Pristine conditions prevailed this morning as we rolled out of Surfers Paradise at 7 am towards the lush Gold Coast hinterland. Fortunately, the conditions were favourable.
Our destination today was O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat, a beautiful location deep in the heart of the Lamington National Park. Whilst the area is well known for its rainforest location, and unique and diverse wildlife, it is of course the former home of its namesake, the late Bernard O'Reilly, who was an Australian bushman and author, most notably remembered for his efforts in locating the survivors of the 1937 Stinson plane crash.
Apparently (accordingly to a fairly official-looking road sign), the area is known as 'O'Reilly's Plateau' – ironic, I thought, as there is nothing flat about the place. As the peloton wound its way towards Canungra through relentless undulating terrain, surrounded by green pastures and forests, the great mountain which we were about to tackle appeared before us. The task ahead of us was daunting, to say the least. After a brief stop in Canungra to refuel, ride director, Tim Chadd, led the group out in the lead Mercedes-Benz AMG, supplied by LSH Auto Australia and declared 'free play' as we began the 25km climb.
To put the climb to O'Reilly's into perspective, Canungra sits at about 90m above sea level, whereas O'Reilly's sits at 930m above sea level. So we ascended over 800m vertically, within the space of an hour or two.
It's no surprise that the bunch was looking a little dishevelled by the time we got to the top, but spirits were given a much-welcomed boost when the staff at the Rainforest Retreat brought out a lavish buffet lunch - the unanimous crowd favourite being an endless supply of hot, salty chips. Apparently, Mr O'Reilly's son was serving up the chips too, which made them all the more special.
After lunch, we descended back to Cunungra - but that was no walk in the park, either. The road to O'Reilly's is more of a 'goat track' than a road in places, featuring potholes and crevices which would engulf a small cyclist with ease and a slippery moss coating in the forest-covered areas - all providing for a difficult ascent and a particularly challenging descent.
Fortunately, the bunch arrived at the base of the mountain in one piece – due in no small part to the expert guidance down the descent by one of our Chain Reaction coaches and former Australian road racing champion, Lorian Graham. A safe wheel to follow, to say the least.
Having climbed approximately 2.5km vertically and travelled 148km, suffering all the way, it's fair to say that the group will sleep well tonight. But the suffering we have endured today only reminds us, to a modest extent, of what the kids and their families for whom we are raising funds must go through each and every day. It's a humbling thought and truly brings home why we are doing all of this.
On that note, we are fast approaching $700,000 in funds raised for the ride. That is particularly exciting for the group because Chain Reaction CEO, John Ward, is actively pushing us towards a stretch goal of $750,000, appealing to the competitive nature of the group. So if you haven't had a chance to chip in just yet, now's your chance!
I best sign off now as it will be another big day on the road tomorrow as we head West towards Kooralbyn.
Your diarist (for one night only),
On the evening of Day 2, the following Competition Jerseys were awarded.
- Orange ‘Leader's Jersey', sponsored by Pure Storage, went to Peter (POK) O’Keeffe the OKG + TFA Team.
- White ‘New Riders Jersey', sponsored by Sunkids, went to Robert Dodd of the MGD/TRACTION Team.
- Black ‘Spirit of Chain Reaction Jersey, sponsored by LSH Auto went to Jason (JC) Christophers of the OKG + TFA Team.
- Pink 'Inspiration jersey', sponsored by MGA Insurance Brokers, went to Will Brice of the MGD/TRACTION Team.
