Day Two: Swansea to St Helens

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to St Helens

Day Two was 119km, again through the spectacular countryside of Eastern Tasmania. An "easy" ride. After the excitement of the first day both teams were eager to be away. We followed the usual routine of sending Team Twenty Seven off first followed ten minutes later by Team Twenty. The media car followed a couple of hours later after wrestling with an intermittent internet service, trying to finalise the uploading of our daily logs. The plan was to catch up with Team Twenty who were at the rear, take some photos, hop back into the car and catch up with Team Twenty Seven for more photos.

As I mentioned a funny thing happened. The first team we met was Team Twenty Seven. They were stopping for a lunch break just as we met them. Where was Team Twenty? We stopped and went and had a chat with team captain Andrew.

“Where is Team Twenty, are they in front of you?”

“No.”

“Well, they are not behind you, we did not pass them….”

Andrew assured me that Team Twenty had not passed them, however, there was a look in his eye that showed a glimmer of doubt. The reality was that Team Twenty stopped for a break in Bicheno and pulled off of the road into a park. The media car drove straight past and did not see them. So, we turned around and drove back to find them and then took our photos.

Both teams arrived early into St Helens and had the luxury of a relaxing afternoon. The local coffee shop proved to be a good place to unwind. We are sleeping tonight in the Memorial Hall in the centre of St Helens. The good folk at St Helens Anglican Church and the St Helens Christian Fellowship looked after our dinner. We were able to spend some time with them sharing about the reasons why we ride and how Eagles Wings helps vulnerable children in Southern Africa realise and reach their God given potential. Dave Enkelmann and Natalie both shared why they came on the ride. Thank you St Helens for a lovely evening.

Tomorrow we are off to Launceston. A longer ride and a few more hills. It is 164kms and our riders are ready to put their enthusiasm to the test. Early to bed and an early start, ready for another day riding along the scenic roads of Tasmania.

Please send your encouraging messages to our riders through our Facebook page. While you ar there, take time to stop and look at today’s photos. Leave a comment if you recognise someone you know.