From the monthly archives:

September 2009

IT’S ALL COMING TOGETHER

by Kate on September 28, 2009

Title: The Start - Pointe des Almadies (Cap Vert, nr Dakar)

Dates: 21st October GPS:

Distance: 0km Total Distance: 0km

Just four more sleeps before Paddy and I set off for the UK. Well maybe there won’t be that much sleep going on, but it is all coming together. Some new sponsors have come on board in the last couple of weeks with the promise of a few more to ease the considerable pressure. Ericsson, Bassari Resources, Mineral Deposits and some generous private sponsors are all making a big difference; Allegro Bikes and Schwalbe have provided equipment. We’ve now bought all our camera equipment and Vladimir at Cycleworks WILL have our bikes ready by Tuesday!…..Please check out the latest podcast too. This is just an introduction, but every few days during the journey, I will be calling up on my satellite phone to make a recording which you will be able to access from the right hand column. This will be a great way to keep in touch with what’s going on. Even better, if you subscribe to the RSS feed, you will receive an email every time this blog or the podcast is updated.

Since my last blog we’ve been back to Western Australia to say goodbye to my parents and family. Always difficult, but they do understand how amazing and important the expedition will be. Paddy and I were also at the Excellence in Mining and Exploration Conference in Sydney last week. This was partly to honour the many supporters we have from the industry already and also to find more sponsors and supporters. Much interest was created and more sponsorship is being negotiated.

There is still a scarey amount to tie up in the last few days – when you are going to be away for the best part of a year there are a lot of bits and pieces to sort out. Fortunately we have some great friends who are helping us out.

The education programme is fantastic. The Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development have created something very special. This is a great opportunity for teachers and their classes throughout Victoria, Australia and globally to get involved. The more people put in to it, the more they will learn and benefit. I wish I’d had the chance to to learn this kind of thing when I was at school.   

I’m looking forward to meeting the other half of the team. I have been communicating regularly with John and Daniel for almost a year now, but we have never met in person. We’ll also meet John’s mate Simon who is the back up driver. It’s amazing to think that four very different people, who are virtually strangers but who each have this common purpose and goal are going to spend 10 months together to pull this off. We won’t be strangers for long!

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Podcast introduction

by Kate on September 22, 2009

Kate has now recorded her first podcast: Audio blog introduction.

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POWERED BY PERI PERI

by Kate on September 4, 2009

Title: The Start: Cap Vert to St Louis

Dates: 21st - 23rd October GPS:

Distance: 250km Total Distance: 250km

Roads: Good tarmac

Weather: Humid - at the end of the rainy season

Nando’s has just come on board as the principle sponsor of Breaking the Cycle, so we are now officially POWERED BY PERI PERI. The generous Nando’s package not only includes a timely cash injection, but also valuable logistical and promotional support meaning the expedition will run more smoothly with more people following our progress. The other big news is that the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has almost completed their exciting new, innovative education programme which you can now access from the For Schools section of this site……….(Please click on the icons adjacent to see the two minute promotional video, route map and photos)

In less than one month Kate and Paddy will leave for the UK where they will spend two weeks meeting Daniel and John for the first time. The team will make all the final preparations from the UK as well as do some promotional work before heading for Senegal. Kate and Daniel are due to start pedalling on 21st October. John will drive down to St Louis, Senegal where he will meet the team, after they’ve done their first 250km stretch up from Dakar.

There’s an awful lot to do before then to pull this expedition together. We still need further funding and there’s key equipment to find and fine tune. There are a lot of balls still in the air and I am confident we’ll catch the main ones in time.  

During all this, I am popping back to Western Australia to see my family, then we’ve got the Excellence in Mining and Exploration Conference in Sydney on 21st and 22nd September where I will speak.

We’re getting there!

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