The day started slowly with a leisurely rise at the Melbourne Airport Hilton Hotel. We had to wait for the truck to come off the Spirit of Tasmania ferry so it was a well earned sleep in followed by a very large breakfast (which is the norm each day actually).

The day had 180+km in store for the riders. Fatigue started to take its toll and I was certainly one of the casualties. Everything is hurting at this stage. My legs are tired, my back is sore, my hands are numb, and what can I say about my backside? Plenty actually, but nothing that’s printable!

Wednesday had a bit of everything. The late start meant we had to ride through the heat of the day. It was a long, long day with strong headwinds. To break up the boredom at times, their were designated sprint points marked by distance road signs. Usually the rider who takes the most signs is awarded the green jersey that night (although not guaranteed). On this particular day there was carnage! During a powerful stroke of the pedal, Tommy (team Virgin) pulled a foot loose and fell forward over his handle bars. His other foot then unclipped and left him with his chest on the handle bars and legs flapping wildly - all at over 50km per hour. Needless to say this had to end badly and Tommy's got the scars to prove it. Of course the important question to all cyclists, "how's the bike"? Well I'm happy to report the bike survived the incident remarkably well.

At the end of the day we rolled in to a school that supports Indigenous and remedial programs for kids that don't integrate so well in mainstream education. It was a fantastic reception with a lot of people (and food) which you come to expect from wonderful country hospitality. To hear the kids speak about their experiences and how the school is helping them reach their potential was truly inspirational.

We arrived at our hotel absolutely "cooked" from our long day in the sun. All I could think about was sleeping and a comfortable bed because apparently tomorrow's ride is ever longer and harder. Team HP is on duty tomorrow to organise the peloton so we need to be on our game.

Remember, if you're not riding you're walking ...

Wardy

Today’s Statistics:

Avg Speed - 31.8km

Distance - 182km

Time - 6hours

Avg Temp - 31

Max Temp - 41

Min Temp - 21

Ascent - 630m