Fri March 29^th;           Many of us arrive in the morning dog tired having left Sydney at 3.30am in the morning.  The weather is absolutely gorgeous and it is even better when we hear it is thunderstorms and rain in Sydney.  We just get to Jindabyne and Mark Robertson announces that the first ride is the dreaded Charlottes Pass.  (I thought we were going to have a nice warm up ride).  About 24 of us roll out, all looking resplendid with many in Randwick Botany uniform. 

 The front guys set a cracking pace and the peleton is split into small groups very early in the ascent.  About 7km up the mountain, myself and Chris White dropped off the lead bunch and not long after that big Michael Murdoch came sailing by.  Chris and I jumped on his wheel and we started to do some turns.  Michael lifted the rate a little and I was unable to hold their wheels and watched Chris and Michael sail off into the sunset.  I then spent about the next 20 km groveling by myself thinking how much more I'd rather be sleeping than climbing this mountain when Thomas Murdock came past. I thought great, "a wheel to suck"  but just as he's got to me Thomas says, "I'm a bit hot John, I am going to stop and take my leg warmers off and then I'll catch back up to you."  I think to myself, "Sure you will - no way Jose!"  but sure enough about 2 kilometres further up the mountain, up past me comes Thomas again puffing like a stream train.  I can't believe he has caught me again but  I jump on his wheel and I am able to sit on his quickened pace.  I have a quick look around and can see about half a kilometre behind me with not another rider in sight.   We see a rider off in the distance and start to pull him back.  As we get close I can see that it is Pita Vea who has done nearly the entire climb by himself.   Thomas lifts the pace again and we are really hauling Pita in when I hear this tiny voice, "How long is it to the top now?'  I nearly fell off my bike.  I look around to see little Mini Mel (One of Peter Zala's elite trialthletes).  Here she is all 36 kilos of her.  She has bridged this ENORMOUS gap and is happily sitting unbeknown to me on the back.  She's got trouble now though because the ride suddenly turns into some long flats and big descents and I happily click into the big ring for the first time all day.  Big Ring then click click click all the way down to 12 and start spinning.  I wonder how far I have dropped Mini Mel by so I have a look under my shoulder only to see her sitting about 2 inches off the back of me and spinning like a blur. Thomas and I start doing turns and Mel happily sits on the back.  That's how we finished with Pita Vea coming in not long after Thomas, Mel and myself.  Already at the summit is King of the Mountain, Robbie Cater who has given all the other big shots including Scotty Callum, Matthew Lucas, Joseph Sorby, Clive Hammerson and Chris Jenkins, a bit of a hill climbing lesson.   As we wait the rest of them finish one at a time.  Not long behind is "Don't touch me - Jenkins"  When everyone sees him climbing the last hill they go down to touch him.  Mark Murdock come in looking rather pleased to see the top.  Mark found a way to lighten the load about half way up the mountain, yes he got rid of breakfast.  He needed a bit extra sleep also the boys reckoned after his inaugural mountain climb.  About 14 hrs seemed to get him back to some sort of normality. 

The downhill boys then got even with the mountain climbers on the way down.  Whitey flew the flag for the old blokes.  I was too shattered to stay with them up the couple of nasty climbs before the big descents this time, so it came down to Scotty Callum, Mark (The Slapper) Robertson, Mathew Lucas, Clive Hammerson, Joseph Sorby, Chris White and I'm told that Whitey took the final sprint at the end.