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TeamMONASH™ goes all the way 'Around the Bay'

Tuesday 20 October

Katie Bird - Media Intern

465 TeamMONASH™ riders rose to the challenge of riding ‘Around the Bay in a Day’, taking out the prestigious award for largest represented University for the third year in a row.

2009 marked the sixth year TeamMONASH™ has participated in the event which catered for all ages and abilities with courses ranging from 50k to the full 250k event.

“It is fantastic that we could win the award again this year” said Marcia Larose TeamMONASH™ events officer. Reaching our target and managing to raise over $15,000 for the Smith Family is a great achievement”.

For first time participants John Vanbergen and his son’s who attend Monash University, the 50k event offered them a chance to work as a team and stay fit.

“The kids have wanted to do the ride for years but we always too young. Now we had the opportunity to keep fit and compete together”, said John. “The four of us crossing the finish line together was a great feeling. We’ll definitely be riding again next year!”

While enjoying the ride with friends was a main reason for many attending the event, for some the event offered an opportunity to improve their cycling skills and prepare for future events.

Chris Allen who competed in last week’s Melbourne Marathon also with TeamMONASH™ and completed the 100k ride this week, said the event was part of his training schedule for his next Ironman triathlon event.

“I completed my first Ironman last year” Chris said. “It hurt backing up from the Marathon last week and I lactated pretty quickly, but its all part of the training schedule for my next event”.

Story of the day went to commerce student Kevin Eng, who completed the 50k ride after learning to ride a bike only two years ago.

“To be honest I only learned to ride two years ago so it was nice to be able to ride with my friends and compete in an event like this” Kevin said.

The day was a great success for TeamMONASH™ and was enjoyed by everyone. A full photo gallery of the event is available on the Monash Sport Facebook page and here.