here is my next post with 9 days left of the month.

Can you believe that the month is nearly over. It feels like it only just started. While cycling has been a major focus, over the second weekend in October, I took a break from riding and went hiking with my youngest daughter. To say Tiny was excited, is an understatement. She had eagerly been awaiting this chance to go on her first backpack hike and see for herself Mount Stirling and Craig’s Hut like her brother and sister before her.

At 10 years old, she is younger than the others were, yet she carried 11.5kgs, without a single complaint and showed a resilience I was not expecting. I think she went out to prove that anything her siblings can do – she can do better and hiking 24kms over Friday to Sunday – she certainly put in!

I thought I would be straight back into cycling on my return, but unfortunately, I came down with a nasty cold and ended up in bed for a couple of days.

So, with 9 days to go how are we shaping up for our goals?

Well Abi wanted to swim 10kms this month – she has splashed her way past that and has currently done over 11kms.

https://fundraise.nbcf.org.au/fundraisers/abigailvanegmond

Aleah originally planned to do 150kms cycling – she glided her way past this target and has since upped it to 200km and is currently sitting on 165kms for the month.

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/riders/AleahvanEgmond

Jono planned on 300kms and so far, has knocked off 262kms even with his own interlude (he had a fairly bad scooter accident, taking off a significant amount of skin to his back, knees and chunks out of his hands). He has since upped his goal to 400kms.

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/riders/JonathanvanEgmond

And finally, I planned for 400kms and have riden 280kms, so am looking forward to this final 9 days and what we can achieve together!

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/riders/SheralynvanEgmond

Once again there is a matched donation day on October 23 from 8am, where online donations will be matched up to $190,000. Don’t forget donations over $2 are tax deductible too.

If you want to understand why we are doing this – take the time to read about Ollie here:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/about/the-kids/meet-ollie

A Bouquet of Flowers

We are 9 days into the month and to say I am not feeling it, would certainly not be truthful. My legs are sore, my shoulders surprisingly more so, but I do tend to overfill my backpack each day with work clothes and shoes. My backside seems to, on occasion, go numb. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

So, I find that when I ride, I need to distract myself with the world around me. When driving the car, you are focused on other cars, arguing children in the backseat, getting annoyed at impatient drivers, watching the clock since we are running late … but on the bike it seems to be the complete opposite. Yes I still watch cars – especially those ridiculous drivers who seem to hate cyclists, but most of my focus is on the tiny flowers that grow along the wayside. So much colour and variety, each happily doing its thing, growing and reaching for the sunlight, welcoming bees and butterflies, waving on the breeze.

So today – on Kick Cancer’s Butt Day – I would like to give you each a bouquet of flowers. These are photos of just some of the flowers I saw today on my ride. They are my way of saying thank you – to those who have donated online – thank you. To those who are sending me encouraging messages – thank you. To those who are just thinking of me and the rest of us who are putting in the hard yards this month – thank you.

If you want to understand why we are doing this – take the time to read about Sienna’s story

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/.../the-kids/meet-sienna

Donations would still be most welcome via the following links and take the time to see and enjoy some flowers in your day:

Jono’s page – he is aiming to ride 300 kms:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/riders/JonathanvanEgmond

Aleah’s page – she is aiming to ride 150kms:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/riders/AleahvanEgmond

Abi’s page – she is aiming to swim 10kms for breast cancer research:

https://fundraise.nbcf.org.au/fundraisers/abigailvanegmond

Finally my page – I am aiming to ride 400kms:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/riders/SheralynvanEgmond

Pinch and a Punch

My youngest daughter takes great delight when the first day of the month rolls around. With a mischievous grin she grabs hold of you with her lethal fingers and exclaims in a shrill tone “Pinch and a punch for the first day of the month”. Then she hurries from the room to find her next victim. Last Tuesday morning was no exception and as I winced from her brutal greeting, I thought to myself, what an apt way to start the Great Cycle Challenge.

To pinch is to grip something firmly between your finger and thumb. It can cause a moment’s pain, but isn’t too bad. It’s just a little pinch.

A punch on the other hand is much more brutal – even deadly, as the fist makes contact with the force of the arm behind it. It can be intense, abrupt, full of power.

Well that’s how I am viewing this year’s Great Cycle Challenge. Let me explain …

It is my third time riding for this cause, after a three-year hiatus. My son is also involved for his third time while my eldest daughter is along for the first time. Meanwhile my youngest daughter has decided to do a swimming challenge for breast cancer research.

I have set myself the challenge of 400kms this month. It really isn’t much – just a little pinch:

an hour out of my day / dealing with a few sore muscles / getting caught in the rain / having to avoid those pesky swooping magpies who continue to loath me more and more every year!

But here is the punch …

There are kids out there fighting for their lives. Hours of their day are taken up in treatments / they are dealing with constant pain / being caught in emotional thunderstorms / being bombarded with uncertainty and exhaustion.

That’s where cancer research comes in. With funding, it is possible to find new techniques, new medicines, new ways of treating and giving children a chance at life.

You can give a little pinch – it doesn’t have to be much – a couple of dollars – just do this on Wednesday October 9 online via the links below. Wednesday is Kick Cancer’s Butt Day and that means donations are being matched by some very supportive organisations (till they reach $800,000) That is certainly looking like a knock-out punch to me!

If you want to donate you can do so via the links below – every donation over $2 is tax deductible.

Jono’s page – he is aiming to ride 300 kms. So far in a week he has completed 88kms:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/riders/JonathanvanEgmond

Aleah’s page – she is aiming to ride 150kms. So far in a week she has completed 64kms:

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/riders/AleahvanEgmond

Abi’s page – she is aiming to swim 10kms for breast cancer research via the National Breast Cancer Foundation. So far in a week she has completed 3.8kms:

https://fundraise.nbcf.org.au/fundraisers/abigailvanegmond

Finally, my page – I am aiming to ride 400kms. So far in a week I have completed 106kms.

https://greatcyclechallenge.com.au/riders/SheralynvanEgmond

So here goes:

“A pinch and a punch for the whole entire month – let’s Kick Cancer’s Butt!”

#GCCOZ #greatcyclechallengeaustralia #kickcancersbutt #pinchandapunch #LetsFightCancerTogether