Well, hello, I have returned! Here are some pictures of the trip and I will do some writing in the next couple of days about it all, as I did not manage to get anything up while away.
Mar 152013
Feb 282013
The second fundraising raffle – The ‘Nice Things’ raffle was drawn today and the winner is Roula A! I will get your goodies to you. Congratulations Roula!
Some nice wash bags were made and donated by Stitches By Kate after the raffle tickets had been printed, so we have drawn a bonus prize, and the winner of the wash bags is Pam M.
Many thanks to the donors of the raffle prizes –
Moo Goo, Replenish, Interia Homewares, Book and Paper and Stitches By Kate.
And of course thank you to everyone who bought tickets to
Feb 262013
The Cycle for Girls group leave Friday morning for Vietnam, very exciting!
Just to update on how everything is going in training and fundraising –
I’m pleased to have got to the stage where I have been consistently doing 40kms+ rides in the time available. My longest ride is 52kms, and most of these in heat as Melbourne has had quite a lot of hot weather this Summer with 30+Celsius days. It has been great to discover the bike tracks and realise how far you can get easily and safely. The difference will be that we will be doing these sorts of distances almost every day in Vietnam and Cambodia, and on a variety of terrain.
The ‘bird beak’ is rising towards $5,000 on my donation page at http://fundraise.plan.org.au/monique_senior having reached over $4,800 tonight with the second raffle funds being entered. The second raffle will be drawn tomorrow and announced here.
Jan 292013
Congratulations to the winners of the tool raffle !
And the winners are:
1st prize Alastair W. of South Australia
2nd prize David R. of New South Wales
3rd prize Kerry D. of Victoria
Thank you to everyone who purchased tickets in the raffle, this really helped in the fundraising for Cycle for Girls.
And thank you to the suppliers of the prizes; Festool Australia, Promac and Ideal Tools.
Jan 162013
As at today I have raised $2,554 through straight donations, a plant sale and raffle ticket sales. I have not done it alone, my friends and family have been extremely supportive and helpful to me. Currently there is a tool raffle running which will be drawn on 25 January. If you are interested in going into the draw to win some great tools and accessories you can view the prizes and buy tickets here www.idealtools.com.au/fundraising
On Sunday I will holding a bake sale at the Reuse It Baby! Market at The Substation in Newport to continue raising those funds!
The combined Cycle for Girls fundraisers/cyclists have so far raised $55,527 with a goal of $90,000.
Jan 162013
Gradually my rides have become longer and it is getting easier. I still want, and need, to push them out further over the next weeks. It is surprisingly ok to ride in the heat provided there is ample water, sun protection, rest breaks and food. I did a 26km ride on a 37C day, it was hard work at times, with hot wind blowing straight into my face, but I did it and the next time I went out I did 29km. I tend to ride as fast as I can given the conditions, I need to do some practice pacing myself and being on the bike longer, as there will be some days with lots of hours on the bike in Cambodia.
Other times I take my daughter with me and she rides in her trailer. We do not do as long rides, and of course we need to stop at least once at a playground for a play, but this doubles as a rest/drink/eat stop too.
It is not always practical to go out for a ride with my little one in tow (literally), so we have some solutions set up at home as well. When I am not going out for a proper ride I can do an hour here or there on the borrowed exercise bike we have in the lounge room. Also we have an old bike set up on the back verandah on a resistance bike trainer, this way I can still do some training in the heat if I can’t get out on the bike track.
Nov 072012
If you’re reading this website today, chances are you saw an article on my Cycling Challenge in the Hobsons Bay Weekly.
Oct 312012
Welcome!
I thought this would be a good way to share what I am doing with Plan’s Cycle for Girls. I will post about my training progress, fundraising progress and events, and hopefully I will be able to do the odd post or picture from Vietnam or Cambodia. It would give me a great feeling to share what’s happening while I am away.
I have started my training by replacing some car journeys with the bike or walking. I have also been carting and laying bricks and shovelling sand! As the weather warms up I need to be out in it training to prepare for what it will be like in Vietnam and Cambodia.
I am very grateful for donations already received for Plan, I have received over $1,200 towards my $5,000 target.
Thanks for visiting,
Monique