Willpower on Wheels | Non-profit organisation

Willpower on Wheels

Phone: +61 409 328 768

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25.01.2022 This is a really hard post to write...& to be honest, I've been procrastinating about writing this post. As you know, I was due to set off from Sydney on March 22nd this year to cycle back to Busselton. A series of events, that started before Christmas, have influenced my decision to put back the ride to March 21st 2021. The biggest question for me was whether I could maintain my training for yet another 12 months...truth be told, I'm loving the training. I have some great bi...king buddies that are keeping me motivated & I know, absolutely, the training I've been doing has had a huge influence on how well I am doing with regard to my cancer diagnosis. So...what does changing the date mean for Willpower on Wheels? - We have time to re-establish support for the ride - Many of the communities I will be cycling through were affected by the 2019/20 fires that ravaged areas of NSW & SA. Setting off in 2021 will allow for some recovery in these communities without me, as a lone cyclist, being a hindrance. - As many of you know, my lungs are affected by the cancer diagnosis I have. In 2021 the air quality will hopefully be, once again, much clearer after the fires. An important factor for me in managing my health. - Australia's focus is on raising funds for those communities that have been impacted by the fires. I don't want to detract from this by competing for potential funds. Assisting those who have experienced the trauma the catastrophic 2019/20 fires inflicted is, as I've said, important. Supporting them financially to rebuild their homes, lives & communities is a very worthy focus. Next year, we can focus on raising much-needed funds for brain cancer research through the Charlie Teo Foundation. Despite my decision, I continue to be blessed with support & encouragement from many quarters. It's been a MUCH longer timeframe, from the initial idea of Willpower on Wheels to executing the ride, but I'm still as motivated & determined as ever to demonstrate that no matter the label you live with (in my case, stage IV metastasised cancer), the human body can still achieve the most incredible things if you support it mind, body & soul!

25.01.2022 Note to self...scan the road ahead BEFORE you start admiring the scenery. That way you'll see the snake, as it lifts its head & chest before you approach it! Thank goodness my forward motion was reasonably quick!

23.01.2022 Willpower on Wheels is a massive personal challenge & an excuse to raise awareness & funds for an organisation that is particularly close to Nina’s heart - the Charlie Teo Foundation. I know how lucky I am to be living in Busselton...but I also know it’s not just about the sun, sea & sand...I’m incredibly blessed to experience the generosity of spirit that our community is known for. It has been extended to me time & time again, in a myriad of ways... Just before Christmas I ...took possession of the bike I’ll be using to cycle east to west. I’m in love with my Norco Bicycles gravel bike...& am now stoked that I can keep up with the Wednesday Cycle Group without the effort I put in with my old training bike. A massive thank you to Fat Duck Cycles and Espresso for getting my Norco in for me & sponsoring me with a cycle jersey & some add-ons for my bike. I really appreciate that all of you are right there behind me. Thank you too to Adrian from @perthbikefit who measured & tweeked my bike so that my Norco & I are at one on the road! Jeez I learnt heaps & am already finding a difference in the comfort of my cycling. My butt is forever grateful! Phil Snedden, Mat Carlsson & Sue Evans it’s time to lock you in as training partners! Thank you for putting your hands up to be my biking buddies! Gillian Hill thanks too for nutting out a plan for getting the logistics underway & thanks heaps Matey (Martin Woodward) for helping me out as you do despite the oceans between.

21.01.2022 I set off later today for my ride; 8am. The thinking behind this was, ‘I need to get used to cycling in the heat...to see how my body responds.’ This is what I learnt... there’s a LOT more animal activity in the bush when you cycle past as the day warms up.... if you stop, once you’re sweaty, the flies LURVE the opportunity for a ‘salt bath’ on your face...in their droves! Not a good look! salty sweat stings your eyes like hell. kamikaze bugs, colliding with your face, hurt! magpies don’t listen to reason...at any time of the day! Remind me again - this is for fun - right? There are still wild flowers in bloom though!

18.01.2022 Sometimes your kids do or say something that makes you stop - dead still - in your tracks! You know those moments that make your heart feel as though it might burst? Yesterday Annabel did that to me. I opened up a post I'd been tagged in to find this...not the most flattering of pics of me for sure, but one that captured a moment at Christmas with me & little Sadie. It's not so much the image though that I'm referring to - but the post that Annie wrote.

14.01.2022 I am in awe of this amazing man since meeting him earlier this month.

14.01.2022 I’ve always said, I’m not bothered about my birthday. In 2017 though I travelled back to the UK to spend time with my family & friends there...& to say goodbye. The medical consensus had been two years - I had metastatic breast cancer. Yet here we are, in 2019, two years on & I’m celebrating another birthday. I still have metastatic breast cancer - but much has shifted mentally, emotionally & physically. Tumours are shrinking (exercise has played an enormous part in thi...s), I’m a pretty blessed human being - I'm fit & life is good. I have a wonderful family, some incredible friends & a beautiful - almost spanking new baby granddaughter, Sadie (the reason Nina & I rescheduled our ride to March 2020). Thank you everyone for keeping me & Nina motivated in our training & supporting us with your advice & encouragement. Not only is this ride going to be helping the Charlie Teo Foundation - but it’s also benefiting me too - in a myriad of ways.

12.01.2022 A big challenge is never plain sailing. We knew there would be hurdles to jump & roadblocks along the way. In many ways these test our resolve to complete what we set out to do. First came a rescheduling of dates because a gorgeous little addition to Karen's family occurred in October...slap bang in the middle of what would have been our journey across WA! Sadie's birth, although not part of the original plan, was an event Grandma Karen was never going to miss. And so Willp...ower on Wheels (WoW) shifted to March 22nd 2020. All was back on track. Early December 2019 & Karen & Nina learnt that their gorgeous support lady was no longer able to commit to the seven-week journey across Australia. This changed the sense of security of knowing they were supported throughout the ride. With thinking caps back on, many conversations with friends a different plan was needed to ensure support would still be present. And one is currently being hatched... After a lot of soul searching Nina found the courage (because Karen's SO scary!) to explain why she had made the decision to withdraw from the WA leg of cycling across the Nullarbor with Karen. With her 3 girls still dependant on their Mum, Tim working shifts & all family overseas, 3 weeks away would put immense stress on the family. This was a difficult decision for Nina to come to; she & Karen had spent HOURS building the website, training throughout the previous 13 months & planning various aspects of this challenge. Karen will now cycle solo for the whole duration...welcoming company along the way. Nina intends to join her on the last leg of the WA section as they ride into Busselton together. WoW is still a challenge that Nina & Karen are committed to. Whilst the original plan has morphed all is still on target. Over the course of the coming years, WoW will be a page that remains active beyond this particular challenge. The intention being that Karen & Nina will use cycling as a vehicle to raise awareness & funds for other health-based charities and research foundations that align with the work they do.

11.01.2022 So, Karen and Nina are starting to ramp up their training now as the start date is getting closer. They have joined a local cycling group in Busselton and have committed to meet at 5.45am to cycle and gain useful insight and tips for their big trip Yesterday was a short ride of 28.5km, compared with the 100km daily rides planned for the trip. It was a cold start and pretty windy, but definitely good experience

07.01.2022 Hope It’s a simple word that packs a hell of a huge punch. It’s a vital word that brings motivation, encouragement & focus to many - especially when the odds are stacked against you. ... In the world of oncology it can be considered a dirty word. Many oncology specialists turn away from any scent of a conversation nourished by hope. But not this man! If you don’t already know if him - meet Dr. Charlie Teo. He’s the neurosurgeon who doesn’t turn away from HOPE. Meet Brooke too. I haven’t met her but Nina did when she met Charlie Teo founder of the Charlie Teo Foundation last week at their fundraising ball in Perth. Brooke’s post will give you an idea as to why the Charlie Teo Foundation is so close to Nina’s heart and why the proceeds raised from Willpower on Wheels is going to them. Our donations page for the Charlie Teo Foundation is now open at: https://ctffundraiser.everydayhero.com//willpower-on-wheels

06.01.2022 I love my regular Wednesdays off work. Start with a 6am bike ride followed by an hour of cardio and strength building at The Shed: Small Group Training Studio This mornings ride was just Karen and I. It was very windy, wet and cold but we pushed through telling ourselves This could be us on the Nullabor soon

05.01.2022 It’s a tad concerning when you’re ‘merrily’ cycling along - an hour or so into your ride - & you realise the inane, crazy thoughts that occupy your mind! Well mine at least! Things like...I wonder how many grasshoppers I’ve injured as I’ve cycled over them? ... What if they feel pain? Oh there’s more...but not for this page...you’d think I’m REALLY nuts! I’m so glad no one can read my mind - I think one or two people in white coats would meet me at the finish line on May 19th 2020 if they could!

02.01.2022 On Sunday my post was about the random thoughts that crowd my mind on a bike ride. Today my thoughts were filled with disbelief, sadness & anger at what I witnessed. It was a great start to my early morning ride today; the sun was up & all was calm as I cycled through the countryside on one of the routes I use near to my home. I love this area; I’m close to town yet surrounded by farms & native bush. As I cycled past one of the dairy farms near my home, a cow caught my eye.... She was running ahead of a farm hand on a quad bike. He was ‘driving’ the wayward cow towards the remainder of her herd. Farm life! I thought. As the cow came running towards the fence line, she had nowhere to go. So she stopped. And stood. I was approaching on the road & had clearly caught her attention. Cows are inquisitive. All was good...or so I thought! It’s what happened next that disturbed me... Despite the fact the cow was stationary, the cow hand (I’ll call him FW - not the initials of his name but the initials for what I called him!) slowed on his quad bike...& then rammed the side rear of the cow. She went down. I don’t know if it was the force of the quad bike hitting her or the surprise of the action that caused her to go down...or both. Now I know farmers use their quad bikes to ‘encourage’ & ‘nudge’ their large farm animals to move where they want them to go. I get it! I don’t have a problem with that. What disturbed me was the force that was used & the next stage of this saga! With obscenities being shouted for all to hear...he REALLY didn’t like this cow...& with the cow still down, FW continued to ram the quad bike into the cow. She probably didn’t know what FW wanted her to do - get up? Stay down? I’d say she was in freeze mode - a natural response when a mammal is in shock. It disturbed me witnessing this. FW knew I was there...or maybe not; rage can blind you to what’s around you. I don’t know if he heard my response to him. It troubles me that when a human can afflict such aggression on another living creature, the chances are they can do the same to another human being. This action reflects badly on FW, the dairy farm & I wonder how much the stress that cow was put through affects the milk she yields for our consumption. A sad end to my otherwise wonderful ride.