We started with the expectation of rain but were pleasantly surprised by a morning of sunshine and quiet roads which made for an awesome start to day two. The peloton was led out once again by our worthy jersey winners, for their efforts on and off the bike in terms of progressing their physical capacity, kicking fundraising goals and bringing an unwavering commitment to the challenge;
Emily Pryor - Black/LSH Auto Australia
Rebecca White – Yellow/KordaMentha
Alison Chambers – Green/Craggy Wine
Rosalyn Hunt – Polka Dot/Urbex
Gaye Steley – White/Premise
Riding a bike over long distances in a peloton involves a LOT of good chat with your fellow cyclists. Most of the time it's pretty casual chit chat but other times the conversations have great depth and bring riders a village of support to share the ups and downs of life. So, with the responsibility of writing the day 2 blog, I thought I'd take the opportunity to find out what the motivations are for these inspiring women, and why they return year after year to the Chain Reaction Challenge.
The women on this ride come from various fields - medical, property, health, recruitment and many more, however the motivations are similar. First and foremost it’s about giving, in a world filled with taking, giving back, doing good, helping those facing everyday challenges, supporting charities that we, friends or family may one day need to lean on….because we can. We're in a position to choose to devote time and effort for valuable causes and undergo the training to execute the fundraising and physical challenge. The other resounding motivation is what you get back. The challenge we take on provides opportunity for personal growth and discovery, physical and mental health benefits, and forming strong and enduring friendships with like-minded individuals.
So tomorrow we take this motivation to complete the 3 day challenge with a 140km ride back from Twin Waters to Brisbane where we'll ride into the new Mercedes-Benz Brisbane dealership to be greeted with those close to our heart who've supported us all in so many ways over a journey spanning more than 10 weeks of fundraising and training.
- Nicole Haynes
