VCT Day minus 47

Went for about a 30km run this morning, from Carlingford to Parramatta Park, round the park a couple of times (climbed the hill both times), then out to Rosehill and back to Carlingford along James Ruse Drive and Pennant Hills Road. Got further up the big hill on James Ruse Drive leading up to Pennant Hills Road than I did last time, but squibbed it on the hill leading up towards the King's School. Ah well, it's time in the saddle, as they say. Got back to receive a $30 donation from Paul Simpson at Youth Insearch - thanks Paul!

Work will take me to Melbourne for the next couple of days and then down to Canberra on Friday night for a look at the Egyptian antiquities from the Louvre: journey to the afterlife exhibition at the National Gallery, so I'll be off the air for a couple of days. Tony and I are going to do the Bay to Bay run again on Sunday, so that should get the blood pumping again. Off to Darling Harbour this afternoon for a work function so will try to be good so I can get a ride in tomorrow morning.

VCT Day minus 48

A mixed day is about the only way to describe today. Off to the physio this morning and good news on the achilles front - it's getting better all the time (as George Harrison told us on the Sgt Pepper's album). Off to the urologist this afternoon to try and work out why my PSA readings are up and down - 30% chance I have prostate cancer ....well! So off to the pharmacist to get some nuclear versions of antibiotics while I think about that and wait a month until we see what the next set of results is like. Didn't much feel like a ride this afternoon, but with the cooler weather anticipated, I'll probably go for a run in the morning. Roll on 19 March!

VCT Day minus 49

Seven weeks to go and the excitement continues to build, especially as we get in contact with more of our fellow travellers, the latest of whom is David Hobson, whose comment is attached. Marc & Sue Napoli already have their own website which people should visit as well www.marcnapoli.com.au/charitychallenge/ (see also URL in Links below).

Today was very much one of a catching up, getting organised, and resting day after the last three days. I was thinking about going for a short ride this afternoon to keep the muscles loose, but with all the action on the blog, I ran out of time (see the comments and photos from Lee and Jamie). More donations came in today - more than halfway there now!

VCT Day minus 50

Tony and I are quite chuffed at the moment, having completed the Bay to Bay run in both directions today (Homebush Bay to Botany Bay and return) 53 kilometres in all, over 3 and 1/2 hours riding at just under 16km per hour average speed. We headed off from Silverwater Bridge at 9.14am and got back to the starting point at 1.04pm, so we had about 20 minutes worth of breaks over the time. In between times we were up and down hills - long, steady climbs and short, steep slopes (which we got to ride down in the opposite direction). At one stage, I got the bike going at 48 kilometres an hour (downhill and not for long, of course).

We agreed we'd have a rest day tomorrow (Monday), but I might just go for a short run to shake out some of the cobwebs from today (I can still feel my knees and backside, as I'm typing)

VCT Day minus 51

What an interesting day for Tony and I as we rode from his place to my place and then back again over several hours! Basically, my place is uphill from Parramatta, while Tony's is more cross-country (with some hills along the way). We decided that, for the sake of "time in the saddle", we'd do the hard bit first. I drove over to Tony's place and then we rode back to mine, had a break (with some nice Oolong tea) and then rode to his place. The picture of "The Bros" was taken at the halfway point, after a rest.

It's taken me until I'm nearly 53, but I found out today what it is to get a "second wind". I just managed to get up the hill leading towards Pendle Hill station, but heading along the railway line from Pendle Hill to Toongabbie, I began to feel great and powered alon for the last couple of kilometres of the ride. By the time Tony and I got to his place, I think we were both ready to go again! We thought better of it tho' :-)

VCT Day minus 52

Well it really feels like it's going to happen now! Had our first "group" email from Inspired Adventure's Project Manager, Katie Camarena (see picture), yesterday (Thursday 25th) with a bunch of details about logistics, who's who and so on. Already got our first pictures up on the blog, with Katie and the cows and Hugh in the workplace at Parramatta Leagues ("The Place to Play!"). I guess the size and shape of the blog will grow and change over the coming weeks as we get more photos, comments and ideas about the trip.

A good friend, Peter Steane, has recommended Bobby Chinn's Restaurant in Hanoi and that might be where we have our farewell dinner at the end of the trip (funny to be talking about the end before we get to the "beginning", but we've all been in various stages of beginning for some months now, I suppose).

In the meantime, Tony has family commitments today so I headed off for a ride around the Parramatta area (about 30km). Not as much fun without the company though. Headed down to Parramatta Park but only did one circuit there - the Australia Day crowds were out and they are definitely no respecters of "space". I thought the folks from the Bay Run had brought their illiteracy problem to Parramatta Park, but I think it was a different crowd :-) Great riding to Parramatta (lots of downhill from Carlingford) but then I've got to get back up the hills heading home. Seem to be making inroads, where I'm walking less and riding more on the return journey.

VCT Day minus 53

A quieter day today. Tony is caught up in work-related stuff and I'm trying to catch up with work that didn't get done while we were cycling during the week. Went to the physiotherapist this morning for my achilles (he'll get his retirement fund from this injury!) and was pleased with the progress I'm making, especially after the long ride yesterday.

Two more cheques for $100 each arrived today - thanks so much to Melenna and Matthew Krenmayr and Truong Nguyen (long time friends from Macquarie University). The money continues to climb, although not in the same league as some of our fellow challengers, who are going great guns.

VCT Day minus 54

A much better day for riding today. Tony and I headed out to Olympic Park again and did 40km worth around the various trails. It was raining for the first hour and we managed to get ourselves nice and wet in the process - thought about wearing plastic ponchos but they become sweatboxes such that we would be just as wet with them on as without them. Discovered some really great new trails through the Park that we will certainly use again. I expect that it will be sometime over the next couple of weekends that we will try our luck on Sydney's M7 motorway. It's 42 km long so getting there and back should tell us if we can manage a day on the Vietnam trek.

VCT Day minus 55

Another hot day and Tony was caught up with work things so we weren't able to go for a ride together. I had a bunch of credit card donations and a cheque to deliver to Northcott so I took the opportunity to ride there and back (about 15km round trip). Getting there was the easy part - from Carlingford to Parramatta is mostly downhill or flat - but getting back was a bit of a struggle. I rode over to James Ruse Drive to follow the road up to Pennant Hills Road (trying to avoid the major hill up from Parramatta) but I think I would have been better off gritting teeth and going the more direct route. Anyway, it was a ride and it all helps at this stage.

VCT Day minus 56

Eight weeks to go until we all get on the plane to Ho Chi Minh City!

Tony and I have been out and about again today, riding around Sydney Olympic Park for about 3 and a half hours. We did some flat, some long hills, short slopes - a good mix of what we guess we can anticipate when we get to Vietnam.

I've been surprised at how quickly my legs and lungs have swung back into action - it's almost as if all that cycling and walking when we were growing up has meant the body saying "Oh yeah, I remember how to do this now". Got a bit cheeky and let go of the handlebars for a brief couple of moments ("Look ma, no hands!").

Things not so positive on the fundraising front - a slow process, but still about $2,000 raised; we'll get there!

VCT Day minus 57

In Sydney today it was hot! Damned hot! It was so hot I could cook eggs in my shorts! (with apologies to Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam). Anyway, it was 35-40 degrees centigrade for most of today so riding was out of the question (doing anything other than laying about as motionless as possible and drinking lots of water was basically out of the question). Tony and I are planning on riding around Sydney Olympic Park tomorrow morning before it gets too hot.

VCT Day minus 58

Tony and I got out to Iron Cove this morning and did a bunch of laps round the Bay Run. We both felt good aerobically and not too bad physically (apart from saddle sore bums) so we were both quite pleased with ourselves. We were only disappointed at the apparent lack of literacy among the denizens of the area - so many people who couldn't read "Bicycles Only", even when there was a picture of a bicycle as well! We were comforted though, by the fact that the lack of literacy didn't interfere with their sense of self and their determination to make their presence felt across as much space as they could manage. The rest of the day has been a quiet one recuperating and dealing with the heat.

VCT Day minus 59

Regular readers of this blog ..... (oops, sorry, I fell off my chair laughing at that one). Anyway, I've changed the look and feel of the blog to be about everyone's experience of the challenge, if they want to add bits and pieces to the site.

Tony and I both went riding today - bloody hot! I rode from Carlingford to Toongabbie via Westmead (about 15km) rested at his place and then back home again (another 15 km). Tony joined me between his place and Westmead and then did some circuits of Parramatta Park, while I headed home. Carlingford to Toongabbie is mostly downhill and flat so that was the easy part. It was a bit harder on the way back, I can tell you! By the time I got to Oatlands, I was ready to gulp 2 bottles of Gatorade real quick, and then take another as a roadie.

Pulled up OK though and so Tony and I are heading off early tomorrow morning to do the Bay Run around Iron Cove - it's great to be back on the bike!

VCT Day minus 60

Another day spent coughing and spluttering and not much to talk about. Had a very positive discussion with Lucy Brown at Northcott about what we are doing and what we hope to achieve.

Northcott Vietnam Cycle Trek: VCT Day-61!

I wonder what I did in a previous life? After getting a great head start and riding with Tony for three days straight, the last two days I have been laid up with a dreaded lurgy that means I wake up long enough to cough and splutter for a time then lower my head exhausted until the next coughing fit. Doing more of the same as I blog, but thought I'd at least get a couple of lines in here and maintain the discipline of blogging, if only to myself :). Michael Bargholz has kindly sent me $100 today and with David Chambers' $75, the sponsorship pot for Northcott is building nicely. Several other generous donations will be properly acknowledged when I can sit at the keyboard again for more than two minutes.

Northcott Vietnam Cycle Trek - VCT Day-63!

Woke up this morning to the realisation that there are 9 weeks (63 days) to go until we take off for Ho Chin Minh City to begin the bike rid of our lives!

Tony came over to my place just after midday and we rode over to his place at Toongabbie - not a huge ride (about 15 kilometres by the time we'd doubled back to Blackman's bike shop to investigate a wobbly back wheel and get the spoke cones tightened) but one done in the middle of the day (top temp about 30 degrees centigrade) and getting used to the conditions we'll cycle in when we get to Vietnam.

A good ride was had, and I have to confess it was more enjoyable than any other physical or emotional feeling (although the achilles twinged at the end and I've been ice packing since I got home).

More importantly, I got home to three fabulous emails, being donations to the Northcott cause: a $50 donation from Ian Pryer, who regularly works magic with my travel itineraries at Goldman Travel; Margaret Vickers, who I used to work with at the University of Western Sydney, sent me $100, and my good friend in China (and anywhere else in the world for that matter), Brendon Chen blew me away with a $1,000 donation!

Knowing I've got such great support will certainly keep me motivated over the next nine weeks and beyond, for sure.

Northcott Vietnam Cycle Trek - Back on Track!

I haven't received any comments about my blog prior to November 4 (my last entry) and nobody noticed that I haven't been around for a while, so I'm slipping back in to kickstart the process once more.

A series of travels, dramas, injuries (an achilles tendon that's now nearly better), Christmas and stuff represented a confluence of events that so little in the way of progress during the last two months, but I think I'm back on track now.

Had two rides this weekend with my brother Tony - the first for about 50 minutes on a variety of bike tracks around his home and then more than an hour today down at Parramatta Park (with a detour to the Port Bar Restaurant for coffee). Wheezing and puffing and blowing was, I guess, par for the course, but I'm determined that I will now get on with the job that I started and then let fall by the wayside over the last couple of months.

Off to the physio in the morning for continuing work on the achilles, although it's certainly a whole lot better than it had been during November and December.

Also got an extra $130 to put into the fundraising kitty, courtesy of my good friend David White, so I'm now up to $630 out of the $5,000 that I've got to raise in order to participate - gotta keep working the emails and phones, I guess.