A supportive 7am send off from the Hon Judy Spence (Queensland Minister for Police) then a VIP police escort out of the bustling metropolis that is... Brisbane.
 
Some would say me and Ged in our HP kits would be enough to stop traffic, but the police escort probably helped.

The peleton ( = group of riders... for the uninitiated) was joined by a few famous locals - Mal Meninga (Rugby league legend) and Peter Ryan (Bronco Great) as well as the lovely Sara Carrigan (Athens Olympic Gold Medallist). Sara and Mal rode with the peleton for much of the first day...we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did guys! Thanks for supporting us and the kids.

We were also joined by the under 11 champion Sean Grimes. Only a pint size little guy - but proved it could be well and truly on for young and ...old. Thanks Sean, we hope you had a great ride and we know we will see and hear more from you in the future! 

We also kicked on through Beenleigh to our first real serious challenge. Mount Tambourine - also known as Mt Tamborine, Tambourine Mountain or bloody big mountain ;)

When it came to the mountain - Ged was certainly the man to beat - having ridden the 8K climb from the tender age of three (so he tells me). Tall tales Ged.

The climb gradient is steady but its the distance thats the killer. After the mammoth effort to get up the mountain it was definitely time to re-group and re-fuel.

Electrolytes anyone? All hands on deck from the support team made sure that all types of drinks ending in 'ade' were in steady supply.

Off again - the descent off Tambourine was awesome to start, a bit rough in parts with some unfinished roadworks but generally alright. 
 
We hit the last big steep climb for the day and the boys really dug deep. A proud peleton! No way was anyone going to let the gradient get the better of them.

After that it was cruise time, as we followed the beach strip into the land of the bling bling....Gold Coast.

Day one - Over and Out
Ross