Every action provokes and equal and opposite reaction according to one of Newton’s Laws of Motion. Hence the energy devoted to excessive consumption over the Christmas period met its opposite as eleven riders sought to expend the calories accumulated in the recent past on a journey from Urunga to Toormina and return. Clearly other riders in the region were experiencing the same mathematical phenomenon as the number of cyclists met over the course of the morning was probably a record.
Forty-five kilometers of cycling was not considered sufficient, however, so the banked walls of the Toormina velodrome were utilized to offset the impending carbo loading enthusiastically embraced by many of the riders at Garden Mania.
Caitlin had shown a clean pair of heels to most riders on the climb up Butcher’s Hill with Poppy not even attempting to keep pace. Herb as always took his duties as tail-end Charlie seriously and was nearly comatose staying behind Betty Anne. Tim, not content to rest on his laurels cycling the extra forty kilometers to and from Nambucca, sprinted down every hill putting all those extra kilos around his middle to good use. Phil stamped out his usual upbeat tempo to keep the front of the peleton honest. Mountain biker Peter was finding the lightweight road bike more and more to his liking. Deb relished yet another ride before returning to the rigours of bureaucracy. Cyborg John with his titanium knee seems no longer to be handicapped and led much of the field a merry dance.
Threatening weather held off for the duration of the ride and all cyclists completed the course without mishap.