| Calvin Trots the Globe
by Kat Meyer
Community News Editor
FILE PHOTO
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Biking up to 70 miles a day in up to 105 degree heat and then setting up a tent for the night may not sound like the ideal month-long trip. But for about 50 Calvin students/cyclists, the Fitness and Nutrition interim course was an ideal excuse to trade an unusually cold January in Grand Rapids for a chance to tour some of Australia by bike.
The group, which included one Aussie librarian turned support crew; one former Aussie farmer Frank, who transported luggage and bikes in a truck and spoke what could only be understood as real ‘Stralian; one Mark Pauley, whose role on the trip was anything from masseuse to bike leader to mechanic to the group’s very own Crocodile Dundee, spitting facts about his beloved homeland; one retired pastor; one Aussie radio DJ and Calvin’s own Prof. Larry Louters of the Biology Dept and Prof. Ron Blankespoor of the Chemistry Dept and his wife Wendy Blankespoor.
The group departed Jan. 2 from Grand Rapids, beginning a series of
flights ending in Sydney and totalling over 30 hours of traveling. The first few days were spent outside Melbourne in Geelong where the group received its first taste of Aussie hospitality.
Normal breakfast was at 7:30 a.m., followed by the coveted Koala award ceremony for unsung acts of bravery, humility, battle wounds or stupidity on previous days and then brief devotions and prayers for safety and an Australian word or saying for the day.
“I love the phrase ‘No worries,’” said Louters. “Australians use it in so many contexts, from substituting it for ‘You’re welcome’ to it’s literal meaning. It’s really symbolic of their laid back culture.”
Cyclists rolled out by 8:30, usually arriving at the next night’s campsite or gymnasium by 2 p.m. There were usually stops for “morning tea,” as Aussies call it, which meant the group of nearly 50 bikers and support crew would descend upon a small town bakery, leaving white haired-ladies frazzled. Lunch stops weren’t complete without ice cream or fresh gelato.
On the first day of riding, all six biking groups--the Levelers, Ron’s
Riders, 1066 (The Norman Invasion), Team Banana, The Thunder Down Under
and the Rattle Snakes--hit the Great Ocean Road, known for its scenic
cliffs, ocean views, surfers and fields of cows. ـ
The first few days left most bikers’ legs sore, but the views during each day’s ride were always worth it. The group then fully realized what a body can feel like after burning anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 calories a day.
Calvin students did like other tourists at many sights, snapping pictures, except the
group was clad in all spandex, strategically padded spandex.
Halfway through the riding, the cyclists stayed at a local jail
where they could sleep in cells for the night in Mt. Gambier, a town
built on the slopes of an extinct volcano with three craters.
The earliest morning wake-up call was 4:30 a.m. because of temperatures
forecasted to reach well over 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The morning went smoothly as the group filed out of camp before dawn, greeted by the rising sun, wild kangaroos bouncing in the distance and emus racing groups of bikers.
Group leader and Professor Larry Louters, said hearing the number of miles covered each day usually surprises and scares most people, but that is not the real challenge.
“The heat is what gets most people, not the distance,” Louters said. “When you’re biking and dealing with any two combinations of either hills, heat or wind, it gets real tough.”
The more than 630 miles of biking in 13 days taught the group many things, a few being a new respect for hills, wind and Extra Strength Gold Bond. The group’s cooperation and moral support for each other on challenging days were always appreciated, along with the hospitality of Australian hosts and guides and the planning of two very fun, very fit professors who gave the group a run for their money.
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