Day 3- CONGRATULATIONS everyone!

Day three started off at 3:30am with a less than 12 hours recovery from day two. Because we got in so late yesterday I think it was fair to say everyone didn’t feel quite as rested. The vibe was good though as we knew that it the last early morning!

Dan provided some entertainment early on by colliding with the railing on the bridge… Thank goodness there was railing otherwise we might have had a very wet and injured Dan to pull together!

The Americans made the peanut and jelly sandwiches this time and we all enjoyed one at first break!

As we kept in doubles the whole way today we all took turns being up front.  The second largest mobile DJ in the world- Andy had us singing for only a few hours today. He forgot to charge the battery over night. School boy error!

There were lots of ‘debris’, ‘BUMPS’ and ‘Jombie’ shout outs from the front. This was important as we rode 3 hours in the dark today all with various lighting ability. Jombie was the word we used for locals in our path (or local vehicles). I can’t exactly remember the story behind the word… something from the gang who taught in Korea. I will never think about obstacle the same way, they will always be Jomies from now on!

Flying V 

Just as the sun was coming up today (and the traffic was not so bad) it was decided that we should try a Flying V (from Mighty Ducks). It was great to be occupied for half an hour by continuous ‘quack, quack, quacks’ to motivate the formation. All just to grab the perfect picture! 

Our last big stop came just outside the 20km to go mark. There were many more smiles here than earlier today as we all knew that 20 was going to be easy! Text messages were sent to school to tell them we were about 1.5 hours away. We were averaging a little less today per hour as we had another head wind!

The last 20 we played games, sang as many songs as we knew words for (Ironic by Alanis Morrisette was the biggest success, 100% of the words!) and talked about what foods we couldn’t wait to eat. Really, you would have thought we hadn’t been fed in weeks!!

There was one quick stop at 7km out as a few needed a sneaky wee! Then we were on the home stretch and flying!! As we started seeing landmarks we knew the pace picked up.

Arriving… this was AMAZING. Words cannot describe the feeling here. The whole school was out on the road with banners, balloons and massive smiles. A few kids greeted us at the turn and ran along side the bikes giving massive high fives. We all threw our bikes down and the hugging and crying started!!! Regardless of how sweaty and smelly we were the kids didn’t care, hugs all round.

‘I know I can…’ was chanted several times by a choked up Tammy and no one could keep the smile or relief off their face! Then to our surprise Monica and the gang back at school had organised an esky (cooler) full of drinks and a stack of food for us. Vanessa cracked the bottle of champagne and we all had an emotional toast to everyone involved.

A HUGE thank you to our support crew. They haven’t received much of a mention here but they worked hard. Chris was amazing as moto support, always having those waters ready for a ‘on the move’ grab. Herm was our bike mechanic who was always there checking on everyone. He also went out of his way to clean all our bikes after the first day of mud. Larenz was amazing as our photographer, I am sure you will agree if you have liked any of the shots I have posted today (check out Oyen Rodriguez on FB for more). Last but not least there is Matt who drove the truck and was fantastic support every step of the way. He crawled along the highway with the water, beer and food for three days at about 20km… that must have been frustrating!!

Need to go for now as we have celebratory dinner at Square 24 tonight. I will update again when we have the final donation figure.

Finally… If I have made you smile or laugh even once whilst you read this blog please donate! At the core of it all if ABCs didn’t exist then 180 kids wouldn’t have an education, amongst other things. It relies only on donations to survive and we need all the money we can get as it grows and grows!

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/abc-go

Day 2- Sisophon to Poipet and back

Highlights from today:

(sorry guys, I am tired so it will be short tonight)

It did not rain!!! We had dust and wind to contend with instead...

At the boarder!

We had 'bacon' for breakfast (well the non vegetarians did) in Poipet. The boarder crossing took longer than expected though and we didn't head off until 12 to come back.

It was thought that we would get a tail wind on the way home in the sun... we were wrong. It was a head wind and a big one at that. It made the trip home longer but DJ Andy was in fine form. We also stuck together and kept in each others draft.

That is Queen Liz on her pants!!!

Anne Marie got out her second addition to her outfit! See photo...

Vanessa hit a person... yes that's right she hit a person!! The lady just laughed but it could have been worse if she hadn't braked in time.She has a nice bruise to show for it. 

We dodged some geese and a few crazy dogs.

Shirt swap!

Dan and Margaret swapped shirts- what a sight!

We met a crazy Japanese man who is going to cycle the world in three years. He is 6 weeks in and very smiley! We asked if he has FB or a web page... he shook his head. Hmm... a Japanese man behind on technology??? What the?

Phearin got some cramp but pulled through! Tammy was a constant inspiration giving words of encouragement to all.

Beth and I made up words for 'The ants go marching...' up to 12. Anything to kill the time and stop thinking about how sore we are. 

Andy chipped a tooth last night so was giving us all really lovely smiles all day!

Katie got closer to Dan than she expected with a big sweaty hug back at the hotel... It was very entertaining!

So tomorrow we leave at 3:30am to make sure we are at ABCs to see the kids. It is fair to say that we cant feel our butts any more and it is unclear how anyone will move their legs tomorrow. I trust all will be ok in the end and the pain will subside as we get closer to the finish line! 

Good night :)

Day 1- Siem Reap to Sisophon

At ABCs-4 am

Today began at 3 am... we were ready and on the road by 4! Tammy had a stack in the first 5 kms as the rain started as we started. The rain continued for the most part of the day but it was welcomed as at least it kept the temperature down. 

Our first stop was 21kms in and everyone was quite surprised we had ridden so far. Tom was doing a great job at making sure people were hydrated and made us all grab a re-fill. It was at this point Matt realised that the precious 'Royal D' and bananas were missed when loading up the truck! 

Our second stop saw some of us take our first bite of a peanut and jelly sandwich, YUM! It was also at this point that DJ Andy started taking requests (however, 5 minutes after the speaker retired).

There were a few 'sneaky' toilet breaks, the photos to come for you Monica :)

The rain was pretty constant the whole ride which made things messy. The photos don't really show it very well be we were all covered in mud splatters. Beth's face was one big giant freckle!!

Dan had loads of energy and enthusiasm, we think the outfit was helping here as he had a 'padded' butt!Vanessa and Margaret also looked very professional in their bike shorts.

As the last 35kms approached so did a rather large slow incline... we saw it coming but it hurt. Everyone lost pace but we were rewarded by about 2 minutes of down hill sailing after. Now we only had 15kms to go... 

I think it is fair to say that the last 10 were tough... as we slid into Sisaphon Dan did a mega classy stack on the corner. Most of us missed it but were told it was a good laugh!

I know I said in the last blog that it would be hard to celebrate today as it is only one third of the trek. Well i was wrong. I think there were quite a few of us that were pretty chuffed that we have ridden 107kms. The cheers and smiles when we reached the hotel were awesome!! I cant wait to see us all on Monday when we reach the kids.

Well bits are sore that I didnt think could be. I look forward to our Yoga in the carpark at 5 am and returning to the bike for another inspirational day!

GO team ABCs GO!!!

No days left, just hours....

So final preparations are in order... At last nights meeting it was decided that a 3am take off it the plan. So tonight we will all get a tuk tuk pick up in the wee hours and meet at ABCs where the bikes will be waiting for our butts!

Snacks are being bought today; our menu is looking like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (for the Americans) and bananas! Food options, like toilets will be unreliable. The truck (driven by Matt) will have an esky (cooler) full of water and a whole stack of Royal D which is an orange powder sold here to make water taste like Gatorade. Oh and toilet paper… lots of it.

We won't lose her!!!

Anne Marie has her Irish sunsmart outfit sorted, small preview included! Dan is back eating again after the beginning of the week being jinxed with Cambodia belly. He had just previously announced that he ‘never gets sick in Asia’, the next day he was out! 

Tom would like it noted that there is much more to him than being a ‘ski bum’. What that exactly that is he couldn’t tell me just yet, so stay tuned. Maybe he will become our inspiration/coach on the ride??

Gnocci and Lasagne for lunch, YUM!

As for Beth and I, we took to carb loading today. We figure anything eaten today will be ‘free calories’! I am voting for ice cream for dinner, anyone else keen?

The hardest thing about this whole weekend ride is that tomorrow when we get to Sisaphon we can't even celebrate being half way!! It wont be until Sunday that we will be able to breathe some small relief...

In all honesty though, I can’t think of a better team to do something like this with. Everyone has ABCs in their hearts and is doing this all in the name of the kids.

I will try and update you all each night with the days high and lows! Internet of course is also ‘temperamental’ so I will do my best.

Stay tuned and think of us as you take your Saturday morning lie ins- we may have ridden over 70km by the time you wake up!

To sponsor us crazy kids please visit:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/abc-go

We all signed on the dotted line

After our meeting at Molly’s Friday night it was decided that everyone is going to attempt the whole journey. We were all on our first drink too, maybe Siem Reap turns people nutty??

Due to the lack on habitable places to stay along the way there are only two options. 

1) Go straight there and back in two days, 

or 2)

 Day one (Saturday): Siem Reap to Sisophon-105km

Day two (Sunday): Sisophon to Poipet (the border) and back to Sispohon- 100km

Day three (Monday): Sisophon to Siem Reap- 105km

Day four (Tuesday): Massage parlor- 1 km

Sponsorship will be strongly welcomed for day four… The boys have promised no additional costs in happy endings… LOL :)

Needless to say we chose option 2! Total according to Google: 310km. In saying this we have also heard rumors that it’s longer than that and Google is wrong. Hmm, I hope not.

So our 12th member has arrived in Siem Reap (our 5th American). I might actually be the only Australian in this group… Does that ever happen abroad? I will try do my country proud!

Andy: All I know about Andy to date is that he is enthusiastic and fit! He also has purchased us a speaker so we can have inspiration tunes playing while we ride! Good thinking J

Monica saying goodbye to her Coke...

On a side note I have to introduce...

Monica: She will not be doing this hell of a ride, however is making her own sacrifice for ABCs fundraising pledge. She is giving up Coke for a whole week. To most of you this may not sound like much… however, those of us who know Monica know that Coke is her thing. She doesn’t drink alcohol and Coke is her vice… She is probably as anxious about her week as we are about the ride!

If you are not that impressed with our ride and feel deeply for Monica and her week off Coke you can donate here:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ABC-rice

So, 4 days to go… Watch this space for any new developments!

Oh and I have been hassled about writing something about myself. Well… Up to now bikes have not been my friend, I really don’t care for them. However I have been training a little and feel like this might be my one and only love affair with a bike!

To sponsor us, click here:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/abc-go

Thanks for reading!

Training- In all its forms!

As the days tick by we have seen more and more dedication to the training regime.

Anne Marie and I took to Crazy Bamboo Bar and Temple to strengthen our arm muscles by lifting buckets and dancing the night away. All very valid activities for improved fitness!

Massive credit to these guys, it is so bloody hot right now!!

The boys have been put to work by Pete- no rest here at ABCs. Not when there is piping to be laid and walls to paint.

Vanessa and Magaret have been working on their sun resistance (a good base tan always helps).

Relaxed??

Our team has now gained another member as our only Irish volunteer succumbed to the pressure and promised us her ‘wee’ company for the journey.

More crew profiles: 

Anne Marie- Our lucky Irish leprechaun who will be there mainly to provide the good craic. 

Tom- The notorious ‘ski bum’ who has had plenty of experience on bikes… this small journey will just add to his extreme activity CV.

Dan- Only agreed to the bike ride through HUGE amounts of peer pressure and only nodded his when there was mention of beer.

Vanessa- She is the facilitator of the whole crazy idea and will be hoping that the back pack lugging around the world will have aided in leg strength and endurance.

There will be a full crew meeting tomorrow night before quiz at Molly's. It is here that everyone must decide if they will commit to the way back also... That will mean 320km! 

I wonder who has the stamina? Or is it more about who has ability and ambition confused?

The journey....

To sponsor us please visit:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/abc-go

ALL money raised will go directly to the school and current projects!

The count down is on...

In 11 days a crew of about 12 crazy peeps will be setting off from Siem Reap in the wee hours for Poipet on the Thai border.

160km is the distance for most, but the question is who will be the bravest and do the ride back also?

Or maybe it is more about who is happy not to feel their arse for a week after??

At this stage the crew looks like this:

Tammy- Leader of the crew with her all inspiring fitness level! Famous quote to date: 'I chose to smoke, not run'.

Beth- The youngest hippest, fittest of them all. As an ex ballet dancer we will all be watching closely to see if she can put that grace into peddling a bike!

Margaret- Newest ABCs recruit with Thailand in her sights. She has recently been working for a fitness club so we are expecting big things here...

Phearin- Has done this before so will be looking for inspiration! What is Khmer for 'ride bitches ride'?

Others are yet to have heavy research conducted on them, stay tuned for their profiles!

See:
ABC.rice@groups.facebook.com

To donate:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/ABC-rice