The revered thought leader Homer Simpson once astutely responded to his son’s decry “this is the worst day of my life!” with “it’s the worst day of your life so far”. So when word yesterday reached Tim Chadd, esteemed Chain Reaction General Manager, that day one was “the hardest start ever to a Chain Reaction event”, we were regaled another that was harder. Longer. And colder. If anything our start was rather tame in comparison. It was the hardest start in our lives…so far. The gods of New Zealand without doubt heard this, “hold my beer”.
Cue 7am departure this morning with the rain, predicted to start at 7am, arriving perfectly on time. You can set a watch to both the trains in Japan and forecasted rain arrivals in New Zealand. It rained. Oh, did it rain. For the next six hours. Not a little. Not a splatter. Rather the type of rain you hear, only to roll over in bed after texting your Chain Reaction training crew that the dog chewed a hole in the wall and you couldn’t possibly make it this morning. Not even Kiwi riders wanted much to do with it. History is written by the winners. We rolled out today armed with a passion for the Foundation’s cause and a sheer bloody-mindedness to prove to Tim that this – today, March 13th 2023 – is now the clubhouse leader for hardest start ever to a Chain Reaction Ride.
Did I mention the wind? That also came to the party. Uninvited guest. Glacial, cutting straight through the dozens of layers we were all now wearing. The fittest looking Michelin Men you’ll ever see on a bike. Only the precipitation saw this as a challenge. Breaching every layer. The Greeks had a harder time entering Troy that this rain did to every corner of our kit. Driven in by the wind.
Not to be outdone, the only thing working harder than the elements was the CRC support crew. As hard as all of the riders battled, the team supporting us worked twice as hard. Many riders can chalk this up as their hardest day on a bike thanks to both their determination and the support of the Chain Reaction team. There’s no better real world example or metaphor for this cause and this ride. For sick kids across Australia and for those on this journey. Together we can achieve amazing goals.
Photos from the day: CLICK HERE
Daily Video Highlights: CLICK HERE
