August E-scapade - The Communities are Cooking up a huge welcome!

Tasmania and the Territories - jump on board!

Our Rider numbers have more than quadrupled! We've hit double figures, with an increase this month from 6 to 25 Riders! There are 75 Free T-shirts left up for grabs - so enter today to make sure you are eligible. Victoria is now on the board, with 8 Riders, equal to NSW. In second place is WA with 6 Riders, followed by Queensland with 2 and South Australia with 1. It's time for Tasmania and our Territories to get on board! Of our Registered Riders, 14 have chosen to join us for the whole 13 days - great work guys, it's going to be a fantastic adventure! Register today.

Who has the best sausages?

We just returned from the first Community Engagement Trip, where we met loads of very excited people from the towns that are going to host us along the Route. Most meetings had between 10 and 20 people attend, including Cassilis (Population: 100), where 18 adults, 3 kids and a cat came along to find out how they can best welcome the Ride to town!

There's talk of a Wool Shed party, local community buses around town, songs from the primary schools, wine tastings, sausage sizzles, egg and bacon rolls and loads of other activities to help you get the best taste of the Region. Simon and Di from Frog Rock Wines, 5km out of Mudgee, are considering a grape stomp to sooth your feet and are looking forward to welcoming us all to their cellar door.

Email me with your favourite Community Memory from a past Great Ride. The best story will win a bottle of Frog Rock Wine.

Changes to the Rider Route

Last Wednesday, we met up with an enthusiastic group of Mudgee-ites, including a singing Mayor! The local riders convinced us to change part of the Route between Mudgee and Cassilis. Heading out of Mudgee, you'll ride past Henry Lawson's Memorial and a few fabulous Mudgee Wineries, towards the Historic Town of Gulgong (which you will have loads of time to visit on Rest Day in Mudgee). Check out the Route Pages for more up to date information as the Rider Route develops.

Get on your bike for MS

We're excited to be partnering with the MS Society and are encouraging all 2008 Great Escapade Riders to get on their bike and help fundraise $100,000 to show their support of people with Multiple Sclerosis. You can even create your very own web page and simply send out an email to collect donations online, it's easy to use and allows your sponsors to donate online using their credit card. Contact the MS Society on 02 9413 4166 or supportms@mssociety.com.au for more information.

Transport Information Stage 1

We're working hard to compile all of the information that we can about existing Transport to help you get to and from the Great Escapade. We've had a crack - and hope this helps you to start thinking about getting there and back. We're still working on the Great Escapade Transport Options that will best suit everyone - and negotiating the best deals for you. We're going to start selling it when I get back from Vietnam - so you have a little while longer to consider your travel options!

Volunteers Live Easy

137 people have applied to join the Volunteer Team for the Ride. We have 12 Team Leaders who will be working closely with us to build the best Team to make the Ride happen. Having applied before 1 October 2007, these Volunteers are eligible for the Live Easy Accommodation - so we will provide a tent for them to share, put it up and take it down each day. Do you know anyone who might like to be a part of the fun and games of volunteering? Pass this on so they can apply today!

Know your heart and skill up...

What is the heart rate zone you should aim for in order to get the best out of activity? What maximum heart rate should you expect during an intense, full body workout? I've checked out my Target Heart Rate, but won't aim to reach it whilst on holidays in Vietnam!

We've also got some fantastic online videos with information about skills & maintenance for your bike - amongst loads of other great tips, such as riding in groups, choosing a bike, fitting your helmet and changing a tyre!

The Love Ride

We've wondered about the Heart Rate of Marlene and David who met on the WA Ride in March 2006 ... They were in the Café de Canvas for Speed Dating Night. A chance meeting led to a wedding. Camaraderie, meeting new friends, and having life changing moments: these are a few of the activities that you can look forward to on the 2008 Great Escapade. Email me with your story of meeting new people on a Great Ride.

Pass it on

71 people registered to receive these monthly E-scapade updates. Please pass this email on to your friends and family - so they can sign up to receive the monthly E-scapade too! If they sign up to receive the September E-scapade you can both go in the draw for a 2008 Great Escapade Jersey.

We've put all of the E-scapade emails on the web so you can have a look and tell your friends about them. For more information, see www.greatescapade.com.au