Newsletter No 25 - May 2019
Posted 16 June 2019
The M2M Delivers Another Fantastic Weekend of Cycling!
Dates for 2020
34th Murray to Moyne Cycling Relay: Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 April, 2020.
Teams can now commence organising for the 34th ride.
Note: Victorian School Holidays: Saturday 28 March to Tuesday 13 April 2020.
Note: Easter Public Holidays: Good Friday, 10 April. Easter Sunday, 12 April. Easter Monday, 13 April 2020.
From the Ride Directors Desk:
The M2M delivers another tremendous Weekend of Cycling for the 2019 event! Generally warm and fine, with moderate winds. Not quite the Champagne weather of last year – but not bad!
Most Teams were doing the right thing and support drivers seemed to take notice of the Ride Director’s briefings to keep left and let traffic flow though the ride.
Riders also were well behaved in keeping left and riding in single files when passing other teams and vehicles.
Teams improved their bike lighting and all riders did have reflective vests.
We have received a number of comments praising the role of the Motor Cycle Marshalls, for their assistance in identifying hazards along the roads and especially at night.
The M2M really appreciated having Matty Monk (3YB – FM) at the finish interviewing riders and acting as MC for the presentation.
The signs indicating the Hamilton Showgrounds worked this year, but the Calder and Sunraysia Highways intersection needs some work.
Overall the Ride Directors were very happy with the running of the 2019 ride. We did however have one rider who came off 2 kms from the finish. We can report following a visit to hospital he is looking forward to the 2020 event, and well on the way to recovery. A big thankyou to all teams and participants for making the M2M ride safe for all and a really enjoyable experience. We have had many very positive and favourable comments from teams. The M2M officials thank you all for your cooperation and support. In addition, we thank the many officials who helped to make the ride possible. These are all volunteers and we wish to recognise them for their time and expertise - the ride directors, front and rear vehicles, medical support, motorcycle marshals, corner marshals, Hamilton stopover officials, Port Fairy finish officials, parking assistants and traffic marshals.
We also recognise the hospitality support on the ride from: Rapid Relief Teams, Lions Clubs, Rotary Clubs, Beulah Primary School, Dunmunkle Lodge at Minyip and Arty Hoey and his band at the finish in Port Fairy.
Graham Woodrup Memorial Award
Congratulations: Joe Perry, Team 283for being awarded the GWMA Medal for 2019 due to his dedication to the spirit of Graeme Woodrup and the Murray to Moyne Cycling Relay.
Joe has been Team Captain for 20 years and is totally committed to the M2M. Under Joe’s leadership the team has raised in excess of $250,000 for health related charities.
Joe has experienced some medical setbacks, but he has continued his work for the team and the M2M Cycling Relay event. Joe’s other skills include: great person to have when the chips are down; great sense of humour; he commands respect and the trust of the team; very encouraging, especially of new riders; very practical with organising and planning the ride skills.
Joe has a passion for all things on two wheels whether they have a motor or not. He also has a keen ear for music that he exercises at every opportunity.
Joe’s volunteering efforts are not just confined to the Murray to Moyne. He has been a long-standing volunteer at the Moto Grand Prix held at Phillip Island.
Joe has completed about 20 successive Murray to Moynes by now (we have lost count and he can’t remember!) His first experience of the Murray to Moyne was riding for Australian Catholic University team; a mighty band of three men who not only completed the distance but did the driving in between.
With a passion for cycling and a vision for the potential of the team, over the years Joe has worked tirelessly to see the team grow to 20+ riders, with a support crew that rivals those of a professional peloton - some years as a rider /manager, others as a manager. Some years ago when he suffered a medical issue, Joe was adamant that he wouldn’t miss the M2M that year, instead guiding the team from the front seat of the bus. He has never once put himself before the wellbeing of the team.
His wife and daughter can vouch that every year he steps off the bike and says, ‘Next year will be my last, I think, the team don’t need me anymore.’ And then March rolls around again, and sure enough Joe is on the start line, having rallied the troops months before. He even inspired his 16 year old daughter (now a professional cyclist) to complete her first M2M in Year 10, and 12 years later she is about to line up for (what could be) her eighth one (she has also lost count!)
There have been some years where the weather has not been kind to cyclists and the team has cycled well after midnight to reach Hamilton. It is in times of adversity when the chips are down and we are facing into a brutal headwind that Joe buoys and encourages the team. He encourages all team members to care for one another and when it’s late at night, raining and there is a cutting headwind Joe has the physical strength to be first wheel.
Joe has a great sense of practicality and has incredible organisational skills. He is someone that all team members respect and trust. Joe commits countless hours to planning, organising and managing for the team to ensure the riders and crew are safe, well fuelled and that the change-overs are efficient.
His enthusiasm for seeing others achieve personal goals both on and off the bike, all for a common cause is what has kept this team going. Recruiting riding mates, work mates, and individuals from the respective charities in which the ACU team has supported (medical programs in East Timor, Bone Marrow Donor Institute, YSAS – Youth Support and Advocacy Service, and now Ovarian Cancer Australia), bringing together a group of strangers, some of whom have never ridden, is no easy feat. It takes a special someone to be able to bring all levels of cyclists together in a challenging environment and see them grow over the course of the weekend, pushing their limits and discovering their true potential. That special someone is Joe.
Congratulations to Geoff Jeffcott - Scrubbers & the Gasman, Team 121, on being awarded the Graeme Woodrup Certificate:
Geoff has been affiliated with the Murray to Moyne for 25 years as a bus driver for numerous teams. For several years now, Geoff has been the solo bus driver for Southwest Healthcare Scrubbers and the Gasman operating theatre team. Geoff has a creative artist background. Every year, after the M2M, our team celebrates the end of the M2M. We have dinner and drinks and awards!! As we always have an abundance of fun on the M2M, there is no doubt someone is often recognised from saying something very funny and goes into a “quotation book”. With Geoff’s creative nature, he artistically makes awards for team members from outstanding quotes.
Geoff is always reliable and loves being part of organising the weekend and helping out with fundraising. He always goes above expectations to help the riders and support crew on the weekend. He made a night lamp, which is called “Nigel”. I had no idea what “Nigel” was all about until my first M2M. I certainly do now and love seeing “Nigel” lit up in the dark when you are fatigued, hungry, and exhausted.
Over the weekend, Geoff documents our times and kms and is very precise in doing so. He has always encouraged and supported all the riders during the weekend and puts safety as his first priority including all M2M teams cyclists who are on the road.
How to Contact the M2M
Please E-mail Lou,
Our Administrator: admin@murraytomoyne.com.au
