Cycle Queensland event

A preliminary report on the biggest cycle event to hit Toowoomba since the bike was created.

Photos will be available shortly.

However, in a nutshell, the 9 day ride was a staggering event, not only as a rider-participant but also in seeing the enormous task BQ undertook in staging it.

Ben Wilson and all the BQ staff and volunteers, plus the ancillary people, like ambo's and radio people, not to mention Sam's dunnies and showers or the food creators, need to be acknowledged for running such a seamless and well organised event.

Sergeant Col O'Shea was our motorcycle protector-enforcer throughout the trip, and has won many friends within the cycling world from well beyond Toowoomba for presenting the human face of policing, with his wisdom in handling such a massive string of riders (worse than a BUG ride even) stretching over many miles for up to 6 hours at a stretch.

Applause must be given to all those who assisted, some, like John, riding and then volunteering too.

Without planning it at all, we managed to meet up with the following TBUG riders: Andrew, Peter, Chris, Noel, Helen, Rob, Hugh, Stewart, Brian, John and gained a new recruit with Louis as well as adding two 'add-on' South Australian accomplices, Di and Olivia.

Toowoomba dominated the recumbent division with two, Hugh on his GT3 and Rob on his brand new Anura. We were joined by Brian from Sydney, now also an official 'TBUG Accomplce', with another GT3 similar to Hugh's. A 'Race of Recumbents' was formed.

I was also hailed by new TBUG rider, Brent, as we eased towards Cambooya for the final smoko break. Brent joined up at the halfway mark having completed a ride with TBUG on the Sunday of the 'Barn' ride.

Not a bad effort to have so many TBUG supporters in the CQ ride, and so we discussed 'the next ride' in 2010, which will be from Yeppoon to Bundaberg, with the view of promoting it as a TBUG activity for those who can come along.

The possibility of transporting our bikes by truck from Toowoomba to Yeppoon and then back from Bundie, while maybe catching the QR flyer to Rockie was mooted, thus avoiding all that bike boxing and damage on the one hand and avoiding the excessive cost of flying on the other.

More later, and with photos.