Norbs has made it to Melbourne!

Another 12 months gone.

17th July 2009 - 13:13

Well, nearly a year to the day since an update. Nothing in the pipeline as yet, but I have bought a new bike.

norbs



Wow, its alive!

15th July 2008 - 21:00

To the 3 people who keep checking back here, thank you. I had lost the admins password so I couldn't do any updates. Thanks again to Chaz, the designer of the site for steering me in the right direction to get that fixed.

Not that alot has happened in the past 2 years. Well not on the fund raising front. Heaps has happened in my personal life. I wont bore you with it, but I am keen to do another fund raiser, and have started thinking about it. Stay tuned.

norbs



Still here.

8th May 2006 - 16:06

Gday all. I haven't dissapeared, just been a bit busy. As you might have guessed, the next challenge didn't happen in April. The next few weeks will see me trying to organise the next challenge.

A couple of hints. It will happen over 24 hours and people will be able to join in if they can pedal a pushbike.

More details to come soon.

BTW, the norb-a-worm graphic made by Matt and Charles has been retired. Here is one last look at him......


norbs



The next challenge.

6th October 2005 - 07:08

Well, I have had an idea for the next challenge. I wont reveal it yet, but it will be alot different from this years challenge, and will hopefully be happening about April next year.

If you have any ideas for a challenge, email them to the link above.

norbs



Final tally.

9th July 2005 - 02:41

Well, there it is in living colour.



Thank you to all the people who donated, it turned out much better than I could have hoped.

norbs



Donations closing in 2 days.

18th May 2005 - 10:49

Hi everyone. Just a gentle reminder to those who still want to donate. Donations need to be in by this Friday, the 20th May. Sorry to put a dead line on it, but I have to tie up all the loose ends. So far I have received $3300 in donations, way above what I was aiming at. Thanks to all that have donated so far.

norbs



A different slant. Part II.

15th May 2005 - 17:57

Two Rockmelons in a Feed Bag

That's my first thought about being a support crew member for norbs' big charity ride form Sydney to Melbourne. The horror of having to look at his rear for several hundred kilometres. That and the boredom of driving at 20 or 30 kilometres per hour for 4 days. As it turned out though, I had a great time and ended with a real sense of contributing something towards his brilliant effort.

My main impressions:

You can see a lot more of the country when you are driving slowly - maybe next time you head up or down the Hume, consider doing it at 30! It's amazing what you'll see and smell that you miss out on when your blasting along at 110.

It's trickier than you think to drive behind a cyclist - you really have to judge your distance, work out what to do at narrow sections or bridges, watch out for debris, keep an eye on norbs, think always about what oncoming drivers will see etc.

The generosity of people - the publicans and motel managers I met were unfailingly generous with their time and their resources - they just said yes to donating rooms to a worthy cause. And Mitsubishi, who donated the Grandis without fuss and who didn't want any acknowledgement - just done as a courtesy.

The Southern Highlands of NSW are a beautiful place - I think I'd like to retire there, if they remain unspoilt. Then perhaps spoil them...

You see some poignant stories written in the debris on the side of the road. Some sobering examples included the amount of car wreckage (windscreens, mirrors, trim plastic etc) in the bush on the side of the Federal Highway between Goulburn and Canberra. And the number of roadside memorials - flowers and crosses that mark where road crash victims lost their lives. Lots of these on the Federal Highway too, usually at a bridge, or after a curve. A bit of fatigue or stupidity can snuff your life out in a second. Lots of dead wildlife too (again, mostly on the Federal Highway near Canberra). Nearly every drainage grate was marked by a pile of kangaroo bones and skin. One of the funniest, yet perhaps most tragic, was on the approach to a service centre (petrol station etc). About 200 metres before the servo was the forlorn sight of a pair of men's underpants, extensively soiled and discarded. An obvious biological emergency - I could just imagine the poor devil. Deliverance in the form of service station toilets just a few seconds away, but too far. A filled pair of pants too far.

And my final observation - norbs has good friends - because he's a good bloke himself.

Smithcorp.



A different slant on things. Part I.

15th May 2005 - 17:56

Norb Speed; A slow travelling pace by a person that resembles two fat ladies wrestling in a lycra balloon.


If someone had of told me earlier that cruise control doesn’t work at Norb Speed, then I probably would have stayed at home and cheered… front row seats aren’t always the best!


Macca, you would be proud. The photo of norbs on the hill with Melbourne in the background was the perfect backdrop for a “See, Melbourne IS downhill” joke… I got the feeling that norbs didn’t see the humour in that!


Interesting, is one word I wouldn’t use to describe my support stint. Boring, painful and slow are more accurate. Normally I would say Australia is a beautiful place, however, watching scenery move by at 20km/h says otherwise. In front you have a lycra balloon and scenery moving ever so slowly. Behind you have nothing but what you just spent the last 20mins starring at, and looking to the sides makes you start to think you are driving through the local tip.


Actually, it was very enjoyable and Australia is top notch and as long and as painful the driving was, the childish antics and crappy jokes during made up for it… it was all about balancing the sanity. We go insane following him, so we sent him insane with tough love and bad jokes. I also finally got to see what is beyond Sydney, and was able to catch up with a lot of mates and meet many new and interesting people.


To be honest, I never really gave any thought to whether or not norbs would make it. I knew it would be tough, but didn’t know how much so, and still won’t unless I do something similar. What I do know is how norbs really amazed me; one particular day he looked really down. Not just physically drained, but emotionally as well. Yet, no matter what, he got up and mounted his bike only to push on. For that reason alone I am proud to have been a part of this.


A fine effort mate, really well done and thank you for allowing me to support you on the way. One question though... when are you doing the Sydney to Perth bike ride I mentioned many a time?

Rots



My adventure.

15th May 2005 - 17:55

Total Dist : 1038.92kms Total Time : 43h 32m 47s Ave Speed : 23.86kph

Well, looking at the numbers above, I have to say, I am surprised I managed it. 43½ hours in the saddle. That translates roughly, and I mean very roughly, to about 150,000 turns of the pedals. Thats a hell of a lot of pedaling for a rather tubby fella like myself.


A nightly update.


Having had the past week to absorb what has happened, its about time I did the aforementioned summary. And I am going to start from the very beginning. This whole adventure started out months ago. I actually began planning it in late 2004. Having never done anything like this before, I was not prepared for what lay ahead. As many of my friends, relatives and work colleagues will agree, I am possibly the worlds most unorganised person. I hate paperwork with a passion. I will trot this old chestnut out again, I am a technician, not a secretary. My very good friend and account, g'day AB, has got very little hair left and I think it is my fault. I will put off any type of administration work til the death. By now, I think you may have gotten the story, I dont like paper work. Well this little adventure entailed a bloody truck load of it. I actually bought myself a compendium and a diary. As I started to plan, it became increasingly obvious, that I would have to be reasonably well organised or the whole thing could fold. The 1st thing to organise, was the route. I had decided reasonably early on that I wanted to do 1000kms on the trip. Well that meant I had to find about 103kms. The trip between Sydney and Melbourne is about 897 from GPO to GPO. The decision was made to detour via Canberra. Still, we needed about 60kms. Up to the plate steps 1 Tony Zec with the magnificent idea of a Canberra circuit to make up the numbers. Bingo. Perfect. Thanks Tone. The route had been planned.


There was just no way to hide that gut.


Now, on any major project like this, you need support people. I wasn't going to be able to do this on my own. Who would I have to whinge and whine to at the end of a day in the saddle. So the question went out, who wants to watch my bum squeezed into some lycra bike shorts squirm on a seat for days at a time? To my complete surprise and eternal gratification, the following all put their hands up. Brian ("the Bri man"), Vince ("snoozey"), Ian ("Macca"), Nigel ("Rots), Chris ("Seymour) and Carl ("Cutter"). To this magnificent six, I tips me lid. Your support will not be forgotten. Your jokes won't either!! These guys all gave up much of their own precious time, to support the cause. They weren't paid. All they were given was a bed at night and me compaining about road conditions.


Vince wondering why I have to wear bike pants.


So far, so good. We had a route to take, and support guys to help out. But, what about all the other stuff? Bike parts, food, drinks, accomodation, car and petrol. Bike parts where taken care of thanks to Vela Nova at Katoomba, Maroubra Cycles, Panthers Cycles at Penrith and the Greengrocer bike shop at Canberra. Also, Gavin at Panthers Cycles serviced the bike and made it go like it was new. Next was the generous people at Gatorade. 90 bottles of the stuff that puts back what the sweat takes out. Thanks to Daniela Zec for helping secure that sponsorship. Accomodation. Well, much to my astonishment, we managed to get the whole trips lodgings donated. So, to all those that donated rooms, and the list is below, I would like to say thank you.

The George IVth, Picton.
The Bundanoon Hotel, Bundanoon.
The Exchange Hotel, Goulburn.
Doma Hotels for the Pinnacle Apartments at Kingston, Canberra.
The Australian Hotel, Yass.
The Gundagai Motel, Gundagai.
The Halway Motel, Tarcutta.
The Holbrook Hotel (The pub near the sub), Holbrook.
Denis and Isobel at Wodonga.
Warby Motor Inn, Wagaratta.
The Broken River Hotel, Benalla
The Wattle Motel, Seymour
Carl and Mary, Kyneton.

Next of the things to organise was the support vehicle. A huge thanks must go to Brian and David for their hard work in securing the Mitsubishi Grandis. And to Chris Spence and Ian Glover at Mitsubishi Australia for the support. The vehicle was great. To my good mate Greg at GLW Transport who sponsored the petrol money, thanks Greg.


As Brian called it, dancing in the pedals.


All this was done prior to taking off on the 23rd April. There were a few hiccups along the way, but as usual, it all managed to figure itself out.


Where did that smile go?



Now, onto the trip itself. What an adventure it was. The Saturday we left Sydney was a fine and warm day. To see friends at Luna Park in the morning was great. I must admit though, I was rather keen to get going. If I missed saying good bye to anyone at Luna Park I apologise. As I rode off and heard people clapping, I was determined to give it my best shot. I have told many people since, I really didnt expect to get to Melbourne. I was just going to give it my best shot and be happy with that. Day 1, which now seems an eternity ago was a fair bit longer than I had planned, and it took its toll. 85kms for someone not used to riding for the best part of 4 hours was a huge shock to the system. But I made it. The highlight of day 1 was undoubtably getting off the bike.

The next few days were very tough going. We climbed a hell of a lot of hills. One with the brake on! I was going to bed at 8:30 at night and sleeping like a baby. One thing that all the support guys agree on, I am a noisy sleeper. I won't elaborate on that. Climbing over the Great Dividing Range was a great feeling. Not many people get to say they rode a bicycle over a mountain range. (And before you send that email telling me we dont have mountains over here in Australia, try riding a bike over them. :) )

One thing I have briefly touched on on this trip was how the media worked. I have done quite a few radio and newspaper interviews now. I have to say, I prefer radio. It is daunting the first time you do it, especially in a studio on live radio, but at least you know what you say is what people hear. I have read some quotes on web pages and newspapers that I dont even remember saying! But it has been an interesting experience, none the less and I am very glad I did them.

The next few days of the trip were good. The run from Goulburn to Canberra was great. Nearly all flat and fast. Lake George (a waterless lake) seems to go on forever. Riding into Canberra and especially up to Parliment house was a great experince. Canberra is a great place to ride a pushbike, but I got a hell of a shock when a van ran up the back of a car right beside me. The acommodation at Canberra was great as well. Another newspaper interview and then some photos by a professional photographer. The photos turned out great, proof that you can polish a turd!

After Canberra, it was off to Yass, Gundagai, Tarcutta and Holbrook. 4 days of tough love with Macca. It was at about this time that I realised that I had damaged my undercarriage. That little incident just out of Goulburn, when the bike jumped skywards, thanks to a huge bump, and the seat gave my boys bits a non to gentle smack, reappeared in the form of blood in the urine. Not something you need to see with another 600kms in the saddle to do. Poor ol' lefty was still a bit tender to touch, but it was obvious that I had more problems than I first thought. Best to keep tabs on this me thinks. I think I may have told Macca, but kept it quite to everyone else for fear of it ending the trip.

The trip between Canberra and Yass was a bugger. Single lanes and hilly. It was on the run just south of Yass that I had my one and only scare from a trucky. 62.5 tonnes of metal passing just feet from you is a bit disconcerting. Well I had and armco barrier on the left, and 1 of these big buggers doing about 100kph on my right. That would go down as the scariest moment of the trip. Getting to the top of Conroys Gap was a milestone (650m above sea level) and going down was great fun. The Coolac gourmet chicken sandwich will keep Macca and I entertained for years to come. Stopping at the Dog on the tucker box and having a chat to some old folk off a bus was a highlight. Especially the elderly lady who asked for a kiss.


Is this man an elite athlete? The masses said no. :)

The next morining was another milestone. 500kms had passed. Only 500 to go. Tarcutta was the next stop. We managed to get a bit further along, but that day I was feeling very ordinary. I will remember Tarcutta for the lamb cutlets. What a nice change from steaks. The next day we headed for Holbrook. Hitting rain for the 1st time wasn't much fun. That was the morning I got called girly a dozen times before lunch. It was also the day I made the stupid mistake of having a big lunch. Never again. Riding up hills burping onions isnt my idea of fun. This was Macca's last day, but he managed to impart his motivational techniques to Rots, and I got it for the next week.


When support guys go bad. I think Smiss just put dencorub in my bike pants.


The run from Holbrook to Wodonga was great. Flat and I went nice and fast. The ride through Albury was abit hairy with huge trucks rolling along next to me the whole time. That day was made special because I crossed state lines for the 1st time. I had actually ridden out of NSW. What an acheivement for someone who isnt a long distance cyclist. The other highlight of the day was a home cooked meal. Thanks Isobel and Denis for your hospitality. And a warm comfy bed. What a bonus.

Now I was in Victoria, and from what everyone was telling me, it was all flat from here on in. Well, for the 1st day, they were right. The run to Wangaratta was fantastic. Somewhat boring, but flat and straight. I was hooting along. It was also the 1st chance I had had to ride with other cyclists. Thanks Heather for the company. The ride from Wangaratta to Violet Town was boring. And that makes riding so much tougher. The following day, I woke up tired and sore, but for some reason, I felt great once I got on the bike. We got to Seymour pretty quickly, and the hamburger for lunch was great. Pity the chinese for dinner was so bad. The next day, we were off to the Wallan turn off. What a crap day for cycling. The wind was blowing, it was cold and I was miserable. It was easily the toughest day of the ride. It was the day I got only my second puncture of the trip. But, as per usual, the day balanced itself out when I went to Newham School and had a chat to the kids. This turned out to be a highlight of the trip. The kids were great. And, knowing that tomorrow would be the last ride of the trip picked me up as well.

The last day. The wind was still blowing, but I felt like nothing could stop me now. I met Nigel about 25kms out of Melbourne. We could see the city. I was nearly there. The ride into Melbourne was easy, and a short detour to Albert Park for some photos meant we would hit Luna Park right on 4PM. Even now, 1 week later, I cant explain my feelings when I finally got there. They say a picture says a thousand words, so check out the grin.


Thats a Macleans smile!


So that, as they say, is that. I had finally made it. I had managed to ride 1038kms in 15 days. Even now, I cant say exactly how much I managed to rasie, as donations are still trickling in. (My best guess would be around $3000.) But I did learn alot on the trip. Below are a few examples.

* no matter how often you hear "Melbourne is all down hill", it is never funny. :)
* put sunscreen on BEFORE Dencorub!
* even people who havent ridden a bike more than 5 metres are experts.
* the mind is an amazing thing.
* anyone can do things they didnt think they are capable of.

The question that has been asked a thousand times since I got home, "Whats next norbs?" Well, at this point in time, nothing. I want to soak up what I have managed this time before I go thinking about whats next. I have been completely overwhelmed with the reaction to the ride. Many a kindly word has been directed my way. As those closest to me know, Im not real good with compliments, so it has been quite an experience. The way I see it, I just went out and had a go. What I did wasn't superhuman. I didnt save any lives. It hasnt resulted in world peace. There are plenty of people and groups around that are far more deserving of praise. I managed to raise some money, and maybe bought some attention to the fact that lots of kids have learning problems (that doesnt mean they are stupid or bad kids) and that we need to look into ways of helping these kids. Thats about it.


Nearly at the end. This photo was just moments before I finished.


The big thing I did learn from this trip, and its one that I hope may help others to realise, is that you can do anything you want to do. Even if you think you cant, I bet you probably can. So go on, go out and challenge yourself. If for no other reason than to prove to yourself that you can do it. With that in mind, I would like to thank 3 people in particular. My very good mate Jason, from Melbourne. You have been there at some of the lowest points in my life. You lend me an ear and never complain. I cant thank you enough for your support over the past few years. Ian, or as you all know him, Macca. Macca is like the big brother I never had. I cant list all the things he has helped me with over the past few years. We shared a house and the advice and support was fantastic. So Macca, thanks mate. And lastly, my beautiful girlfriend Andree. We have had a few rough times, but she has taught me to believe in myself. Without her support, I would not have even contemplated such a challenge. For that, I will be forever thankful.


Those eyes tell the story.


Well thats about it. I would like to say thank you to all the people who sent emails of support and humour on the trip. I hope my updates entertained and gave you some giggles. But most of all, showed you all that you can do things you thought weren't possible.

Todd "norbs" Norbury
May 2005

norbs



Donations are still coming in.

13th May 2005 - 11:14

Well the donations continue to come in. Just a quick note to let you all know that donations will have to be in by next Friday, the 20th May. That way I will have time to collate all the info and get it off to the Kids Hospital.

Also, Stewart Yeung, from Telstra asked me to give him a mention and he would double his donation. Well Stewart, better late than never. :)

norbs



Your favourite moment.

11th May 2005 - 14:48

What was you favourite anecdote/milestone of the trip? Was bought up by a mate on the phone today and I would be interested to hear from all those who read this page. (Just to let you know, we had 250+ unique visitors on Monday alone)

The 2 incidents that generated the most emails where.
a. The picture of the dead Kangaroo.
b. Riding up a hill with the brakes on.

Send those emails people.

norbs



To the OMD Sydney people.

11th May 2005 - 12:49

The flash hotel was fantastic. Comfy and it had lots of gadgets for a techo nerd like myself to play with. A clothesline in the bathroom, who'd have thunk it! :)

norbs



Emails and questions.

11th May 2005 - 12:45

Hi everyone. Since I have been home, I haven't had time to respond to all the emails I got. Very sorry about that, but I will try and get to them all over the weekend. Also, if you have any questions about the ride, please email me and I will pick the best questions and answer them here.

Also, alot of people have said they aren't able to view all the photos. I think I know the cause and will try and rectify it this weekend. Sorry for the hassles.

A sidenote. The legs are still sore. :)

norbs



Day 15 - A big smiling face, just in front of a huge smiling face.

9th May 2005 - 14:12

Dist : 58.35 Time : 2:43:57 Ave Speed : 21.3kph


A big smiling face, just in front of a huge smiling face.


Well, its is official. I have made it to Melbourne. I managed to ride my pushbike, a total of 1038.92kms going from Sydney to Canberra and to Melbourne. What an adventure. I cant tell you what it meant today to ride over a hill and see the City of Melbourne. But lets start from the beginning of the day.

Because we weren't supposed to be at Luna Park until 4PM, we had a rest break this morning. Did a few web updates, had some brekky and just generally lied around. For some strange reason, I was very, very nervous this morning. To be so close made me edgey. Things had gone really well and I just thought there would be a problem for some reason. Ah, ever the optimist. We said our goodbyes to Cutters family and it was off we go to the final ride. It was about a 40 minute trip and we range Nigel on the way to figure out where to meet him. Nige is a mate from Melbourne who was going to do the last stint with me. We got to the Wallan turn off, todays start point and I geared up. I rode off with out my gloves and had to do a U-turn. And that, as it turned out, was the only hitch of the day.


That little white dot is me.


As per the previous 2 days, the wind was blowing. It wasn't blowing as badly, but still, it was there. Headwinds again. But I put my head down, my bum up, and off I went. Nothing was going to stop me today. The kilometres started to dissappear and before long I was only 30kms from Melbourne.


Its getting closer........


Todays ride would not only bring up the end of the trip, but the 1000km milestone. As it turned out, it happened at a magical moment. I just crested a hill, looked down at the tripmeter on the bike to see 20kms, the 1000km point, looked back up and there was Melbourne. What a fantastic site. I felt like I could reach out and touch it. It is a weird feeling to be able to see the destination, even from 20 odd kilometres.


There it is, just over my shoulder.


It was at this point that Nigel joined the ride. It is good to have someone else to ride with. It can get a bit lonely out there. After days of talking to myself, threatening mother nature with physical violence and saying "Hi" to roadkill, its nice to have someone answer you back. We had a quick break, Nige at some bikkies and we were off.


Nige and I having a chit chat.


Something that I had nearly forgotten about was urban traffic. And those damned pesky traffic lights. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Arrgghhh.


Joined at the hip?


We rode down the Hume, which turns into Sydney road and thats got trams on it. So we took a detour, down some of Melbourne's bike paths. It was quiet and safe. Not a semi trailer to be seen. After getting a little lost, we met up with Rots and Cutter and then headed to Albert Park, site of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix. It was a hairy ride through the city, but finally, we got to Albert Park. A few photos and then a little rest.


Ahhh, a little lie down.


At about 3:45PM we got back on the bikes and rode to my final destination, Luna Park Melbourne. It was only a short trip, but I was tingling with excitement. This was the culmination of 15 days hard riding, weeks and weeks of planning and organising, and the end of an adventure the likes of which I would never have thought I was capable of.

Over 1 more hill and there it was, the mouth of Luna Park. Crossing the tram tracks I saw familiar faces. Bryce, Chaz (Mr Webmaster), Hank, and my girlfriend Andree and her friend Kath. I was off that bike quicker than a rat up a drainpipe. A kiss and a hug and a few handshakes for the boys.


He made it!!


I was finally there. I had made it. I cant repeat what I said, but I was bloody happy.

Well that about sums up day 15. I will have a big summary later in the week of the whole trip.

Keep the emails and donations rolling in.

norbs



Photos, taken by a pro.

7th May 2005 - 09:52

Well the photos I had taken by the photographer at the Canberra times are available here. You can only see the rough versions, so I might try and purchase a few of the better ones. Thanks to graham the photographer for the great shots.

norbs



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