The friendship and support among riders at the many stops along the way helped ease the pain and underline the fellowship and spirit that is endemic in our cycling community.

After a huge feed in Echuca at the end of the ride, it was back to Bendigo and the CVGT Eaglehawk premises to retrieve our vehicles and go our separate ways - that is, after we could get to our vehicles.

Although some of the organisation’s most senior managers were part of the team, we somehow managed to leave behind the all-important keys to the front gate.

Consequently, we were briefly unable to get into the Eaglehawk site.

Once this minor hiccup was resolved, it was time to go, and so ended one of the great weekends of the year. The week in news was dominated by the bizarre end to the local government career of Greg Williams. The former Eppalock Ward councillor failed to attend the minimum number of formal meetings prescribed under the Local Government Act, thereby effectively writing his own exit ticket.

The Addy came in for some harsh criticism for its strong treatment of his backdoor exit from tenure as Eppalock Ward councillor, but the facts remain just that - the facts.

The other big event of the week was the Bendigo Cup, the undisputed social event of the year.

Warm weather helped keep crowd numbers down a tad, but it was still a fabulous day, with the Bendigo Jockey Club providing the backdrop to a truly great day out for all.

Scribbles congratulates the BJC and its hard-working committee and staff for presenting such a marvellous spectacle, topped off by a close finish to rival the recent Melbourne Cup.

The City of Greater Bendigo council elections are drawing near, with ballot packs now in the hands of most voters. Choosing who should represent our city alongside perennial starter Rod Fyffe for the next four years is not going to be an easy task.

We encourage voters to take some time to consider the options.

Making sure we end this process with the best possible candidates elected is not just a goal, it’s an obligation.

President-elect Barack Obama has been given the nod by the American nation to become the 44th president, and the first black president. His tenure promises the United States and the world so much and has been yearned for by so many in a manner not seen since the heady days of the Kennedy brothers.

The dreaded “R’’ word continues to lurk in the shadows as our economy fights on. We seem to be in a far better predicament than many of our trading partners, but we are not immune from the global credit crunch.

The possibility of our economy slipping into recession in the months ahead is very real.

And finally, the fact that it is just 40 sleeps until Christmas should be enough to jolt us all into action. The sight of the Bendigo Bank Christmas decorations going up during the week is confirmation that the festive season is well and truly upon us. Let’s hope it turns out to be a good one.