A journey of a thousand miles starts with a flat tyre and a broken fan belt – or so the saying goes. No such misfortune struck Ray Griffin and Peter Bobbin yesterday, as they rolled into Cobar at about 3pm, with the first 160km of a 1251km ride from Bourke to Sydney behind them.
After five-and-a-half hours in the saddle, the scale of the Wheel Classic challenge is beginning to become apparent. Today Peter and Ray face a slightly easier ride – it’s “only” 130km, from Cobar to Nyngan, and they expect to knock it over in about four-and-a-half hours. On the map, it looks like a bit of a detour, taking in Cobar between Bourke and Nyngan, but there’s a good reason for that.
The inspiration for the Wheel Classic is a road race in 1955 in which Jack Griffin, Ray’s father, competed. One day’s racing ran from Bourke to Nyngan. When Ray was mapping out the route for the Wheel Classic he couldn’t work out why it had taken Jack and his fellow competitors so long to get to Nyngan – even though much of the route was, in those days, dirt tracks.
Jack was happy to point out the race went through Cobar on its way to Nyngan. Wanting to remain true to the original route, Cobar was incorporated into the Wheel Classic itinerary – and the ride from Bourke to Nyngan split over two days.
The aim of the Wheel Classic is to raise awareness of the Future2Foundation and the work it does in the community, and to raise money from the financial planning community along the way. Donations and pledges have hit the $50,000 mark, half-way to the stated $100,000 target.
Ray says Future2 is a great way for financial planners to put something back into the communities from which they draw their livelihoods. The Wheel Classic is not seeking to raise sponsorship or donations from the public.
CLICK HERE for more information abut the Future2Foundation
CLICK HERE to learn more about Ray and Peter’s challenge.
And CLICK HERE to sponsor or donate to the Wheel Classic
The Future2 Wheel Classic is sponsored by BT, Matrix Planning Solutions and Telstra
Check the Professional Planner website daily for updates on Ray and Peter’s progress.
