Macro For Micro: News/Blog Feed

WE DID IT!!! We're finally here!

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 24 May 2010 15:01:00 -0500

What an epic day! We hit Perth today, our finish line. We started off the day at Meadow Springs Golf Course in Mandurah. It was a chilly morning but we didn't mind the cold considering we would be finishing our cycling journey in a few hours. Teague, an Opportunity International ambassador cycled in from Perth to meet us and cycle back with us for our final leg of the trip. The day was easily in my top 3 cycling days of the last 78. We had a slight tail wind and it was almost all flat the entire way. We arrived in Perth to a cheering crowd of people at Uni WA. They had set up a bbq for us and a great finishing line event. It was overwhelming seeing people there cheering us on and thanking us for what we had just done. The feeling was almost surreal. It hadn't kicked in yet that this was actually our last cycle together. We had just enough time between the bbq and nighttime cocktail party to head to our camper van park to shower and change into some clean clothes (supply was limited). We headed down to the Canton Lounge for our night time cocktail finish line party/fundraiser. I was surprised with the turnout and the number of people who were so eager to donate and congratulate us on our achievement. We had the chance to speak to so many different people about our journey and it actually fascinates me as to how many people truly appreciated what we had down. We had a chance to meet and speak with Rob Dunn, CEO of Opportunity International, such an inspiration. It still doesn't seem real to me that we are finished. The last 80 days have gone by faster than the blink of an eye and I keep thinking to myself that I am going to wake up at any moment and realize it was all just a wonderful dream. Each one of us, Geoff, Vivian, Stu, and myself are walking away with this experience with so many memories, new friends, and lessons learned. Personally, this experience was nothing short of amazing and I couldn't have done it without the amazing support from all my family and friends from back home. Every single person who has donated, written letters of encouragement, and gone out of their way to let me know that they care, has had a huge impact on my over the last few months and I couldn't have done it without anyone of you. So a GREAT BIG thank you goes out to each and every single one of you for your kind words and money ;) See you all soon. Also a huge thank you goes out to every single person who helped us along the way here in Australia. From the amazing group of people working at Opportunity, to the lady who baked us fresh muffins in her trailer in Eucla. For each of you we are truly thankful and I can not even begin to describe how much you truly mean to us. It has been a blessing getting to know every person and being to share our message with each and every one of you. Isabella

Macro for Micro cycles across Australia - reaches Perth!

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 24 May 2010 07:26:00 -0500

Tomorrow.

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 23 May 2010 11:34:00 -0500

woke up singing "Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love you, Tomorrow, you're only a day away!" Can't believe that we'll be crossing the finish line tomorrow! Insane. Having that in our minds made the day a breeze. Crushed the ride along beautiful canals lined with huge mansions - Mandurah is somewhere I'll be buying a house if I ever get those unjustifiable executive salaries. One of Isabella's dreams for the last few months has been to hold, nay cuddle, one of Australia's kualas. Today was a day of fulfilling dreams as we hit a wildlife conservator to jump into the action. After a big cuddlefest of kualas, we threw some pythons around our necks then fed some camels and roos. Wild step into the outback that we never saw. Gloria Jean's was excited about our arrival and we spent a couple hours huddling in from the rain enjoying our coffees. Of all that though, our highlight was a huge Thai dinner. Huge. Oh, did I say it was Huge? Elca, one of our biggest supporters, treated us to ANOTHER dinner, and one we will never forget based on the amount of food we were able to get for such a good price. We all left supremely satisfied and will be sleeping like babies tonight. Last night in the camper together. Luckily we had the gracious support of Timbertop Caravan park so we were able to power up the van and get a hot shower before our final day! So thankful for their generosity. Day 78 of beard will be celebrated tomorrow. Geoff

Just one of those days

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 22 May 2010 12:46:00 -0500

Scene: an internal dialogue taking place in Stu's head: hmmm looks like rain. Should probably put on my raincoat. Ahhhhh it's packed in my bag already...I'm sure it will be fine (ominous music begins playing as the bikers set off into steadily darkening skies) Why yes it did rain. Quite hard at times in fact as we rode down another highway strewn with obstacles galore and a steady stream of traffic. The pace was slow as we battled the rain and a surprising amount of gravel. Flat tire number one is on my bike. Flat tire two is on Isabella's. Flat tire number three is also on Isabella's. But by this point we have already done the days kilometres, were at a great spot to spend the night, and were wondering where Viv was because she has passed us earlier in the day.... We were fed up with flats and with the agreed kilometerd done, Geoff went ahead racing Lance (not Landis!) styles to find Viv who could not be any more than 5k ahead we figured. Isabella and I spend the coldest hour of the trip doing jumping jacks in the rain as we wonder where the heck everyone is. Turns out Viv is frantically driving around 30km's ahead unable to find us because we have been so long she assumed we had to have passed her. Geoff is slightly behind her and finally just decides to turn around after an extra 20k. Everyone manages to find each other almost simultaneously after the longest "50"km biked this trip in a speedy 5.5hr (okay well geoff did another 40K on top of that) Wow that was a really long explanation. Let's summarize lessons learned. 1) if the sky is black, it is already slightly raining, and the forecast is 100% rain...WEAR YOUR RAIN JACKET!!! 2) always have a waterproof bag for your cellphone. Then when situations like this happen, you will have it with you! 3) when it is a cold and rainy day, pack a snack...you will be hungry! Just one of those days! BUT it makes your tea and dinner taste that much better when you get it :) I'm not sure when we are ending these blogs, but I believe that this could very well be my last one. Crazy how time flies!! I want to thank everyone who put up with my writing and attempts at humour, and I hope it has helped you stay connected with the team. ill leave all the other thank you's to future blogs...most likely the final one! Thanks again for reading and supporting us along the way. 2 DAYS UNTIL PERTH!!!! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

(Hand gestures)!

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:23:00 -0500

It's not that often that people feel stress in Australia (a statistically proven fact). I guess us Canadians have a lot to learn... Without a doubt, it was the most stressful cycling day of the trip. The short ride, about 60km, took about 6 years off my life. After our days riding in the quiet forests of West Australia, the cycle from Busselton to Bunbury was a shocker. There were cars! And trucks! And lots of them! It was like a real life video game I dare say! **Dodge right to avoid loose gravel** **Dodge left to avoid rope thing** **EXTRA points for surviving!!!!** Congratulations on surviving and making it to Bunbury!!!!....I wish someone had said that to me but instead ;( , we had a quiet afternoon at Wander Inn Backpackers (the first time I've had a private room!!)...(I have my own room!!!!!). I'm going snore so loud tonight.... Vivian

M4M reaches the west coast! Only a few days to Perth now!

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 20 May 2010 04:27:00 -0500

Above $30,000!!!

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 18 May 2010 14:23:00 -0500

Yes it’s official…we’ve finally broken the $30,000 mark! We are so thankful for everyone who has been supporting us, and we are excited to have finally pushed through those “20,000’s” that seemed to last forever! The scenery around us continues to impress, and it makes the hills that continue to be a part of our days much easier to cope with. I love being back in trees, and we have even started hearing different birds. Ever since we began this ride it seems that the most common bird call was one best described as the ‘sick crying baby’, and that has been slowly replaced as we’ve moved West of Esperence. I’ve been on phone calls where people have interrupted, horrified at the noise in the background, happy at the reassurance that it is just an annoying bird and not something being tortured! Some may remember reading the blog I posted awhile ago about the frenzy a single grocery store will put me in. Well today there were two, and I found out that I can carry quite a lot of groceries on my handlebars indeed. Not much else to report except we are looking forward to finally reaching the WEST COAST of Australia in 2 days from now. It will be exciting to see the ocean, and then move North in the final push to Perth. Stu _________________________________________________________________ 30 days of prizes: Hotmail makes your day easier! Enter Now. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9729710

Above $30,000!!!

Valley of the Giants

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 16 May 2010 23:23:00 -0500

Have you ever been face to face with the top of a 40ft tree? Well today we had that chance. We had a short cycling day into Walpole and decided we would check out the and the Tree Top Walk. It was pretty amazing walking along a suspension bridge 40ft in the air and looking down to see the giant trunks of these 400 year old trees. Thanks goes out to Walpole Lodge for taking us in for the night! We appreciate the warm, dry beds and kitchen. A big shout out to Blackberry who so graciously sponsored us with Blackberrys for our journey. I have no doubt we would have gone crazy without the close contact with our friends and families back home. They have also come in very useful for communicating with those needed across Australia. There are only 8 cycling days left and we will be in Perth one week from tomorrow. It still amazes me how close we are tot he finish and how far we have actually gone. So much has been learned along this journey and so many memories have been made. - Isabella Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

where are we?

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 15 May 2010 08:35:00 -0500

Today, I don't think we were in Western Austrlalia. It was a mix between New South Wales and Europe. We left Albany after a great breakfast (with nowhere but the side of the road to sleep tonight, we were in no rush to get on the road). We had a spectacular ride through some of the most lush farm land we've seen so far this journey. I've only ever seen green this bright in Switzerland and through Europe, so it was astoundingly beautiful to experience after being surrounded by dry, parched land for the past month. To top it off, we spent an hour in Denmark for lunch... How exotic. We're being reminded of our first couple weeks back in March when we scaled the mountains of New South Wales as the elevation fluctuations are once again pretty sporadic. Winding roads with a different incline around each corner keeps our fingers warm as we constantly adjust appropriate gearing. A little nervous about the inclines that lie ahead. My legs have submitted a feedback form stating that it's time to rest, so the thought of having to burn the muscles this close to the finish line scares me. 9 days... 9 days until every day becomes a rest day. Found a rest stop up from William Bay that has enough room for us to unload a few things and call "home" for the night. Beautiful view of the ocean. Geoff

Warm bed and full belly

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:46:00 -0500

I will say today we actually left the desert, because all of a sudden we saw green and more importantly water in rivers and ponds! Basically since Adelaide we have only seen rivers that have been long dry and basically no green. Its great to be back. Getting into Albany we were blown away to be in a real city. It was darn cold again, but Rose Gardens Beachside caravan park has donated a few huge cabins and a few minutes under near boiling water in the shower brought some feeling back to the limbs. We next rushed to our first Gloria Jeans since Adelaide and guzzled down a few drinks on our way to the high school for a talk. At Albany Senior High school we had a great time talking to a class of students who showed a lot of interest and were a great group. In the afternoon we enjoyed being able to look around the town and buy some much needed items we've needed since Adelaide! And guess what??! Back to Gloria Jeans for a visit in the later afternoon to guzzle more coffee and talk with people about what we're doing! Best of all we were taken out for a night on the town by an Albany local and friend of Opportunity (and now ours!) Simon. We went out for a fantastic meal at the Amity motor inn. We then went out to try some local beer at the "white star brewer and pub" which was excellent and brewed right on site. Simon filled us in on tonnes of local, state and national Australian facts, and we really appreciated him spending his night taking out a bunch of strangers to show them a good time. Thanks Simon! Another bonus is we received a small care package for the last tiny bit of our ride to make our bikes that much more comfortable. In nearly 5000km's our Vivente bikes have been perfect, and we are just attaching a few more water bottles to the frame, and touching up a bit of handle bar grip tape. I can't believe after all this time and kilometres this is all that we are having to do for our bikes!!! And thank you Teague for sending this out to us! Well off to bed. The wind is howling, and hope it's howling East to West tomorrow morn :) Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Finish Line events in Perth! Come out if you can - contact for details!

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:23:00 -0500

Let there be rain!

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:23:00 -0500

After waking up this morning, we were greeted by more of Australia's abundant wildlife. This time though, instead of kangaroos it was mosquitoes. Mosquitoes seem to find some sort of kindred spirit with me and I'm one of the blessed people who attract more mosquitoes (and accompanying bites) than everyone else around. As much as I wish it was a joke, it's not. Mosquitoes love me. And I hate them. Having to cope with this in the last 2.5 months, I've become attuned to mosquitoes' habits. They make their first appearance at the onset of dusk, at about the same time the flies disappear. The rain also draws them out and today was no different. I was prepared though and had kept my bottle of bug repellent at my side through the night so that I could lather a healthy layer on my skin before crawling out of the sleeping bag this morning. I wish that was an exaggeration :( Our slightly damp morning turned into full on showers a few km into the ride and soon enough we were cursing the skies. By the 45km mark, our little piggies were going dormant. When we reached our home for the evening, we had never experienced such immense gratitude for a hot bowl of soup in our lives. And after another 2 hours, dexterity was finally regained in our little piggies! As I lay here about to sleep, listening to the rain pitter-patter over our heads, I feel the need to share my appreciation of you, our followers, and Fluid Media, our superstar website sponsor, for letting me share all of our stories and experiences. I can only imagine how bitter I would be if I couldn't rant about mosquitoes to anyone! Night night, Vivian

Tim Tam Chillers are the bomb

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:39:00 -0500

The kangaroos from last night must have liked us a lot, they came back this morning! We woke up and as soon as we stepped outside they were waiting for us. This mornings experience was not as pleasant as last nights as the roo's destroyed our garbage and somehow managed to get all our dishes out of the bucket and scattered around our campsite. It was still a pleasure having them and as Geoff has mentioned an amazing highlight of our trip!!! Today was a fairly mundane day. We had another day full of hills, but a nice change were the tail winds that seemed to accompany us for our short 60km day. We found a nice parking area off the highway so that we wouldn't be bothered by passing cars. We were bothered by the millions of mosquitoes and flies that reside in Boxwood. We thought we had left them behind when we left the desert, but I guess we were wrong. One thing I can tell you we are really looking forward to in the next couple of days is having Gloria Jeans back in our lives :) I can't begin to tell you how excited we are to get to Albany for our visit to their coffee shop. We haven't seen a Gloria Jeans in over a month, and personally I can't wait to get that Tim Tam Chiller flowing through my veins again. Soooo delicious. Again we thank Gloria Jeans for being such a wonderful sponsor to us over the last 3 months. The support has been fabulous and we are very thankful. - Isabella Ps...I apologize for my missing blogs over the last 8 days. I put a lot of work into two of them and they must have gotten "lost" in cyberspace somewhere. I am currently still trying to figure out why they didn't post. Well that's all for now.

Roo Highlight!

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 11 May 2010 10:10:00 -0500

Today was awesome! We woke up at 5:30 but changed things up a bit by having a casual breakfast in the camper to start our day out on a good note. After enjoying some coffee, good conversation and doing a few bike repairs... It ended up being a 9:30 start. It was great to just not be rushed for what we had planned as a short 60km day. Once we hit the road, we immediately felt the joys of a tail wind. Even though the hills were frequent and extreme in angle, the wind kept us going at a 30km/hr average - ammmmazing! We crushed our day so fast that we decided to take advantage and ended up dropping 115km!!! The girls managed to make friends with the owners of a beautiful caravan park in town, and we're so thankful for the donated site. And - the HIGHLIGHT of our trip!!! A few kangaroos came within touch of us at our camper!!! A mama and a few little joeys were checking out our camper and making friends with us. It was unreal how close we were and how interested in us they were. Check out the photo section of the site for some of the pictures! Also, I'd just like to thank Kelley Tessier (from BlackBerry) for her enormously generous donation to our cause. Puts us so close to $30,000! Wow!!! Geoff

Only 2 weeks until the finish line! Support now before it's too late

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 10 May 2010 11:36:00 -0500

The haunting from the Nullarbor

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 10 May 2010 10:23:00 -0500

A nasty habit that has haunted me from the desert is entering every grocery store like it will be my last. I go in letting myself believe that I'm just taking a look for deals, and then enticed by the low prices and freshness (relative to the heart of the Nullarbor) I'm worked into a frenzy of hunger as I rush down the aisles grabbing everything in sight and bring it panting to the front cash and proceed to gorge it out front the store to the pity and disgust of passerby's. Should probably break that habit soon to ease up on my wallet and my belly! So we are in the caravan park with the most epic decorations of all. Ravensthorpe Caravan Park gave into the request from the cold and wet travellers and kindly let us stay here for free! I'm so glad because walking through the sites you are treated to an amazing scenery of old toilet bowl planters, rusted tea kettles artfully arranged with flowers and plants, crazy frogmen with tin hats and spider plants spilling from the ceiling to the floor in the washroom. Last but not least there is a barbie doll display whose details I'll leave to the imagination as this is a 'PG' rated blog!! An awesome place and I spent a long while having a great time wandering and loving the random entertainment! The scenery today was extremely varied with fields of dead (possibly burnt?) trees, interspersed with farmland and then real forest. The desert and its flatness is nary more than a memory as hills are conquered throughout the day. Everyone managed to say a Mothers day hello back home (Perth and area is 12 hours ahead) and us and our families say thank you Blackberry! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Shall it be pain or pleasure?

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 09 May 2010 10:23:00 -0500

Getting back on the saddle after 3 days of rest is a daunting thought. In addition to our everyday concerns (how cold will the morning be? how hot will the afternoon be? where will the winds blow? how strong will they be? how far are we going? will a kangaroo bounce into my bike and knock me out?), this morning I had a lingering uneasiness about today's 100km gig. There's nothing worse than plowing through a tough cycling day, feeling proud that you handled it, then waking up the next morning feeling pure unhappiness in your legs with another day of cycling lying ahead of you. So how did today work out, you ask? Well...it was wonderful! The scenery from Esperance to Munglinup (pop. 1???) was filled with cows and sheep grazing on wide open stretches and big green trees lining the side of the road. I suppose there's still the possibility that my legs will feel pure unhappiness tomorrow morning but for now, I'll just enjoy :) - Vivian

campaigning in Esperance

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 07 May 2010 08:49:00 -0500

Standing at the end of the Tanker Jetty in Esperance, sun is setting and there are countless people out fishing for dinner. Would love to have a fishing rod right now. We had a great day! Took our time waking up, did some much needed laundry and took off to Esperance Senior High School. It was our first presentation to high school students and it went really well. There were two sessions of classes with up to 60 people in total! The Q&A was awesome - they thought we were crazy to take on something so ambitious (I don't blame them). Incredibly supportive though and they even told us where the best beaches are (we promised we wouldn't share the secret). Having a big stir fry for dinner (luxurious, we know) on a bbq by the water. just loving this gem of Australia - I'll be coming back to Esperance, I'll say that much. Geoff

Oh…a rest day indeed

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:23:00 -0500

Well we certainly aren’t in the nullarbor anymore. We have utilized our rest day, sleeping until 7! Yes that was a huge sleepin for us as we’ve been frequenting the pre 4am scene as of late. When we arose we weren’t freezing in subzero temps for an hour either, or watching the sun slowly rise in the east. Heaven indeed!! Staying at the Teen Challenge house has been amazing as we’ve been able to utilize such luxuries as a kettle and more importantly a toaster!! Waking up in a warm bed with these luxuries has been incredible. Esperance has been amazing and we go to enjoy our first real rest day in awhile. We went down the ocean road here and picked the best beach we saw to hangout on. But we did do some work there even preparing for the presentations we have at the local high school tomorrow that we are excited for. If the temperatures weren’t dropping we may have actually considered swimming as well! It’s been great to be back in the ‘big city’; again (yes we know it's still not too big). If anyone wants to feel jealous of someone, just Google “Esperance” and the need will be fulfilled. Bye for now…and start getting excited for Perth!! stu _________________________________________________________________ 30 days of prizes: Hotmail makes your day easier! Enter Now. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9729710

Oh…a rest day indeed

We have arrived.

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:49:00 -0500

For nearly 2 weeks, the team has talked, thought, dreamt and fantasized about today. Well, not everything about today...but almost... I can affirmatively say that this was the coldest of all the mornings we've woken up to so far. We've had cold mornings, no doubt, but today was just top notch. Unfortunately, our BlackBerry's don't have thermometer capabilities yet but judging by the numbness in my toes I would safely say that it was somewhere between 5 and -50 degrees Celsius. It was cold. After a quick 100k ride, we finally arrived...in Esperance! As we met and talked to people throughout the Nullarbor, we heard about the beauties lying around Esperance. This region has Australia's best voted beaches - not an easy feat - so we've really looked forward to this destination. Rumor has it that roos frequent some of the beaches here which we will be confirming shortly. Esperance has also got one of the best bike shops we've seen in Australia - Dempster Sports. Dempster fixed up Isabella's bike in no time and was a great sport about everything (pun!!). Thank you Mark and the gang at Dempster! Another big thank you goes to Elca from Opportunity International for arranging a wonderful and much appreciated dinner for us all the way from Sydney!! I'm sure the staff at the nice seafood restaurant hadn't seen a scruffier, hairier (and extremely fit) bunch in a while. In any case, our bellies are thoroughly pleased and our heads are feeling sleepy now. Thank you thank you thank you! Since we're a bit ahead of schedule, the team will be catching our metaphorical breaths over the next few days. The last 2 weeks has included lots of heavy cycling days and we're beginning to look a bit worn. While we're here, we're excited to sleep in past 3:45am and go to bed after 8:00pm (our current routine). As it's almost 9:00pm now I'm beginning to hit the wall and will be making my way to bed soon. I can't wait to sleep in until 5am!! Night night, Vivian

a day to celebrate

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 03 May 2010 06:35:00 -0500

Huge day for our team: 1) Well over 4,000km mark 2) FINISHED crossing the Nullarbor!!!! (Especially happy about this one, it was the most intense mental challenge of my life) 3) First grocery store in 2 weeks - the sight of our team raiding this store while eating a box of cookies and iced coffee had to have been the most entertaining experience for the people of Norseman 4) Full 3G service on our BlackBerry's - our heads have been looking at our screens with rapidly moving thumbs catching up on emails and calling family and friends 5) Back in civilization!!!! Well, most people wouldn't consider this mining town civilization based on its size, but the fact that we can hear kids playing at a park close by, and that we got to talk to people outside of our team screams civilization to us! We're celebrating as a result, with fresh fruit and salad (luxuries we haven't been able to replicate in canned food for some time. Special thanks to everyone that helped communicate our love and safety via Satellite phone, so grateful. Powering to Perth! Its the home-stretch now baby!!! Geoff

Macro for Micro officially completes the Nullarbor - huge milestone

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 03 May 2010 06:22:00 -0500

Isabella reported via satellite phone: Not a bend in sight!

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:39:00 -0500

Today the team, were up early and on their bikes before dawn! They do this to “beat the heat”, but the real bonus is that they are able to experience some magnificent desert sunrises. They have cycled approximately 80klms from Caiguna to half way along the longest straight stretch of road in Australia, all 146.6 klms of it. For those of you who are metrically challenged, this section of road is more commonly known as the "90 Mile Straight." While the road is very, very straight, there have been a few hills to keep the team focused and the ride interesting. Isabella’s bike still has a few “gremlins” to be sorted once they reach Esperance, just 305klms along the track. She continues to ride even with a broken bike! Tonight the Macro for Micro team is camping out again. They have made camp off to the side of the road, have built a camp fire and all quite safe and sound. Food and water provisions have lasted well and should see them through to the end of the Nullarbor section of their journey. The plan is that tomorrow the team will ride 90klms to Balladonia which I am told has a population of about 9 people, but that really does depend on whether you’re coming or going. They should make it to Fraser Range by Sunday afternoon and be out of the desert on Monday afternoon.

Operation Desert Storm

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:42:00 -0500

From our Opportunity International friends who spoke to the team via satellite phone from a global poverty project site: Operation Desert Storm was able to make contact with the Macro for Micro Team via satellite phone. They are literally in the middle of "absolute nowhere", which in this case refers to the Nullabor Desert. Oddly enough, when speaking to Geoff, he described the experience to be "intense". He did mention that there he might have seen a "house of six people", which may or may not have been the highlight of that particular day. Today's cycle was short (short meaning a minuscule 65 kilometres). There has not been much along the way: just the team and the mean, dry, bare desert. The Nullabor segment of the Challenge has been a lot quieter as they have not come across a lot of people (or much of anything of that matter). This leg of the cycle is highlighted, not by the obvious physical feats necessary but, their mental strength. That is the Team's toughest challenge at the moment. Imagine having to cycle towards the same small dot in the distance for days, with no real feeling of progress. Let's show them that they are not the only ones making progress; there are movements being made on our end to support microfinance. It is refreshing to know that they are maintaining positivity and are keeping the faith although they are "not in Kansas anymore". They would just like to reinforce the fact that the Team is all good and all safe. The team are pushing themselves in order to end poverty. Let's follow their lead! You can join by cycling through the Nullabor Desert (optional) or you can find out other ways to get involved at www.macroformicro.com or www.opportunity.org.au

Nullabor means "No Trees" for a reason...

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 20:59:00 -0500

Andrew Tyndale from Opportunity International reports via satellite phone: The team arrived today at Cocklebiddy (no kidding - there's a prize for anyone who knows where it is!) after a 90 km day. One look at the Road House rooms had them continue down the road for 3kms to find a nice tree to camp under. Apparently shade is a new and highly-valued commodity. They had experienced about 150km without a tree - perhaps unsurprising when Nullabor means "no trees" - so when they saw found one to camp under, their first action was to cut some of it off for firewood...fires being another ban recently lifted. Apparently the highlights for the day included a curve. Yes, they would never have guessed at the start, that a slightly non-straight piece of road would give them such joy. Another highlight was sighting a giant bird. They identified it as a Desert Hawk, but I suspect it was just an optomistic vulture. Speaking of wildlife, Stuart has grown to love kangaroo, too...at least when it's done medium-rare with a light red wine jus on a bed of jasmine rice. So, another fairly uneventful day! Oh, Stuart wanted me to mention that Isabella's bike has been acting up, so as Stuart and Vivian cruised slowly along in the air-conditioned support van with their bikes neatly stowed, Isabella was struggling away on a broken bike in 45 degree heat. She's really looking forward to Esperance! The team is in high spirits, good health and love the messages of support and encouragement they get from all of you. Keep it coming!

Sat Phone Update for the Day

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:03:00 -0500

At the end of a 103 kilometre day, the M4M team found a spectacular camping spot close to the West Australian town of Madura. At dusk they were perched high on a rise, with sweeping views of the vast Nullabor. Cycling conditions over the past few days have been excellent, with either no wind or a tail wind, and overcast skies. The only complaint about the endless straight road is the potential for boredom. Geoff is yearning for some hills and bends. The team has worked out a safe system of dealing with the massive road trains crossing the desert. They get off the road if they feel threatened, but generally find the trucks give them a wide berth by crossing onto the other side of the road. All the cycling has magnified appetites. The roadhouse in Madura boasts a famous burger called the Gutbuster (described by Vivian as “the size of a young child’s head” ), which each had devoured at the end of the day without any problem! This was one of the day’s highlights. The other source of excitement for the day was a mob of up to 15 red kangaroos hopping along both sides of the road as they pedaled along. They were glad for the company, and at least they were alive this time. Did you know? The red kangaroo is the giant of the Australian kangaroos. It is widespread over the mainland and often lives in quite big mobs. It can leap up to five meters long in a jump and so is quite fast over short distances.

199km day takes us to our final state

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 08:57:00 -0500

Woke up to a VERY cold morning. The only good thing about a 5am start is that the stars are most visible then. Other than that... Its very tough to get out of the warm sleeping bag knowing you'll be numb and cold to the bone for the first hour of cycling. The best part of cycling is experiencing the sunrise though. Even though it's to our backs, the slow illumination of the plants, animals and horizon is something I can never get over. Good cloud cover, wind to our back and a generally flat road was almost too good to be true. All of those variables never align so well - so we decided to crush 2 days into 1. 199km later, we crossed the border into Western Australia, the LAST state of this journey! Crazy how time flies... Speaking of time, we crossed another time zone. We're not too excited about it though as we now have to wake up at 3:30am to beat the sun.... Great. Somehow we have full cell reception still!?! Telstra rocks!

Now in Western Australia - the last state of the journey

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 07:41:00 -0500

If anyone thinks we're nuts then listen to this!!

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 10:15:00 -0500

So we are biking along today and ahead at the side of the road it looks like a car or something is parked there. When we get closer we see that it is definitely not a car, but two people walking!!! Yes two guys are walking along pulling carts behind them. We had heard rumours of this from other travellers we had spoken to before, and now we were seeing it. What I love about being in the middle of nowhere is that even when you are on a major highway you can generally just stop. We screeched to a halt, jumped off our bikes and exchanged greetings in the middle of the highway. Leigh and Sam as it were. Seeing such a spectacle I couldn't keep a smile off my face the whole time we were talking. Moving to the side of the road we started peppering them with questions. I'll summarize the result. First off they are a couple of awesome guys. They have been walking for 7 weeks already, starting in Perth with the goal of reaching Sydney. How did they get into this? Well Leigh had a friend who got sponsored to do the walk so he joined him. Day 3 rolled around and the guy quit! Leigh being the brave and possibly mad soul he is decided to persevere onwards but called his family to tell the news. His brother Sam joined him in 24 hours and began walking. Awesome!! Now they don't have any deadlines, except Uni starts up for Leigh in July so they may just stop if they aren't there yet. I love their modest attitude towards one of the more intense things I've ever seen in my life. That's the condensed version of their journey, but check out more on their blog www.perthtosydney.blogspot.com (BUT only if it doesn't interrupt with reading ours ;)!!) I just want to express once again how crazy these guys are, and the immense amount of respect our team has for them. The next 10km flew buy as I imagined what they would have to go through to do the same...and wait until the hills in NSW! Wow wow wow!! Back to cycling! We reached the Nullarbor Plain today. Basically this is the flat section that has no trees and continues on as far as the eye can see. We posted some pictures today if you want to check it out on the Flickr site (see link on home page) We stopped at the Nullarbor roadhouse where we had showers for $1 each. Hmmmm iced coffee for $5 or 5 showers instead... The weather was cool so we are managing to stay smelling clean for tonight...always a good thing with four people crammed into a small van. I'm looking forward to ripping some kilometers on this flat terrain, but it is a little bit of a catch 22 because then the wind just howls across the plain. This is best avoided by being on the bikes at the crack of dawn, but if we get a tail-wind one of these days it will be unbelievable. I was talking to someone who had chatted with a cyclist that had done over 250km the day before, just flying along. Translated the other way it would cause us to do 25 into it I bet! Well bye for now, wish for winds at our backs! And thanks so much for the OI team for providing updates when we don't have service. But right now we have full 3G coverage in the middle of one of the most remote parts of our journey. GO TELSTRA!! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Operation Desert Storm

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 13:59:00 -0500

From the Opportunity International Australia representative via satellite phone: "Spoke briefly to Vivian tonight - it was very hard to hear and dropped out at one stage. They rode 90km today and are aprox 245km west of Ceduna, near Yellabinna. It was 35 degrees centigrade this afternoon so they are getting up early each day and starting to ride at about 6:30am to beat the heat. The team ate chilli for dinner tonight. Found a nice spot by the road to bed down. They were going to bed once they hung up from me which would be about 5pm where they are. That's all for today" Did you know? Yellabinna is a Regional Reserve and Wilderness Protection Area located to the north, off Eyre Highway. The reserve is 2,012 607 ha and the wilderness protection area is 503,062 ha in size. These parks form a valuable wilderness area of sparsely vegetated red sand dunes that stretch as far as the eye can see. The stark contrast of red sand and blue sky is a photographer's delight. We hope for some great photo’s in a couple of weeks time!

First Nullabor Update

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 01:45:00 -0500

Hello all! This is the first update on behalf of the Macro for Micro team as they begin to make their way through the Nullabor desert. The team has officially lost mobile phone coverage, potentially for the duration of the desert portion of the ride over the next few weeks. Not to worry, however, as they will be providing satellite phone updates which will be relayed through the Opportunity International support team in Syndey to the support here in Canada and then to you through blog updates! For this post, the team would like to simply relay to friends, family and loved ones that they are all safe and sound and continuing their trek with enthusiasm. Stay tuned for further satellite updates - I'll also be continuing to keep everyone posted through Twitter, Facebook, and location tracking through the interactive map on the Macro for Micro web site. Did you know? The name Nullarbor comes from the Latin 'Nullus' for no, and 'Arbor' for tree, thus meaning 'no trees'. The Aboriginal name for the Nullarbor Plain was 'Oondiri' which means 'the waterless', for the average rainfall of the area is only about 200 millimetres per annum. The Nullabor Plain extends approximately 700 kilometres from east to west and from the coast it extends 300 kilometres north to the Great Victoria Desert. It is the world's largest slab of limestone covering an area of 250,000 square kilometres. When you stand on the vast plain, you have an unbroken 360-degree horizon. The Macro for Micro team is travelling on The Eyre Highway (the only road across) which runs parallel to the coast, for hundreds of kilometers. When the Nullarbor Plain meets the coast, it drops a sheer 40 to 90 metres into the pounding Southern Ocean. No swimming here with Great White’s (sharks) in the water as a little added deterrent!

into the Nullabor

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 11:53:00 -0500

Left "the last eastern town before the Nullabor" today. Crazy!!! The famed Nullabor; one of the main reasons Australians have been calling is so crazy! Not sure what to expect, but we have an idea... Our ride started late because of 5 pestering mice. They kept the girls up all night and we spent hours clearing the camper to hunt them down. After finally ridding our lives of these rodents, it was 29 degrees outside with no hint of tree cover. The longest straight stretch we've seen so far... Its tough to follow a dot in the horizon for hours on end. But after 73km, we reached the "township" of Penong. We've parked our camper in the lot of a footy field. There are over 6 mouse traps strategically placed throughout our van. Mouse vs. Human - let's see what happens tonight.

The last supper

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 12:35:00 -0500

We are having our last supper before the Nullarbor! Savouring the fresh veggies, fruit and places to buy things...for tomorrow we enter the (insert deep voice) desert. It was actually just a beautiful day for provision shopping and whatnot. The howling wind kept the flies at bay. The prices weren't anywhere near as bad as I though they would be. Go Ceduna!!! The only negative that has been troubling us lately is the extreme mouse influx in our van. Viv outlined the dramatic removal of the mouse yesterday, but last night we yet again heard the telltale rustling, and observed the crumbs this morning. We bought many a mousetrap from the hardware store which was nearly sold out (there's a full on infestation happening), and have placed them strategically throughout the van in hope of nabbing our quarry. We can hear it (or hopefully not 'them') sneaking around up front and hopefully not nabbing any more food. Other than that excitement we are just hanging out and getting our gear and camper charged before we set off. It's very exciting to be setting out tomorrow for the extreme part of the journey. This will be our last big blog until we come out of the Nullarbor. But still keep checking our site regularly as we will be keeping you up to date daily with some short satellite phone updates along the way. Otherwise will be focusing on keeping insanity at bay through places like the 90 mile stretch of highway without a break in the road! Oh! And we passed 3000km's cycled so feeling good bout that accomplishment. 2600 to go, and we're ready for it! bye for now! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Mouse hunt

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:30:00 -0500

Today was one of those days that really feels like a lot of days. I suppose that happens when a series of unfortunate events happen. It started off like any normal cycling day. We were up before sunrise and wrapped up our morning routine quickly for an early start. The first glitch of the day started off yesterday actually, when the night was slowing down and we were all sitting in the van quietly. All was quiet but for a small sporadic rustling somewhere in the near distance. Using our best judgement, we ignored all noises and went to sleep. In the morning though, we were sure we had a visitor in the van and began a full on mouse hunt that lasted a full hour. Our fellow camper, Godfrey, gave us a hand in humanely capturing the pest and gave us even more support with a donation!! Our next glitch happened when Isabella's peddle's were making a loud noise and none of our tools were sufficient. Luckily Vivente, our bike sponsors, provided us with phone support to guide us through a repair. The only catch was that the nearest bike shop was in the next town, past our original destination. So off we went for another 40km and arrived in Ceduna! So 111km later and one day ahead of plan, once again, we found a nice place to stay in Ceduna at A1 Cabins & Caravan Park. Big thanks to A1 for hosting us!!! - Vivian

The little thing in life

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 10:55:00 -0500

Listen very closely because what I'm about to tell you is probably the most important thing I've learned on this trip so far. The best advice I can give, not just for traveling, but anytime is never EVER take anything in your life for granted. I've been reflecting on this a lot the last few days and it is amazing how even the little things we have in our life we miss when they are not at our disposal. This whole thought process began when we were at the University of South Australia, where we met a student from Saudi Arabia. When given a chance by his King to have whatever he wanted, and I mean anything, he could have chosen a Ferrari or gold but he chose an education. Out of anything in the entire world he wanted to go to school. After speaking to him about his experience I began to realize just how lucky we really were and I started to think about the last couple months in Australia. Living on the road in a camper van has been pretty tough. It definitely makes things easier that we have a stove and storage space for our water, but having four people living out of there has been pretty trying. I wake up everyday knowing that I will be going back to Canada and I will be going back to a clean, comfy bed every night and will have a warm shower every day and I think about how I used to take these for granted before this journey began. And this all brings us back to why we are doing this cycle trip. I live in a country where anything I need I can have, when more then 2.7 billion people in our world are living on less then $2/day. This is less then what your morning coffee probably costs. So take a second and remember what you were born into and what others weren't and think is it really that hard to help? - Isabella Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Next Challenge: the Nullabor. Google it, then support microfinance

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 08:04:00 -0500

earned a rest day

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 08:04:00 -0500

What a seeerious day. I'm in pain right now. We had a 71km day to a small town Poochera. Pretty hilly ride, rough roads that kept our pace slow, but the overcast sky kept the heat away. Pulling into town was very anticlimactic. It was a ghost town that resembled the setting of your average zombie movie. I'll give it some credit though... The bathrooms were astoundingly clean. So, we decided that this was not a town we needed to stay in. Our next planned day was a 64km cycle to Streaky Bay. After a big lunch, we hit the road to crunch 2 days into one. I hit the wall hard. So many hills, a lot of headwind and not enough food in my system. So happy to have made it here though. We're camping on the beach and taking a rest day tomorrow to catch our breath since we're ahead of schedule. Special thanks to the camper park on the beach for allowing us to stay!

FLIES FLIES FLIES!!!!!!!

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 09:02:00 -0500

Something I do not believe we have mentioned is the steadily increasing concentration of flies as we move across south australia. Flies love deserts as geoff informed us (he grew up in a desert) so we only have more to look forward to! They particularly like crawling towards noses, eyes, mouths, ears and worst of all the many healing cuts on my legs synonymous with cycling (at least in my case!). I can find a positive however! Because the flies are so ferocious, there is no longer any loitering at lunch. Which is good because lunch is at about 930 and because its been getting hotter, it's necessary to try and finish as early as possible in the day. Another positive is that our arms are getting an amazing workout from wind milling around. Wait! I've thought of yet another positive! It gives us something to do when we hunker down in the van at night, namely killing them! WOW! I think there are now more positives then negatives. Look what happens when you write your thoughts down. the landscape we have been biking through has been quite beautiful, and today was another good ride. AND, today was day 40, meaning we are HALFWAY through! Now we aren't exactly halfway in the kilometre department, but we need our small victories! And thank you to all those places across this great country that provide free BBQ's. These are amazing, and almost always in a pleasant location to cook dins. Much appreciated! So as I mentioned, we are halfway through our time here, and almost halfway to our fundraising goal. Anyone reading this please pass our message onto friends, family, rich acquaintances, companies looking to fill that charitable donation for this year...anyone! We'd really appreciate it and would be most grateful indeed! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Half way across Australia! Please donate today...

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:52:00 -0500

A town by any another name.

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 06:24:00 -0500

After a 90km bike ride through increasingly dry and never-ending horizons, we arrived in Kimba, somewhat comforted by the familiarity of this new town. Without fail, nearly every town we've visited contains one strip of "town centre" which hosts a bakery, bottle shop and post office at the minimum. In a land with few people, few entertainments, few (insert noun here), the Macro for Micro team is forced to crack a few more jokes than normal, talk a little more than normal. I can only imagine how the experience was for the first Aussies...those lucky enough to name these new lands. For example, yesterday we camped out in a mining town, aptly named Iron Knob. There's iron around, there are big rocks around...why it just makes sense! Now I'm intrigued...what other wonderful towns are waiting to be discovered by me and my unstimulated sensory receptors? In the last 39 days, I can already think of a couple of peculiar names. Moe was a bit odd (not pronounced 'Mo', but pronounced 'Mo-E'). Bumbunga caused a few giggles while we cycled through (pronounced 'Bum-bung-ga'). But what else? After a quick foray in the google, I wasn't disappointed. Now before I jump into this, a warn you: I am immature and easily entertained. Read on if you are either or! Boing Boing, NT - An aboriginal phrase meaning "Mosquitos Buzzing". Bong Bong, NSW - An aboriginal phrase meaning "Out of Sight". Delicate Knobby, NSW - The young child of Iron Knob. Eggs and Bacon Bay, TAS - I can only imagine the epic breakfasts in this dreamland... Innaloo, WA - Named after an aboriginal woman. Tittybong, VIC - Not named after any sort of woman. Well I hoped that provided you with as many chuckles as the team just had. And if you are curious about exactly how dry and never-ending the horizons are, you can take a look here: http://m.flickr.com/photos/macroformicro/4522016881/ - Vivian Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

All you've got is the road

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:14:00 -0500

Your looking out to the horizon and see your next destination but how could that be? The sign says your still 25km away and then you realize that's all the desert is. Riding towards the horizon and taking endless time to get where you need to go. Today was the first day I truly felt as though we were in the desert. It was our first real taste of what it will be like in the Nullabor. We still had the shrubbery around and trees that could provide shade to us from the heat but no doubt in a week or so all we will have is the straight road and daunting horizon. Cycling seems to be getting easier and easier everyday. Gone are the days when we dread seeing those high, high hills ahead of us and here are the days when we take those "bumps" in the road with pleasure. Our speed is faster and we're able to get to each city a little sooner then we thought. Its been so great talking to everyone we've come into contact with about other bikers who've passed through their gas stations or camping sites. We've heard about some pretty inspirational people. Its all just motivation for us to keep going. Oh, and today we heard about two men who cycled across the Nullabor, not that impressed well how about if I said they were BLIND! That's right two blind cyclists crossing the desert. How? Good question. I wish we had some time to talk to them and find out how and why. If they can do it then we should have nothing to complain about. - Isabella Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

pong at the port

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:42:00 -0500

Any day that starts out with enough time to enjoy a coffee is a good one. Usually, we're too rushed and hit the road after a quick "brekki". Today, however, although it was an early rise, we got that time of relaxation in before hopping on the bikes. Its the little things that matter. Hit a 93km day on roads that were a bit scary at times. With the sun shining, a cool breeze and a route that took us between the Flinders Range mountains and the ocean... It was an overall good cycle. Had a flat halfway through. First one for me so it was pretty much just a matter of time. Surprised I made it this long without one. Radio and newspaper interviews had us taken care of for an eventful afternoon! And now, time to enjoy the ping pong at our sponsored Big 4 camper park. Love it! Mich love, Geoff

on the ocean again!

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 10:18:00 -0500

Well I guess its the first time we saw a beach in awhile! Pt Pirie was a quick 30km jaunt from our starting point so we got up in good time and got to our destination just past 9. We wanted to begin the final preparations for the desert and although we already have the main survival gear, there are also little things to consider. Batteries for the headlamps, used books to keep the crazy down, and cheap foodstuffs are always top of mind. Had a brilliant day of browsing and geoff and I jumped into the ocean to keep stink at bay. We are having another early start to make Port Augusta in time for a radio interview. The winds are picking up even though it is dark so wish us luck for weather and wind! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

A new land, a new bug bite.

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 10:28:00 -0500

In the last few days, the landscape changed to what we expected Australia to look like: dry, flat and stretching to infinite and beyond. Unfortunately, we've learned that mosquitoes don't discriminate against landscape. We woke up at the edge of an open gravel yard, a parking lot for semi-trucks, where we had squatted for the night. The cutting board that we had set outside the night before was covered with black worms that I assume were attracted to the remaining tomato juice. Since there wasn't too much to look at around us (garbage litter, worms, and a drying lake in the distance) we didn't take longer than needed to eat up, pack up and cycle away. For the second time in the whole trip, we had some tailwind!! I can't tell you how much this effects biking. Actually, it's quite amazing how every little thing can noticeably effect biking conditions...slightly bumpier roads, the size of the vehicle that just passed you, and the width of the person shielding headwinds in front of you can all make the minutes go by a lot more enjoyable or otherwise. I've learned to appreciate a lot of little things now. We've camped out for the evening in Crystal Brook, pop. 1,185. I can say this town is a whole lot more pleasant already: no worms sighted and there's a free public bbq :) - Vivian Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Chocolate Mud Pie

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 10:16:00 -0500

Today was an epic day!!! We saw kangaroos! Real live kangaroos! They joined us for a bit of our journey today. They were hoping beside us for a good 200m. The vertical jump on those guys was amazing, at least 6ft, they'd probably have no problem dunking a basketball. Today was a fairly easy 80km ride with the exception of a section of the highway that was gravel road (about 6km). The cyclists and van had a bit of a hard time getting through that. We stopped at a great little lunch spot in a town called Balaklava. We extended our lunch for an hour or so to spend some time looking around the shops and eating at the Bakery in town. The bakeries in Australia are something else, especially in the smaller towns. I've gained a couple of pounds and I'm not sure if its because of muscle or all the baked goods I've been eating. I think that we have managed to stop in a bakery at least once every couple of days (granted the town has one) and indulge in one of their many baked delicacies. From their hot cross buns, cinnamon rolls, or chocolate mud pies (my favorite) I have yet to try something I didn't enjoy, and I bet the team agrees. Not sure what we are going to do once we hit the desert and their will be no baked yumminess to go around? Might as well eat as much as we can now ;) - Isabella Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

no more big cities... approaching the feared "Nullabor"

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 07:39:00 -0500

What an incredible visit to Adelaide. We had so many inspiring and refreshing encounters during our events, so it was the perfect time for us to get that reminder that our cycling is making a difference. Adelaide is the last big city until Perth. We stocked up the van with over 100 cans of food, over 125 liters of water, bike equipment and toilet paper. Lying ahead is the intimidating Nullabor desert where civilization ends and solitude begins. A lot of time to think, whether we like it or not. Our morning today was spent packing the van to fit all our supplies for this next leg of the journey (and probably the toughest). We ran a few errands to pick up the things we won't have access to for a month, and hit the road in the afternoon. It was a short 55km to Mallala, population 500. Found a good spot by a footy field to park the camper and stay the night. Feeling so great! Geoff

Another busy 'rest' day

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:39:00 -0500

So we had a very busy 'rest' day in Adelaide today. Adelaide is the last big city before we embark towards the desert, so there was lots to be done. We are stocking up on major non-perishable food items that we can store in the van, and I hit up a big bike store and got some precautionary extra bike stuff (spare spokes, chain links) as well as stuff we will definitely need... Including TONES of patches and tubes! We had an event at the university of south australia which was amazing! First we did a presentation followed by some QandA which is always great for discussion. There was a BBQ that followed where we raised some funds and talked to an insane number of people. Thanks again to SOHBET and everyone who helped out to make this event so special. Geoff and I had a large number of business cards that we spent a long time unloading around campus, so people at Uof SA may be finding them for weeks! And if you did find one of these cards and are checking out the website 'good on ya', and take a look at the ways you can support! If you are an angry UofSA custodian then please contact us directly! With the generous support from two people back in Canada (hint: I'm related whose names I would refer them to as are Palindromes) the team got to have a great dinner out, and fuel up on the last good food we may have for a long while. Thanks a lot it was amazing! Looking forward to another comfortable night at the Big 4 Levi caravan park in a real bed, and then we will be off on the road again! Forecast rain but using power of positive thought to bring out the sun!!! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Day 31

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:15:00 -0500

We've officially been cycling for a full month now and amazingly, everyday continues to bring surprises. We departed from Murray Bridge this morning under an overcast sky with about 90km ahead of us. We heard from a few people that the ride to Adelaide had a crazy downhill stretch for 10km going into the city which we were really excited to see. Now, we aren't a bunch of geniuses but neither are we that slow. So when the ride began to feel like perpetual uphill, I was a little shocked that not once did I make the connection: 10km of pure downhill must also mean a whoooole lot of uphill. Today was the closest I've ever been to getting off my bike and walking the rest of a hill. I'm proud to say that I never did though :) So the ride ended up taking way more time and way more energy than normal but in the end, it was so empowering to arrive in Adelaide having conquered yet another challenge. The real highlight of the day would have to be our new friends, Karen and Stu, for welcoming us into their home for dinner. We met the lovely couple a few days earlier in Robe and shared with them our story about Macro for Micro and microfinance. I guess we made a nice impression and when we reached their hometown, Adelaide, they invited us over to chat some more. Over dinner, we got to share our message with a few other guests and were touched by everyone's hospitality and warmth. Feeling recharged from the delicious meal and the moral support tonight! - Vivian Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Battle with Mother Nature

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 12:16:00 -0500

I woke up this morning with the sound of rain on the roof of the van. I’m not talking about a light rain, I’m talking a pounding down I thought the roof was going to cave in on me kind of rain. My first thought was oh man we have to cycle through this, but then I realized it’s my driving day, yessss!!! And then I felt bad for Stu, Vivian, and Geoff who decided to go ahead and take on Mother Nature in the worst rain storm I’ve seen in a while. We woke up and tried to all maneuver around inside our camper van. It was difficult to try and put everything away while the four of us were all around. Once we opened up the door to leave a little jack russell popped into our van. He was freezing and scared of the thunder and lighting, he was shivering really hard. I knew we couldn’t leave him there so I said I was stop by the police station on my way out of town to at least leave him in the warmth. Once the gang took off cycling I stopped at the police station but it was closed. The only thing open in town was the bakery and the lady there knew where the dog belonged (thankfully) and took care of it for me. In the words of the cyclists today “the rain felt like ice pellets coming down on us.” I could vouch for how cold it was outside today just walking from the car to shelter. I’m glad it wasn’t me. We are now safe ready for bed with a warm shower under all our belts. Thanks to the Murray Bridge Central Olympic Park for providing us with accommodation for the night. The beds are greatly appreciated. Off to Adelaide tomorrow for a couple days of campaigning, our last major city before we hit the desert. - Isabella

Macro for Micro surpasses 2,000km as they approach Adelaide

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 02:54:00 -0500

early start = early finish

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 09:12:00 -0500

An early start to the day, means an early end! We woke up extra early today to take on our cycle to Meningie, as we knew the long weekend traffic would be heavy on the highway. I can't say the highlight of the day was our ride... Each day is becoming more and more uneventful as the terrain gets drier and more bare. It was our afternoon that stood out in our minds as another much needed time of mental and physical relaxation. As Vivian talked about a day or 2 ago, solo time has been crucial to keeping our heads on. It was so great to spend hours reading and falling into the comfort of music in the park. Spending some time to put together an inspiring presentation at the University of South Australia in Adelaide! Camping by the beach, hoping we are allowed... Geoff

The giant lobster to salt creek

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 11:34:00 -0500

Kingston was home of the giant lobster! It was alright... A regular day of cycling, not much to talk about there. Long flat stretches that may be a warmup to the nullarbor I guess Salt creek is a gas station and we are staying behind it! But we have showers so its niiicccceeee. This afternoon did a little bike maintenance. Patched a few tubes and after I wad done that, geoffs tire spontaneously deflated (no lie, it just suddenly started hissing) as if to taunt me. Chains were cleaned and lubed and a good time was had by all. Adelaide will be the final stop with big bike stores, so if anyone has any suggestions of where to stock up please let me know! We will be stocking up big for the nullarbor so if any bike stores are reading this it will be worth your while to let me know!!!! Getting to bed early because it's a long weekend and we must try to beat the holiday traffic as people go home. Happy Easter everyone! Our Easter Sunday dinner consisted of macaroni but it was good :) a change from peanut butter indeed! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

How to spend an afternoon in Australia?

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 10:31:00 -0500

What a luxury it is to have a short ride today! 40km only! It is one of the shortest rides we have scheduled for the trip and we didn't take it for granted. After waking up at the spectacular Lakeside Manor Hostel in Robe, we actually got to take it slow and get some work done until our departure at noon. In the mean time, we talked to lots of the other guests staying at the Manor and were so warmed by their support. The ride to Kingston SE took around 1.5 hours which still left a big chunk of the day left. When we arrived, we each took some time by ourselves to rest our minds, in addition to our bodies. Isabella fell asleep on the grass (I believe she was trying to even out the helmet tan). Stu was practising chords on the ol' mandolin. Geoff went off to discover the long stretch of beach with a book. And I learned how to increases stitches in knitting! Getting solo time on the trip is an absolute necessity for us and we make an effort to squeeze in a few minutes when we can. Imagine living in a camper van where we are max. 2 feet away from the next person. For 3 months! Now don't get me wrong. I love our camper van and I'm truly quite fond of my team-mates. But even the best of friends can't be face to face that much! So after we got our solo time this afternoon, we regrouped to cook and enjoy a meal by the beach. Good food, good company, beautiful sunset...what more could we ask for? http://m.flickr.com/photos/macroformicro/4485729765/ - Vivian Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Lakeside Manor

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 21:51:00 -0500

Another day has come and gone and day 26 is here. I must say today has been the easiest day cycling we've had so far. The tail winds were our friends today and we are hitting desert country so the roads are becoming straight and flat. We averaged about 35km/hr, which got us to robe within 3hrs. We are staying at the Lakeside manor YHA tonight. The nights accommodations was donated to us, a big thank you goes out to them. The Lakeside manor is a beautiful big mansion that was built in 1882 and it is completely made out of limestone. It is one floor with 17 rooms and each room has about 16ft. ceilings. This place is magical. We got into town a little early so we decided to explore. We found an amazing blue water beach along with a "boardwalk" that had tons of wine cellars, bakeries, rustic antique type shops and restaurants. We spent some time in a cafe having coffees and just hanging out. Tonight the owner of Lakeside manor came down from Melbourne and brought a few of his friends with him. We spent the night chatting with them in the old parlour of this house. When I say old parlour imagine back 100 years and what it might look like then. Today everything has been restored from the fireplace, to the book shelf, to the wallpaper on the walls. I felt like I was back in the 1800's. One of the best night thus far for sure. If your ever passing through Robe, SA is the place to stay. - Isabella Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Mandela, you said it!

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:11:00 -0500

Just tweeted this and felt the urge to share it on the blog as well: "Poverty is hand-made, and can be overcome by the actions of human beings" - Nelson Mandela This is something that we aren't reminded of enough. The fact that this poverty plague is now affecting over 2.7 BILLION people scares me because we have the power to change it. Wow... Can you imagine standing up for this, pitching in with everyone else and literally changing lives so that more people can enjoy the luxuries that we enjoy? Powerful. Anyway, today was an exciting one for the team. Started the morning with a TV interview where we got to share our message and show viewers the Macro for Micro team in action! Right after that we had a radio interview that went very well! So happy Stan told us they have 80,000 listeners AFTER the interview, as it might have intimidated us a bit if we knew that beforehand! Cycling was quite short, just 50km to a small town called Millicent. Had an interview with their local paper, then went for a run. Weirdly, although we cycle insane distances everyday, I feel out of shape.... Weird, I know. Relaxing now and enjoying the many offerings of Hillview Caravan Park (especially the trampoline!).

Record number of kangaroos spotted!

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 11:24:00 -0500

But alas they were all dead! Sooo much roadkill We had a few big milestones today. Crossed our first time zone, and entered our fourth state of south australia! We are rapidly getting close to Adelaide and the void beyond! Arriving in Mount Gambier we had a radio interview on and then did a large amount of dishes that have been piling up from our time 'squatting' as we have some free accommodation at mount gambier central caravan park. Various electronics are now again fully functional with plugs had by all! the ride was long, and the temperatures varying wildly throughout the day, but we are now all very strong on the bikes. April Fools day tomorrow. I'm going to play some jokes on the others. Hope they don't read this before tomorrow! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

We shower; Therefore, we are.

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:36:00 -0500

We woke up this morning to a stunning sunrise at Stingray Bay in Warrnambool where fresh ocean air filled our lungs and we watched the purply blue sky grow lighter. Over breakfast, we read about a client in the Philippines who couldn't pay for the medical bills for a son who suddenly began getting seizures. She inspired us with her will to start a nut selling business and earn stable income to provide for her family. The only downfall to our amazing morning was that after 3 nights of squatting on roadsides, we really don't feel so fresh, no matter the ocean breeze. Tonight we settle in Portland, Victoria also alongside the ocean. After riding another 103km today, we got to town with one objective in mind: we need showers. How we find our resting place for the night is dependent on a couple of things...is it free? If not, how much does it cost? Since this time of year sees lots of families travelling during Easter vacation, caravan parks and camp sites have been budgetarily unavailable. That leaves us with one option: the squat. Portland, population 9,820, is known for many things. It was a whaling and sealing base from the 1800s. It is now home to a massive aluminium smelter. It also has the Motor & Car Museum. A wonderful town in many ways, but to the four of us we will always think warmly of Portland for it's free and heated showers. It's FREE with HOT WATER! Wowowow did we appreciate that. On a completely unrelated topic, this trip has really exposed me to some incredibly courageous and adventurous people in the world. The people we meet sometimes tell us something crazy they've done in the past (like biking from Barcelona to Melbourne - 35,000km and 23 countries) or something crazy they've heard of from someone else (like walking across every continent over 12 years). We always feel inspired and encouraged by these stories so if you have any, please share them with us!! Btw, those 2 examples were both from a gentleman we met tonight and there actually IS a man walking around the whole world - www.wwwalking.org. Vivian Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Two flats, really???

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:50:00 -0500

It could only happen to me! Two flat tires in one day, really??? That would put me at three flat tires in the last two days. If my bike keeps going at this rate it'll take us twice as long to get to Perth. Regardless today was a great cycle into Warrnambool. We had a short 58km which we decided to conquer before lunch. So we set of around nine and had a fairly smooth ride (minus my flat tires) with few hills. OOHHHHH Vivian saw her first kangaroo and the first out of all of us :) she screamed so loud I almost fell off of my bike. We arrived around 2pm and went straight to Gloria Jeans for our campaigning visit. The franchisees greeted us with open arms and a warm welcome. It was nice to see they knew most of their customers by names and explained who we were and what we were doing in Australia. Today was our most successful day as far as raising money at Gloria Jeans. People were incredibly receptive and opened their hearts to our story. We spent the evening in a park near the ocean which was incredible. The park had free BBQ's for use so we had an amazing dinner of grilled veggies and hamburgers and for dessert $4 mud cake from Coles, our favorite :)We've got a long ride of 100km tomorrow so we're off to bed early. - Isabella Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

rain rain go away

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:00:00 -0500

Felt like a bit of a tourist today for a change. Even on our "rest" days we haven't been able to see the sights and experience the life of the locals. Its a very schedule driven journey we're on. We had a short 50km day from Colac to Cobden, two towns where the Police station is closed on the weekend. Arrived in Cobden: a ghost town on a sunday. Locked our bikes up on the stoop of the police station to ward off any thieves (despite the fact that there weren't any police to protect them). Then took off to the Great Ocean Road where we got to see the Twelve Apostles - a group of six eroded cliffs off the southern coast. Beautiful. Beach was amazing. But the day was full of very cold rain so it wasn't as glamorous as you may be picturing. We're now sitting in a parking lot in Cobden, where we haven't seen a single person in the last 3 hours. Raining hard. So happy to have a cozy campervan to hang out in, cook in and enjoy life. Rain rain go away. - Geoff

Heading towards the sunset!

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 09:04:00 -0500

Had a slower then expected day of cycling, but we made it! Geoff hit an oversized rock strewn on the road (didn't fall or anything) that caused some minor but time consuming disk brake adjustment, while Isabella decided to match her tire (or tyre, whatever you prefer!) against a nail and lost. But other than that it was an enjoyable ride in cool weather. We have a sweet field to camp in, and have been enjoying a little relaxation this evening after a busy few days in Melbourne! I wandered past a botanical garden on the expedition to find said sweet field, and it was incredible. I even stopped to smell the roses One thing that I find funny while being here, is the sheer terror I feel when walking through a spider web. We often do that when using the facilities in the bushes on the side of the road. At first you are thinking "oh a spider web". But then you realize you are in Australia and this could be the most deadly spider in the worlds web as you thrash at your face stumbling backwards (hopefully with your shorts up) back to the highway! But no incidents of actual spider sightings...yet. Continuing towards west towards Adelaide. The sun is setting over the highway which makes you feel good knowing you're heading in the right direction! Thanks again for everyone who helped us out in Melbourne...you were great! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

$20,000 mark surpassed! Getting closer to our goal! Please support

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:10:00 -0500

Human 2.0

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:29:00 -0500

Holy cow what a day! It was hard to say good bye to our hosts, Jenny and Jeremy, but we finally had to leave Melbourne. You would think that after about 1,200km we would be a little sick of riding our bikes but actually I couldn't wait to be back on 2 wheels! It felt so natural to hear the familiar gush of the wind blowing against us and to feel the same burn through our legs midway to the top of a hill. Our bodies may actually be evolving day by day to become the next human species where we are super cardiovascularly strong, athletic, and fast, yet hunchbacked. We found our way out of the city and into Geelong, a suburb of Melbourne. Unfortunately, we caught some bad weather in the last 20km of our ride and had to race to our destination. We knew it was coming though - all afternoon, we kept getting closer and closer to a big, dark cloud in the distance. Barwon Tourist Park has welcomed us for the evening and we were able to dry off and get warm. I can't wait to see what new challenges we'll experience tomorrow. Hopefully bad weather won't be coming back! Vivian Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Muffins

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 11:32:00 -0500

What an incredible and inspirational day!!! The day started off for us at 5am this morning. We had an early morning yoga class at the Bourke st. Lululemon. When we got there Felicity, a local yoga teacher, offered to teach a new type of yoga (one I had never tried before), so I eagerly gave up my spot to participate. Its been a while since I took part of a class and not taught one so it was amazing to be part of a new experience. We hung around afterwards for some tea and fruit and chatted up with a bunch of new people and got a few people interested in our goal setting session later on that night. We had just enough time between our morning Lululemon class and our visit at Monash University to scarf down as much brunch as possible. Keep in mind that since we started cycling our diets have increased by almost 3 times. So now instead of breakfast, lunch, and dinner we are eating breakfast, brunch, lunch, lupper, supper, and a mini meal before bed (not to mentioned all the snacks between). So we had some brunch and headed to Monash Uni. We met Lisa and Jessica from the Environment and Social Justice club who set up a wonderful BBQ for us in the courtyard as an opportunity to speak to people about what we're doing. We raised quite a bit and got the word out. Oh, and we had our first kangaroo experience. Except it was on the BBQ yum :). We headed back to Jeremy and Jenny's place after were we had a few hours before our next Lululemon visit. I took a much needed power nap and the others finished some laundry. I'd say the most amazing thing about Jenny and Jeremy's is that they ALWAYS have fresh baked goods waiting for us whenever we get back from. From cookies to muffins no matter what it is, it is super delicious. When we walk in the kitchen we usually don't leave until every last crumb is gone. Finally, the last event was a goal setting session at Lululemon at Camberwell. Everyone here was so inviting and encouraging of what we are doing. Geoff spoke for 20min or so about goal setting and then we had Kate lead a great goal setting mini workshop. Everyone was so welcoming and encouraging. Definitely a great way to end off our Melbourne leg. But so much for a rest day ;) And we're off again tomorrow to battle through 100km to Geelong. - Isabella Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

"rest" days are deceiving

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:24:00 -0500

When we have rest days on this journey, they are busy! The only part of us that is really getting a solid rest is our bums. Its just go go go in each of the towns/cities we get to, and Melbourne has some of our most exciting events so far! Our host family hear has lavished us in hospitality and kindness. Their little girl Luci is easily our biggest fan (she's even been wearing a "Canada" t-shirt for us all day! The homecooked meals, a warm shower, real beds, freshly baked cookies, internet access... oh man... all of this is MUCH needed. We're all going to be very refreshed when we get back on the bikes and move on. Had a photo shoot for a local newspaper today at Luci's Kindergarten. We had so much fun with the kids cycling around with them in the back of their school (check out some of the pictures on the website soon!) We then shot downtown for a visit to one of the hundreds of Gloria Jean's Coffees in Melbourne. Mona Basilios, the franchise owner that hosted us, was incredibly supportive and generous during our visit. We all had a coffee and enjoyed the comofortable environment while sharing our story and passions. Those are the moments I live for. Melinda was also there to share in the conversation and encourage us in our efforts. Can't explain the power of those words of encouragement... it's literally what keeps us going on the bikes. Back at the Van Dixon's for a delicious meal! I'm going to miss this royal treatment when we're back on the road and eating peanut butter & nutella sandwiches EVERY meal of the day! Taking the night off to actually REST. Beautiful.

Made it to Melbourne!

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:52:00 -0500

So we have made it into the big city again! A shorter ride today, that was made more interesting as we battled traffic in the city streets. The burgundy bullet (as I've just started calling my bike in the last few minutes) handled herself brilliantly as we snaked our way to where we are staying. Which is with our wonderful hosts Jenny and Jeremy! They have welcomed us into their home with open arms and pampered us with amazing food, while not even flinching at the smell of us when we entered after a day of riding! Heading into downtown tonight to meet up with a friend and see what Melbourne looks like. It already reminds me of Toronto somewhat with the street cars that run everywhere! On another note, the "wipe 5km" campaign that we have been seeing advertised around Victoria is a perfect example of why I love Australians. The concept is simple, though the result is shocking, and I find hilarious. In a television commercial there is a very graphic display of a woman getting hit by a car. They reverse through the accident, and say, "now look what happens if the driver wipes 5km off the speed of the car". Well what happens?? The woman still gets smoked by the car, but just isn't as mangled!! In Canada everything would be portrayed as happy and safe when you slow down; here you just don't hurt 'em as bad! Maybe you don't find it funny but Geoff and I thought it was hilarious Our team continues to both cycle and eat our way across the country. We have taken the "you can eat as much food as you want and you will lose weight" mantra (not exactly sure where it started...maybe one of us just said it with authority after half a bottle of wine and we all believed it??!) to the extreme and destroy everything in sight. I just weighed myself and am 1lb heavier than when I left canada!!!! Although I had just drank about 2liters of water and a shocking amount of sandwiches I am considering actually thinking before eating everything in sight. 4 peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast instead of 5? Whew this is going to be tough! With some big events coming up here in Melbourne we will try and raise some dollars and spread the word! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Home Exercise

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:21:00 -0500

Everyday it feels like we meet a new challenge. It could be an aching joint or muscle that keeps us from peddling 100% and, like yesterday, it could be incredible headwinds. Fortunately, we also feel like we accomplish something everyday - whether it is raising a few more dollars, telling a few more people about microfinance, or making it past a huge hill. Today, we woke up and were still feeling the effects of a hard cycle yesterday. What helped me power through the day was the road signs on the side of the Princess Freeway telling me that we are inching our way to Melbourne. Only about 3 months ago 140km (the approximate distance this morning from Moe to Melbourne) would have been nothing special or out of the ordinary...of course, that was back when I considered a car my only method of transportation. Now, I think of 140km as a day and a half of biking, and a whole lot of sweating. For anyone interested in quazi-participating in our cycling journey at home, here's an idea: next time you jump in the car or take the bus, try to picture what your day would be like if you biked everywhere! For added authenticity, include about 6 litres of water. Now we're only about 60km away from Melbourne and so excited to see what the city has to offer. Here's to one more day of biking to get us to another milestone! - Vivian Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

If you don't pedal hard enough, you'll go backwards!

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:06:00 -0500

What a tough day! It was one of those days that you wish would end from the second it started but seemed to go on forever. The reason for my angst could be attributed to a little thing I like to call head wind. I knew the second we set out this morning today's ride was not going to be an easy one. With winds hitting us at 37km/hr pretty much the entire way, and gusts of 57km/hr striking at any moment today's pedal took a couple hours more than it should have. The best way to describe it would be "you know the winds are blowing hard when you have to pedal as hard as you can to go downhill" and "if you stop pedaling you'll actually start moving backwards." I think its safe to say we were all very glad to get into Moe today. A big thank you goes out to Peter and Sue of the Comfort Inn who have graciously offered us much needed beds for the night. If your ever passing through Moe, Victoria this is the place to stay. Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

1,000km and counting!!!

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 06:37:00 -0500

Any day we hit a milestone is one to celebrate. When goals as big as the ones our team has set are pursued, it is the milestones that build motivation and a sense of accomplishment. Today we surpassed our 1,000km. . . . Take that in for a second... 1,000km. That's a lot of hours sitting on a very small saddle giving all of your physical energy to making the next push of a peddle. We've gone through countless cities and towns, shared our message with an incredible number of people, and raised over $18,000 for Opportunity International with your support! The exciting part?... We're not even close to being halfway done this crazy journey. Thank you, to each and every person that has followed and supported this pursuit of giving people a better life. Together we can prove that small things make a big difference, and that poverty doesn't have to devastate almost half of humanity. Please help us spread the word! Much love, Geoff

Macro for Macro passes 1,000km mark!

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 02:53:00 -0500

Powering through

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:30:00 -0500

We were feeling strong on our bikes so we decided to push through and combine two short days into one. We started the day on some offroad tracks that we thought would be the best option but it was slow and we had big distance to cover so we powered back on to the highway. The day started off looking like rain but gradually cleared up into a beauty of a day. We stopped in "lakes entrance" and mowed down some fish and chips, with the fish literally coming off the boat and into the store! Yummy indeed! It's also great to see the ocean again after the inland slurge. Our final stop was in bairnsdale which feels like a teeming metropolis (at around 14000 people) after the small towns we've been going through. well don't know how to end this...bye? Haha mmmmm yes Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Road Beasts

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:57:00 -0500

This wraps up Day 11 of cycling and I feel like we're getting a nice groove going. Packing up our camp site from Cann River took slightly less than 2 hours which is, believe it or not, a real improvement. Our ride was a steady 75km, mostly an uphill grind, but an overcast sky was a nice change from the roasting afternoon soon we experienced earlier this week. Maybe we were riding on some transport routes today because there were definitely more trucks and semi's passing by us than before. This can get pretty scary sometimes when, for example, you are approaching a tight 2 lane bridge ahead with maybe 1 foot of space on the shoulder. Then you come to realize that the familiar hum you hear from behind is growing louder which means in 3-5 seconds a truck will be passing you. And put that together with oncoming traffic that will lead to all 3 of you - biker, semi, and car - testing the width of that bridge. I guess it's a good introduction to the famous Aussie 'road trains' we've heard so much about. If you've never heard of a road train before, just picture a semi but extend that by 3 or more trailers. Imagine that 200 tonnes of mass blasting down the highway throwing wind, dust, rock, and other debris in every direction. I'd say this is one of the top 3 things we get warned about when talking about the Nullarbor desert (the other 2 would be the Red Dust and sundry wild animals/insects that want to kill us). If you want more info on road trains, I found a good page here: http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/australian-road-trains.html. It was a hard day on the quads so I've earned myself a good sleep tonight. The folks at Orbust Caravan Park have been so wonderfully friendly and generous. Our lush camp site is all set-up for bed! Thanks for staying up to date with our team and our crazy adventures. Stay tuned for more! Vivian Leung T: 011.61.04.5872.9846 viviancleung@gmail.com Please support me at www.gofundraise.com.au/vivianl

Population 250 + 4

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:55:00 -0500

Happy St. Patricks day everyone! We are currently in Cann River which is a tiny town, population of only 250 people. Todd from the Cann River Hotel has hooked us up by giving us a free nights accommodation at the Cann River Caravan Park. There are only a few other campers around so we've been able to get to know everyone. I don't know how anyone else feels about leeches but personally I can NOT stand them, and I feel like I've seen more in the last 4 hours then I've seen in my entire life. Now onto the more important things. Today we had an amazing day cycling. The road from Bombala to Cann River was fantastic, cycling through a national park and the road was mostly downhill. We were an hour ahead of schedule getting into town. Its been pretty hot all afternoon reaching a high of 28 degrees celsius. This was a huge change from the 4 degrees we woke up to this morning. It was so cold I actually pulled out my extra mittens (I packed them not knowing if I might need them, glad I did). Overall it was a fantastic day and now we're sitting down to dinner to brainstorm some fund-raising ideas. If you have any let us know and if you'd like to donate check out our support page. - Isabella

Macro for Micro needs your help, please support

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:05:00 -0500

Last day in NSW - VIC, here we come!

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:16:00 -0500

Ah, the rolling hills of the Snowy Mountains, and the height of the Great Dividing Range. Our 87km ride from Cooma to Bombala today was filled with the cold of Canada, the heat of the desert, the challenges brought about by long legs of uphill, and the splendor that results when you fly down the other side at speeds that rival cars. It is our last day in New South Wales, and we're excited to continue this great journey in our third state of this transcontinental ride. Today, our excitement and motivation rested in the big jump in donations from $13,000 to $17,000!!! Thank you so much to those that helped out, we're working SO hard each kilometer and its amazing to see that kind of support. Please support with however much you can, and let us prove to you that even small contributions make a big difference! Much love, Geoff

A-Cooma-matatta

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:06:00 -0500

So we are in Cooma! Why may you have heard of it recently? Well one of its citizens won a gold medal in womens snowboarding. Torah Bright won womens halfpipe gold and was also the flagbearer for Australia. Yes this town and the surrounding mountains (the aptly named snowy mountains) get snow and have winter sports. Its funny rolling into a small town in Australia on a 25 degree day and seeing "ski hire" signs everywhere...although the same could be said about ski towns in Canada It was a long 125km ride today. Geoff mentioned that he just focuses on the horizon to keep him trucking. The nice scenery that we are experiencing is definitely a plus however! This was day 8 of cycling which means we're 10 percent done...but I don't think we are 10 percent across. Uh oh! (We are on schedule though) I'm getting excited to see this famed nullarbor desert as it were. Nearly every australian gives us a look like we have a third eye when we tell them what we're doing, and then they respond in 4 general ways: 1) Veeerrryy funny. Wait. Your being serious? (Repeat above mentioned look) 2) Ahhh my cousin drove across there once (shaking head in disbelief that someone could be so stupid) 3) Have fun! (With just the slightest amount of sarcasm) 4) You do know what the nullarbor desert is right?! So with this frenzy of disbelief being reinforced by almost all we talk to how can one not get excited??! And if any concerned family members are reading this let me clarify that they don't think we are going to die or anything...just more shocked that anyone would voluntarily put themselves through such a thing!!!! So should be fun...at least there will be nice stars! Well tomorrow holds another above average km day so should get resting for that. Thanks for reading! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

0km Travelled

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 09:57:00 -0500

Today was a totally new experience for the Macro for Micro team - we had a rest day!!! Wowowow! Canberra, the capital of Australia, is home to lots of interesting and educational sites about the country. The group split up today to make use of our free time - Geoff and Isabella took care of some much MUCH needed laundry and internetting, while Stu and I explored Parliament and the National Museum. Overall, it was interesting but my mind was wandering elsewhere... No, I wasn't thinking about the 120kms we have scheduled for tomorrow - I was focused on getting my first Asian meal since my arrival in Australia 2 weeks ago! Living out of a van has taken a huge toll on the variety of food we get to eat so my taste buds were desperate for some change. After a bike ride through the city in search of a good dining area, we happily inhaled a bowl noodles in 10 minutes. Back to peanut butter sandwich breakfasts and spaghetti lunches tomorrow! I hope tonight brings a restful night's sleep because I'll really need it to make it through tomorrow's ride. 120kms is the longest day we have had and I'm sure it will be a memorable one. It always helps to think that we are doing this for an incredible cause though. - Vivian Vivian Leung T: 011.61.04.5872.9846 viviancleung@gmail.com Please support me at www.gofundraise.com.au/vivianl

where do the days go?

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:21:00 -0600

Where do our days go? It blows my mind that its been two weeks already and yet I feel as though we haven't even started. It may be that we have gotten into a routine that requires the same task everyday. Wake up, washroom (shower if one is available) roll up our sleeping bags, pack up our tent and eat breakfast. Then we prepare ourselves for the road to come. By the time we are done cycling it is pretty late in the afternoon. We eat dinner and our out by the time the sun goes down. Same thing day in and day out. The great thing about the four of us is that we are able to keep each other fully entertained. I originally thought it would be hard to be in such a tight space with other people but its turning out easier than I thought, so far. Today proved to be easier than yesterday. The first half of the day the road was rolling meadows and fairly easy. We did an interview with ShineFM in Bungadore. The second half of our day started with Smiths path and only one word can describe it, intense. The rest of the road into Canberra went fairly smoothly and we cycled a total of 80km. We are really looking forward to a rest day in Canberra tomorrow.

Macro for Micro reaches Australia's capital: Canberra

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:10:00 -0600

Show your support for a world without poverty today

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:43:00 -0600

800m Vertical

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:40:00 -0600

Most physically challenging day so far: 62km cycled from Bateman's Bay to Braidwood, scaling 800m in vertical. Every person that drove past us on the roads looked at us like we were insane... We were. Very steep sections on Clyde Mountain making us pump very hard in the lowest gear to move a single inch... Sweating. Panting. Frustration. Exhausting. Braidwood is a beautiful small town with the most friendly people though. Set up camp in a park where the wind and rain are so heavy that the thought of going outside to pee is more intimidating than the mountain we scaled. Icing the muscles for another big mountain into Canberra tomorrow. No pain no game?

"short" day 4

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:48:00 -0600

Great day today. First day I've had a chance to take out our Gloria Jean's Coffee's french press. With a fresh coffee in your hand, there is a lot to appreciate. Today's leg was fairly quick. A "short" 52 km cycle through a beautiful national park. Not too many hills, and generally overcast with a cooling breeze. Didn't work up too much of a sweat but just enjoyed being on the road! Pulled into Bateman's Bay in the early afternoon and had two radio interviews before our Gloria Jean's Coffee's store visit. The store visit was great! Lots of interesting conversation about microfinance, and of course, downed my craving of Tim Tam Chillers! They are so good, I drink them so fast that the brain freeze ends up being more painful than the cycling! Hung out in the McDonalds parking lot for 2 hours to use the free wifi, it ended up being too slow to get anything done though. Stu and Viv are off looking for a place along the beach to camp for the night. Hoping for showers! Big day tomorrow... All we've heard about today is the 40km stretch of uphill as we go over a mountain to Braidwood... Yikes... - Geoff

3rd day!

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:31:00 -0600

Well day 3 is done! After successful instruction from a talented, well spoken and handsome instructor vivian is just rocking the manual van solo like she's been doing it for years. The mentioned instructor will continue with isabella tomorrow. It rained steadily last night and our tent passed its first weather test with flying colours (without tarps)... Thanks CEC. I jinxed the rain of course by saying it looked really clear just before going to bed. At any rate we were dreading rain the whole time packing up getting ready and it basically stopped for the whole day. Great ride with some epic hills that never ended. Saw our first kangaroo today...but let's just say it was pretty squashed at the side of the road. So I'm excited to see one hopping around! We had nowhere to stay but Viv and Isabella were chatting with Lee at Ulladulla's headland tourist park and they were kind enough to let us pitch up here for free. Amazing hospitality and we have a awesome setup here. And for the biggest news... I was walking downtown and I saw a sign for "tea house". My heartrate bounding I madly start running down the street in search of this impossibility. Panicking I dart into the mall thinking this was the way. As I was sucked into the gloom of the mall I wandered in ever growing despair unable to locate the shop. My frenzy grew as I burst on the street in a panic only to see the store shimmering out of the ground like a mirage (a mirage situated in front of a lawn bowling club but still a mirage)! In Ulladulla's oldest house there was 'something brewing' to feed my steeping needs. At last macro for micro has been stocked with premium loose leaf teas!!!! They were super nice and gave us a discount when they heard what we were about. A yoga session on the beach rounded out the day and some burgers and salad were quickly dispatched at dins. Its actually looking like rain tonight so we made the correct decision and setup the tarp. Day 4 continues through the hills...stay tuned for updates Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Who knew?

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:46:00 -0600

Oh man! The headwind today was crazy and I will probably emphasis this a few more time throughout this post because it was the most memorable part of my day. We started today off waking up at Wollongong surf leisure resort in two hotel style type rooms. Ate a breakfast of peanut butter sandwiches and fruit and began our trek of 110km. The start wasn't so bad, quite a few hills but nothing we couldn't handle. After 50km or so the headwinds started and I'm not talking a light wind. These winds were strong enough to slow us down from going about 25k/hr to about 6km/hr, pushing through these winds was tough. We stopped for 30 min for lunch at Kaima. We continued on our journey through the seven mile beach national park were the water was blue and the water looked so inviting. I was hoping to hop in but we were a little behind schedule so we had to keep on trucking. About 20km outside of Nowra we stopped to do a live radio interview with a local radio station. On our way in people who had heard the interview were honking and hollering at us. Headwinds again slowed us down and we were a tad bit behind schedule arriving into Nowra. We set up camp at Shoalhaven ski park for the night were we were accompanied by peacocks all night. A big shout out to Kylie who provided us with accommodations and showers tonight. - Isabella

Day 3 finishes in Ulladulla

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:24:00 -0600

First day done!

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:11:00 -0600

Hello all! Well yesterday was our first day out on the road and it was awesome! We had 8 riders join us including former ironman champion Guy Leech. They were all very supportive and took us on a beautiful route to Wollonggong. After we got out of Sydney we were through one of the oldest national parks in the world on the way to the coast. The team battled hills well and reaching the coast we had some enormous views, and then hills to ride down very fast! We finished the 100km total ride with a TV and radio interview. We also got to speak with some interesting students at Wollongong college about Macro for Micro. In the most random connection ever, Andrea at the college had stayed with Geoff’s Aunt and Uncle in Vancouver when her and her husband had been travelling through Canada in 2008. They found out that we were coming by last minute (how random????) and we had an amazing chilli dinner at their house! Thanks soo much Andrea and Rob it was awesome!!! Wollongong Surf Leisure Resort was kind enough to donate us 2 rooms so we slept well last night! Today we start on day 2 of cycling, and I have the pleasure of giving a SERIOUS refresher course on how to drive a standard car, so wish me luck everyone! stu

Cycling Begins!

Macro For Micro Team — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:55:00 -0600

Hot and sticky and not even biking yet.

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:24:00 -0600

It's the day before we take off on our biking tour and it still feels like a lifetime away. This morning we woke up for the first time to wet sleeping bags. The life of a camper is setting in :( But soon enough we were on our way out of the campsite to support our friend, Alex Francios, compete in the Bridge to Beach race. Alex has been one of our biggest and baddest supporters so the least we could do was cheer him on at the finish line. On the way, we finally got to see the famous Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge for the very first time since our arrival over 5 days ago - and sitting on the Bridge stuck in traffic does NOT count! And I'm happy to say that our ultra super awesome camper van is good to go as of 5 minutes ago, stocked with all of our life equipment for the next 3 months. I've never seen a camper van before and it just about took my breath away when the beaut pulled around the corner to meet us. Stay tuned for full video tour of our home. Now I just need to give my driving skills a test..in a standard...on the other side of the road... Alright, we're going to forage the great Australian outback for dinner now. I will not leave this country until I've had my fill of roo meat! - Vivian

The land of giant bats!

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:31:00 -0600

There are bats here the size of very large birds! I was wondering what a bunch of giant birds were doing flying around at night before I figured it out. Screw dingos, keep your babies away from these things!!! Giant ants are aplenty as well. We started early today and didn't stop! The kick-off event with university of sydney was awesome and thanks to everyone who came by and supported. We got up really early after crashing at a friends place in downtown and Isabella led another yoga session at lululemon. I'm still working on not completely embarrassing myself with the lack of flexibility although perhaps there is just too much power in these legs to tame with stretching haha! We grabbed all of our biking gear and dried out the sleeping bags from the rainstorm we had. Perfect night to not be in the tentm Apparantly we should ask for a site not beside a huge hill next time! Elca and Rodger had us over for an excellent dinner with South African infused Australian bbq mastery in full display! Mmmmmm sooo good I can't begin to describe it less I drool on the blackberry Getting to bed in good time to bike to the start line of the 'bridge to beach' race in downtown sydney to cheer on Alex and Guy who are in it. Finally a chance to see the harbour and catch a ferry so shall be good indeed. Starting monday morning at 9 from centennial park in sydney for all those who want to join us for the cycle! Stu Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra

Bigger than "us"

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:53:00 -0600

It has been extraordinary to see this campaign take shape. From seeing 'Macro for Micro' posters across the stores of lululemon athletica, to being welcomed with open arms and refreshing chillers at Gloria Jean's Coffees, we're getting such great support for what we've taken on. After tons of errands ran, and the most beautiful morning cycle with the team through Lane Cove National Park, we spent the evening with University of Sydney students from across the world. Our good friend, Charlie Steers and his housemates hosted an amazing fundraiser for us, and we're so thankful! Such an incredible opportunity to speak with other students about something we're so passionate about. Looking forward to a 9am in-store lululemon yoga class tomorrow morning (maybe not the fact that its at 9am though!)

In Sydney - events, cycling prep and meeting so many amazing people!

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:22:00 -0600

Campaigning begins!

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:28:00 -0600

Wow!!! What an incredible day and what an incredible team! We've just been united and the dynamic between us is already so great. We picked up our bikes from Vivente yesterday and had a great team building bike ride from one end of Sydney to the other. Today we had a great day setting up different media opportunities across Australia at the Opportunity International office. Afterwards we had our first yoga class at Lululemon in Mosman. We have had a great opportunity working very closely with Lululemon and they have provided us with so much fantastic support over the last few days. I had a great time leading a ashtanga vinyasa flow class to a group of over 25 people who all seemed to enjoy themselves. Tomorrow we are hoping for some more biking through a few national parks. The support and love from all Australians we have met so far is greatly appreciated and we are overwhelmed by all the kindness, so thank you! - Isabella -- Kind Regards, Isabella Borowiec Small things really can make a big difference...find out how at www.macroformicro.com

Safe in Sydney and finally online!

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:28:00 -0600

Its our third day in Sydney and we finally got out BlackBerry's set up! What a whirl wind! There are not enough hours in the day... We've been running around the city, constantly lost and having an exciting time getting prepared for the journey. Tons of updates will start unleashing now that we're connected! Thanks for your patience as we set things up! By the way, Opportunity International has been such an inspiration... Wow!

Team Departs Canada ... Australia-bound!

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:01:00 -0600

Special Thank You

Macro For Micro Team — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:59:00 -0600

Well, after 9 months of taking a simple idea to a full-scale international fundraising campaign, we are very excited to be packed, trained, organized and READY to hit the roads of Australia! Before we go though, we want to take an opportunity to thank each and every person that has contributed to this campaign in some for or another, and has brought it to the place it now stands. Family: Standing behind each of us has validated our desires to bring change to a world facing serious social plights. You're support, whether it be financial or moral, has given us the drive to help those less fortunate. Friends: You were the ones that, although may have thought of us as crazy for pursuing such a venture, could be relied on for advice and for brainstorming. No part of this campaign could have been devised without your input and support. People Met Along the Way: One of the most beautiful things we have found of working on this campaign, have been the people we have met, and stories heard. We thank everyone we've talked to over the last year for your inspiration, motivation and guidance. DONORS! - Thank you for recognizing the seriousness of our challenge, and the importance of this cause by not just giving us your words of encouragement, but showing the support by sacrificing your hard earned money. We are so thankful and are excited to know that so many more lives will now be changed as a result. We love you all! Only a week till we cycle!

Final days before Journey begins!

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:16:00 -0600

Only 4 more days until our team takes off to Australia to begin this epic adventure and physical challenge! Its been an exciting last week of updates: - 'Macro for Micro' welcomes Guy Leech, former World Ironman Champion , to our campaign! Mr. Leech will be cycling the first day's leg with our team, and we are very excited (maybe even a little intimidated) to cycle alongside him! - We've secured lots of events across Australia, including the recent addition of the University of South Australia, and a University Kick-off Party in Sydney! - We're almost at $7,000 in raised funds! Thank you everyone for the support, 100% of of these donations go directly to Opportunity International Australia. Check this out to see how the money will be used: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyb4AHGeJ1w - First Weekly Mailing was sent out this week! Check out the link to see what kinds of exciting stuff we send out in these: http://eepurl.com/ipuu If you haven't signed up yet, go to the 'About' page to subscribe. More exciting news to come! Thanks for following! Please support today by clicking "Lend your Support" above! Small contributions make a big difference.

Guy Leech, Former World Ironman Champion, joins Macro for Micro!

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:08:00 -0600

Hit Pre-Cycling Fundraising Target! Thanks for all the support!

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:50:00 -0600

Almost there...!!!

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:22:00 -0600

We're getting closer, not only to the date we leave for Sydney to begin this epic cycling journey, but also to our pre-journey fundraising target of $5,000. Only $73 away from surpassing the goal and proving that microfinance is a force to be reckoned! Our team's been very busy getting all the last minute details organized and filling our schedule with university and special event visits! We're working up a sweat training in our final days before hopping on our bikes in land down under! Big things to come... I've said it before, but it will all unfold once we arrive! Keep checking up! If you haven't done so, please help us prove that even small contributions make a big difference: visit our "Lend your Support" section above.

Surpassed 50% of pre-cycling fundraising target!

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:45:00 -0600

We're working hard to raise $5,000 before we start cycling on March 8th. If we hit $5,000, we will have reached 10% of our entire fundraising goal before we even begin this epic journey!!! Thanks for all the support so far, we hope you can continue helping! Go Team Canada! Olympics tomorrow!

Surpassed 50% of pre-cycling fundraising target!

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:43:00 -0600

New 'Macro for Micro' Campaign Song!

Macro For Micro Team — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:41:00 -0600

You've probably noticed the new song embedded above, if you haven't, what are you waiting for!? Listen! Some very talented artists and friends were so inspired by this movement that they contributed an awesome tune to help communicate our message. Check it out! Lyrics are below: --- On a dollar a day, we’ve got something Till tomorrow, at least, we’re alive But a fiver today, we could more than repay. We could build and invest, we could thrive. With access to savings and credit, We could work to do more than subsist. With accounts in the black, we can hire and give back We could earn down the goals on our lists CHORUS: You can’t do everything for us And you can’t build us up; we’re not stones Put your projects to bed, give us options instead We’ll make progress to last and to own You my friends can all make a difference A little help can do lots of good, Send your pennies today but don’t just give them away We’ll pay every bit back like we should. Tag: Small things can make a big big difference

Fundraising Goals

Macro For Micro Team — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 06:13:00 -0600

We've officially started fundraising and will need your continued support in order to reach our lofty goals. We hope to reach over $5,000 before we begin our journey from Sydney on March 8th. Our more ambitious goal is that of the total campaign fundraising target: $50,000. If you think donations as small as $5.00 can't be pooled together to reach great sums, we challenge you to donate today! If you believe in microfinance and want to support one of the most promising tools for alleviating poverty, we challenge you donate today! If you want to commend one of our cyclists for taking on such a serious physical journey to highlight one of the world's most devastating social plights, we challenge you to donate today! Just go to our support page to join our movement. Thank you for your time and inspiration.

Donations rolling in! $5,000 Target for February, lets do it!

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:48:00 -0600

Weekly Update Mailing starts at the end of February - sign up now on the About page!

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:45:00 -0600

Officially Over 1,000 Fans

Macro For Micro Team — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:01:00 -0600

We posted a quote by Robert F. Kennedy recently... I think its very fitting: "Great social forces are the mere accumulation of individual actions. Let no one be discouraged by the belief that there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world's ills..." This is so powerful right now... "the mere accumulation of individual actions"... this is what this campaign is all about, and we have witnessed a true milestone with this regard. Over 1,000 people have collectively agreed that this is a cause worth supporting, and with that support, considerable impacts can be made in meaningful ways. Your support has given us a level of motivation that will propel this campaign to not only reach our goals, but set higher ones as well. You did a small thing by clicking the button to become a fan, but look at the difference it is already making by building a forum of agreement for social injustice. Thank you for your continued support. Please consider helping us reach our fundraising goals, by clicking the "Lend your support" button at the top of this page.

730 facebook followers in 6 days... Amazing

Macro For Micro Team — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 05:16:00 -0600

Blown away by the support you have all shown to our team and the cause we are so passionate about. The growing number of followers on facebook is such incredible motivation to keep working hard to create the most powerful campaign possible. Please continue helping us spread the word! Share our website, invite your friends to our fan page, tell our story at the dinner table... we could use all the help we could get. Thanks so much for everything you've done so far by rallying behind us, its making us stronger by the day :)

60 days till we're cycling!

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 07:02:00 -0600

It's very difficult to explain how surreal it is to watch an idea become bigger than an individual... Macro For Micro has been in planning and developing stages since May 2009. Since then we have accomplished what many people doubted... We have a recruited a team of four passionate cycling enthusiasts ready to take on the challenge of a life time (oh - and we've been training like crazy!) We have garnered the generous support of some very strategic partners, including Fluid Media (the maker of this website), BlackBerry, Lululemon Athletica, Future Shop, Vivente Bikes, Camping Equipment Co., and Traveller's Autobarn. We have built a strong relationship with Opportunity International Australia and Canada. But most of all, we have proven to ourselves that small things can make a big difference. Every day has brought us closer to realizing our goals. We're very excited to share this experience with you in the coming months! Please join our Facebook and Twitter pages to stay in the loop with our continued progress. Thank you so much for taking the time to learn.

Looking to break records for Facebook fans and Twitter followers, join today!

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 06:50:00 -0600

MacroForMicro.com site launch in time for 2010! 67 Days until cycling...

Macro For Micro Team — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:31:00 -0600