Description:
The HOPE cycle set out to raise finances to enable young people who otherwise could not afford it to attend Caboolture Splashout Camp. The dream was to gather 5 riders who would each raise $1000 and ride the 100 Klms from Caboolture to Coolum(the site on Qld’s Sunshine Coast where the camp is held).
On June 14th the riders gathered under a pre-dawn grey sky. Our route was to take us through some of the farmlands around the Glasshouse Mountains to the First Break at Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. Fortunately we only had one shower of rain during this leg, and the skies cleared as the morning warmed.
From Australia Zoo we headed across to Caloundra, at the bottom end of the Sunshine coast. It was good to get off the narrow hilly roads and onto some good, wide smooth bitumen. This was one of the most enjoyable legs as we were able to get into a good rhythm and had the space to get bunch up. The slowest part of this leg was riding through the Mooloolaba coffee strip before our second break on top Alexandra Headland.
Our final leg saw us cross the Maroochydore river, ride through some cane fields, through Twin Waters and along the Mudjimba Esplanade before passing the Hyatt Regency and beginning the climb to Luther Heights. The initial ascent is not hard, although steady, but steepens just before the entry to the campsite. The last 200 metres up the driveway is a climb which pushes most cars back to 1st gear and certainly had us looking for the lowest ratios as we climbed to the finish.
We celebrated with a BBQ at this location which has views out over the ocean and back along the coast for many miles. As we sat and shared stories we were amazed at the generosity of many people and the interest our little venture had generated. Together we had raised $4000 and wish to thank everyone who contributed to this cause.
Special thanks to Cell Bikes who provided Jerseys which fitted well, were comfortable and made us clearly visible.
