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What follows is the true story of a team of 5 unlikely heros who shared a common interest to put something back into Western Australian society. Ordinarily these 5 people live out their lives ordinarily, as Rosie, Alex, Stu, Sam and Carl. But together they are no ordinary 5 - with their powers combined they are The Super Action Future Power.
The Gibb River Road Mountain Bike Challenge is a charity cycling event organised by WA Police Legacy. The event runs over 5 days and involves cycling from Derby to Kunnunurra in WA's rugged Kimberley region. That's approximately 90km bitumen, 570km gravel/sand/corrugations/mountain ranges and finishing off with 50km bitumen (710km total).
Three crazy guys decided to do it solo in 2008. There were 38 teams ranging in size from solo riders up to 6 or more alternating riders per team. Using special 'super powers' the SAFP were able to calculate that 4 riders would have to ride a mere 35kms per day each in order to complete the event. This figure was entered into the SAFP Super Training Regime Calculation Worksheet (STRCW) with the following output: "No training required". In hindsight it was clear this complex calculation contained an error.
Onward Ho
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So the SAFP laid logistical plans to emerge from their hideouts and converge on the Kimberley, ready for the starting gun on the 12th May. Secret hideout locations: Alex & Carl (Perth), Stu (Darwin), Ro & Sam (Broome).
Alex & Carl decided driving up and back (a lazy 7000kms round trip) would be cheaper than flying. And it would've been except for the $9 pack of cards purchased at Kumarina roadhouse. The trip up was full of excitement and anticipation, largely owing to driving 1000km/day, camping on the roadside, gooey roadkill, vegemite on toast and the inspirational voice of Tony Robbins.
Caught up with a few characters in Broome, undertook some last minute fine tuning of bikes.......
..... and we were off! Pushing along at about 20km/hr... ... .... .. .
The pictures don't really do it justice. It was a 5 day bike ride
- dusty, corrugated, gravelly, water crossings, sandy - finding a good bit of road was always difficult
- nuts, water and mountain bread
- We looked bloody awesome in the S-A-F-P capes (it was worth the extra wind drag), tassels and spokey dokes
- 2 cars: Rosie drove support vehicle (thank christ for Rosie!) and we rotated riders through the Subaru in which Journey's "Anyway you want it" played on repeat for 5 days. Apparently "that's the way you need it".
Some notable notes:
- Stu: getting over excited and stacking it on the bitumen, 20 minutes into his first ride
- Sam: top speed 74km/hr on a long downhill
- Ro: taking one for the team and jumping on the bike (despite her abhoration of cycling). Being our mother for a week!
- Alex: riding off without a helmet on many occasions on an event run by the police, and upstaging the Kimberley's finest acoustic entertainer at El Questro with some spontaneous syncopation from the spoons
- Carl: going slow enough uphill to hear the spokey dokes
- the Subaru: awarded "most ambitious car on the event"
- We came in 10th place of 38 teams!! (but "it isn't a race" of course)
- Training (and milk) is for babies. Real heros drink Emu Export.
What the images don't show is the incredible organisation by Simon Rimmer and Police Legacy. They rallied, supported and fed around 240 people (riders and supporters) during the week.
So we cleaned out the cars, wiped the dust off our weary bodies, finished off the powerade, drained the transmission oil and filled the engine oil in preparation for a night at the Kimberley Moon Festival rockin to the tunes of the many great bands including Jimmy Barnes!
Remember, it was a charity event and the SAFP raised just over $2000 all of which we're giving to WA Police Legacy and Wunan Foundation.
Thanks heaps Laurie, Megs, Cat and Amanda for shelter in Broome, Kunnunurra and Port Headland. Thanks also to Glen Parker Cycles on Stirling Hwy Perth for helping us out and all of you who contributed to the $2k. If you feel like "unleashing the giant within" (thanks Tony), give it a go next year!
thegibbchallenge.net.au
policelegacywa.org.au
wunan.org.au
glenparker.com
tonyrobbins.com
