BY ANY measure, riding a bike ride across 1319 kilometres of the Victorian countryside in four days is a significant assignment.
But in the interests of raising money and public awareness for the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Institute of Australia, three mates from the Albury/Holbrook district undertook that challenge earlier this month.
The Watts MND Bike Challenge – named in recognition of the energy used to power a pushbike and the disease – the riders raised more than $90,000 during the six weeks of the campaign which started and finished in Albury, with potential for this figure rising to $100,000 thanks to a late benefactor.
All money raised will be donated to the Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia to understand the causes, find effective treatments and discover cures for MND.
Andrew Kaye and Gerard Wild, both of Albury, and Holbrook grazier Hugh Satchell, (all pictured) were joined on the ride by Tony Ridley, a structural engineer from Sydney whose father has suffered from MND for the past 12 months.
Tony found the challenge via Facebook, and his engineering company pledged a Gold Sponsorship worth $3000.
“We were pleased to have him on board – we’ve all got links to the disease with our friends and family losing relatives,” Andrew said.
Indeed, it was the commitment to family that set this challenge in motion.
Andrew, Gerard and Hugh are all accustomed to participating in similar gruelling events away from their commitments to family and work.
Gerard who practices as an osteopath in Albury has recently competed in the Ironman World Championships held each year in Hawaii.
During that one day of extreme competition, each participant completes a 3.86km swim, a 180.25km bike ride and a marathon run of 42.195km.
The demanding training program for that challenge of cycling, swimming and running was a great preparation leading up to the Watts MND Bike Challenge.
Gerard’s grandfather, Athol Wild, died four years ago from MND.
“I will be riding for him and for the general cause,” Gerard said.
Hugh takes part in one-day bike challenges often riding anything up to 240kms in a day, and trained for the Watts MND challenge when he could spare time from managing his prime lamb operation at Holbrook.
Andrew, who is a project management consultant, also competes in long-distance bike riding events, specialising in 24-hour mountain bike riding.
As soon as the idea for the MND challenge was tossed about, other friends came on board.
Another Holbrook farmer, Ben Simpson, who is also managing director of OGA Creative Agency in Albury, designed the website and Facebook page and gave the concept impetus with his creative input, as well as sponsorship from Arrow Commodities.
“I am honoured to be a part of what these boys did, and as mates we wanted to raise as much money as possible,” Ben said.
“Darkie” Barr-Smith, whose mother and former Holbrook resident, Jen Barr-Smith, Flinders, Vic, suffers from MND, was another friend who volunteered to provide back-up to the team.
Darkie also provoked more interest by throwing down the gauntlet with an “ice-bucket’ challenge.
At the end of the bike ride, he was immersed in and saturated by a bucket of ice-cold water and dared others to be similarly exposed or otherwise pay a significant contribution toward the cause.
Among the donations received was $5000 from Holbrook sheep breeder, Tom Bull, which was the proceeds of a flock ram which sold for an Australian record earlier this month, and $9000 raised by the Mornington Peninsula community during a breakfast stop at the Village Café at Flinders, Victoria.
The MND challenge left Albury at 4am on November 6, and travelled into Victoria to Bairnsdale through Omeo and across the Australian Alps on the first day.
While it was the shortest day of the ride it was one of the hardest as the team had to ride through an elevation of 3000 metres before reaching their destination.
Day two was a 328km ride to Cowes before continuing on during the third day to Castlemaine via Flinders, Sorrento and Geelong.
The last leg of 345km took the team from Castlemaine via Shepparton and then back to Albury, exhausted and exhilarated after such a long ride.
The MND team was joined by 50 local cyclists for the last 10km to15km to the finish line in Albury.
Visit www.wattsmndbikechallenge.com.au to donate.