Finally Home

November 6, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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One of the great advantages of having professional photographers on the Morning Café Cancer Ride team is that we have some amazing photographic memories of our journey. If you’re in the Perth area and need some fantastic photos, get in touch with S R Florisson Photography.

Moments before mounting our bikes to head out of Albany to start the ride from Albany to Perth.

A wet and windy afternoon heading into Pingelly.

The team facing some wild weather.

Smiles all around as the team pedals the last few hundred metres to finish a week of cycling.

Click on any of the photos to get a closer look.

It’s great to be home again after a wonderful week with an extraordinary bunch of people. I loved my time away but it’s wonderful to be home with my amazing family and to be able to sleep in my own bed again.

If you haven’t had opportunity to donate so far, please follow this link. Your contribution will go directly to Cancer Council Western Australia and to the amazing work they do. Donations of $2 and above are tax deductible in Australia.



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Heading Home

November 5, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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The Morning Café Cancer Ride has seen a group of thirteen cyclists riding from Albany to Perth to raise funds for Cancer Council WA.

The team will arrive back at 98.5 Sonshine FM at 4:00 p.m. today, Saturday the 5th of November. We’d like to see as many people as possible joining us to welcome the team home.

If you’re in the Perth area please arrive at 98.5 Sonshine FM, Murray Street, Como, just before 4:00 p.m. and be ready to make a lot of noise.

We’re about to tackle our toughest day with a big climb out of York. 100 kilometres later we’ll be home after riding over 500 kilometres.

It’s not too late to donate. Just click the link in my sidebar. It’d be wonderful to see our tally climb as much as we’ll be climbing today.



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An Inspirational Woman

November 2, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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Denise is an inspiration. She’s in her seventies but you’d never guess it.

Denise volunteers for a number of organisations including Cancer Council WA. She helps with afternoon teas for cancer patients every Wednesday afternoon. She downplays her role but what she does goes way beyond serving a cuppa and a biscuit. You can hear her story by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post. The interview was just one of the chats I had during my radio program this morning.

Today was the third day of riding for the Morning Cafe Cancer Ride. We have a team of thirteen cyclists riding from Albany to Perth to raise funds for Cancer Council WA and to tell stories like Denise’s.

The last couple of days have been very warm but the team has worked well. The country hospitality has been incredible and tonight in Wagin I had the biggest steak I’ve ever eaten. A very worthy reward for a warm afternoon on the bike.

Our fund raising tally continues to rise and you can contribute by clicking the link in my sidebar. Please consider honoring someone you know who has faced cancer by making a donation.

We’re looking forward to making it home on Saturday but there’s a lot of work to be done between now and then. The weather over the next we days is likely to be less than helpful. There are storms forecast so we’re likely to have a couple of wet days in the saddle.

With a big day to come I think I should get some sleep now.

Oh …. by the way. The team has suffered three flat tyres so far. One on my front wheel and two on my back wheel. I’m hoping that I’ve had my share of punctures and that my tyres will remain inflated for the rest of the journey.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR271011_1105.mp3]

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… And so it begins

October 31, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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What a fantastic day. The day finally arrived and the 2011 Cancer Ride is under way.

We began by broadcasting from St. John’s Church in the main street of Albany. Then at midday the Mayor of Albany wished us well and officially started our ride.

We cycled just over 91 kilometres to Cranbrook with a very pleasant stop at a cafe in Mt. Barker.

The team had a wonderful day on the bikes with a good breeze mostly on our backs for a good part of the afternoon which meant we achieved a fairly good pace. The only downside was that most of the day was spent in the very busy Albany Highway. Oh …. and the fact that there were plenty of hills which bothered a few riders.

The people we met in Albany over the last few days have been extremely generous with great hospitality and lots of donations to kick the fundraising tally along.

The meal we had in Cranbrook tonight proved that country hospitality is always outstanding. We’re looking forward to a good night’s sleep before broadcasting from the Cranbrook Post Office then cycling 80 kilometres to Katannning. The roads will be much quieter tomorrow now that we’re away from Albany Highway.

If you’d like to support Cancer Council WA just click the link in my sidebar.



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The Day Arrives

October 29, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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We’re finally about to hit the road.

At midday today our team of cyclists and our trusty support crew will say goodbye to friends and family as we leave 98.5 Sonshine FM in Como to begin our ride for cancer. If you missed the details you can read all you might like to know at my previous post, Cancer can be beaten.

There won’t be any cycling today. We’ll be packing our support bus and driving to Albany in preparation for our first day of riding on Monday. The ride of over 500 kilometres next week will be a tough road but I’m reminded that those who are facing cancer often travel a much harder road. I’m glad to be relatively healthy and happy to do what I can to help people facing some tough times.

If you haven’t had opportunity to donate so far, please follow this link. Your contribution will go directly to Cancer Council Western Australia and to the amazing work they do. Donations of $2 and above are tax deductible in Australia.

As I try to balance cycling and radio broadcasting over the next week I’m not sure how much opportunity I’ll have to update you during the trip. I’m hoping it’ll be often and I’ll make every effort to keep you up to date.

You can listen in each morning from 9 to 12, Monday to Friday, to hear more about the ride and the work that your donations will do through Cancer Council Western Australia. If you’re not in our broadcast area, you can listen online by going to the 98.5 Sonshine FM website. If you’re overseas you can use this great Time Zone Converter to work out when to listen. Just enter your location and Perth, Western Australia to check time differences.

Thanks for your support.



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