Day 5 - Milkshakes, friends and more rain

Today was a late start as the first stop off to Central Tilba was extremely important and required the shops to be open. As a result we started out day at a relatively leisurely pace and even managed to listen to my interview with ABC presenter Ian Campbell, who will be cycling with me on one of tomorrows legs.

Start of the day pose, ready and raring to go

Before I knew it it was time to hit the road and head to Tilba, in yet again more rain. Once at Tilba we faced a dilemma as to where to chain the bike, which resulted from a combination of laziness and urgency to get coffee and milkshakes from the ABC Cheese Factory. The solution? Chain it to the cars rear suspension, how could you not guess that?

Locking up the bike, it was Adam's idea I swear...

As some of you will know Adam has been waiting around 10 years to get another milkshake from here and today he finally got it, as proves in the below picture.

10 years was apparently worth it

After Tilba I had to push on as I was meeting Karyn an the next stop, Quaama. It was great to finally meet Kayrin and I would like to thank her for her company and stories as they definitely kept me going for the day. Karyn will be participating in her own Pedal for Parkinson's this year in Vietnam with Parkinson's Victoria, for more information go here.

Karyn and I start out in the wet

Once at the final rest, Bega Lookout, Karyn and her husband departed to continue on with their holiday. Here Adam also informed me that we would be waiting on another rider who had called not long ago after getting our details from ABC radio. This mystery rider was Ross. I can honestly say I have never met a person so genuine, with such a drive for life itself. Ross was truly inspirational in more ways I think he could ever know and I thank him for his company. His fitness and cycling form clearly out did mine but that did not seem to phase him in the least. I hope this will not be the last I hear from Ross and at very least ask that he join me next year for a leg and that if he's ever around Sydney to drop me a line.

Ross and I arrived at Yellow Pinch dam camp ground, after the most horrible hill you could ever imagine (particularly after 114km). Adam had a site all sorted and had begun to set up, no sooner had the tent come out to be put up the rain started. It was a very wet evening which was spent playing cards, drinking hot chocolate, struggling with Internet connections (hence why this is late) and of course mingling with our most interesting pro drug neighbors. Given the rain dinner was kept simple and eaten fast. Now we are just about to head off to bed and rest my weary legs.

Our spot of dirt for the night

Rest up.