SENIOR SCHOOL
Pedal
The 2015 Pedal Prix journey started a
handful of months before crunch time, in
Mr Perrin’s classroom. An air of optimism
and a healthy side of banter fuelled a
productive couple of months of planning
and building. An integral part of this whole
process was to secure some funds in order
to allow us to sit underneath more than a
tarpaulin come race day, as was the case a
year ago. A big thank you has to go to Logic
Cranes for their generous sponsorship of
the GGS Pedal Prix Team!
Prix
With this new found freedom of budget
we were able to seriously upgrade the
G-Train for this year’s event. With help from
Mr Doheny on the fabrication side of the
job, we were left with a barely recognisable
trike, struggling to believe that it was the
same machine we had come to know the
previous year.
With the senior G-Train and the junior
trike loaded up on Friday evening, all was
set. The largest and most positive change
that the Pedal Prix lads experienced this
year was the inclusion of the overnight
stay in Busselton. This meant that we had
experienced more than the average rowers
night’s sleep come race day. This, coupled
with a breakfast menu of eggs and bacon
prepared by Ms Gratte, had the GGS Pedal
Prix team raring to go.
As we rolled up to the event with Chris
Cowcher (9Ha) blaring out the “bass
pumping speaker thumping beats” to
paraphrase Dr Massey, the team morale was
at an all-time high. After the gazebos were
up, making sure to take as much of Hale’s
space as we dared, the trikes and the team
were all set.
Once we had walked the track and surveyed
the competition, the first two riders were in
the trikes and on the start line. The rolling
lap began and before we could bat an
eyelid the leading trikes, worth in excess
of $15,000, were already up to speed and
tearing down the front straight. I was next
in line to try my hand in the trike and once
we had jolted through the first of our rusty
rider changes I was finding my rhythm. The
biggest goal that I had this year was to beat
any other PSA schools I found in my path.
My first target was the Hale “Cygnet”
trike, their most senior team in their most
expensive trike at their disposal, and at
mine. Over the course of my stint I was
able to keep pace with Hale and just come
over the top of them before my pit stop,
making sure to hog the road when I slowed.
After watching the rest of the junior and
senior teams battle through the tough
windy conditions that Busselton had gifted
us with, the rain decided to set in. The
main drawback to this wasn’t the lowered
temperature that accompanied the sudden
change in weather, it was the condition
that you would find yourself in after exiting
the trike from a stint. It was as if the
entire foreshore had been blown onto the
track, sand was an ever present and ever
frustrating reality.
I had the honour of riding the final stint
for the G-Train in the race. While I was
as motivated as I had ever been, my left
leg didn’t seem to be on the same page,
cramping up for the final five laps. I was
left to limp across the line maintaining our
respectable 5th out of 12 in the senior
category, and a valiant effort on the junior’s
behalf earned them a very respectable 7th
out of 18 for their first Pedal Prix.
This experience was certainly one to
remember and one that was far more
organised than the year before. The group
of teachers coupled with a great group of
lads meant that everyone looked back on
the weekend with a smile.
A massive thank you has to go to Mr Perrin,
the coordinator, as without his tireless work
ethic and passion for this event we simply
would not be pedalling. Another thank you
to Ms Gratte for keeping all the boys in
check and fed. Hopefully, with the further
support of all aforementioned people and
parties and any newcomers, next year can
be better yet again, providing an enjoyable
and unique experience to all those involved.
Zac Williams (11Ha)
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