Suit Up and Ride

Well having arrived to shoot this event a week early last Friday ("if you don't arrive early then you have to be late"...Max Gaffney) I was certainly in good stead to shoot it today. I knew the lay of the land and I knew where to park and I even knew where the toilets were located and where I could get a good coffee!

This is the 2nd year running for this whacky event held at the Docklands (used to be my home away from home)
Suit Up and Ride is a bike race to raise money for charity!
It's a team time trial race. 6 riders per team 1 lap per team and your time stops when the last rider is over the finish line.
What's the big deal I hear you ask?
The twist is that your riders are in their work attire, mainly but not exclusively suits and the bikes you are racing on are fom the Melbourne Bike Share scheme. Ah Ha!

Over $156,000 was raised for Orygen Youth Health last year.
for research projects in the area of suicide prevention, vocational and social recovery, trauma, e-youth mental health initiatives and programs such as the Family Peer Support Program, a program that helps families with a newly diagnosed son or daughter with a mental illness by offering advice and mentoring to help them through these difficult times. www.suitupandride.com.au

There are prizes for the fastest team and the best dressed team and Cadel Evans was there....again!
And he goes for a spin too! Not quite the Tour de Dockland but hey nice to have your support and company Cadel. He was racing against Dutch rider Koen de Kort from Team Argos Shimano.

Cadel Evans, 2011 Tour de France winner and 2nd time supporter of Suit Up & Ride

 Some of the teams were fair dinkum and serious whilst others were in it for a Fri arvo after work, social activity.
For the Docklands it was quite a perfect afternoon, sun was out and breeze weren't too bad and as they kept banging on over the PA, Mark Seymour is going to play at the end of the race.

 So teams were allocated into groups and the fastest team of the group moved on to the next round. So there were quaters and semis and then the biggie, you know the score.
A very very fun way to raise money for a cause that could certainly do with it

So the big winner on the day was Orygen Youth Health and really all the rest was here nor there. A few riders crashed but there were no injuries bar bruised egos. And I think that maybe one or two people went on their maiden bike ride too! Nice way to start out.
Ohh and did I mention Mark Seymour played at the end of the race. Yes he was in the Hunters and Collectors back in the eighties and yes they were good.

The Hunter & Collector himself, Mark Seymour playd at the end of the race!