We made it!!!!!!!!! 1237kms Brisbane to Longreach in 7 days. Day 7 was an absolute epic day, covering 240km from Blackall to Longreach, via Isisford. We departed at 6.30am & made great time. We rode in 70km segments stopping 3 times during the day for tucker & rest. The wind conditions were again very kind,…
By Dan O’Brien. Rod, David and I are having a great week doing “RideWest” in Western Queensland. We cycled 220km today and rolled into Blackall. A mere 241km to go tomorrow to achieve our target of 1240km in total, and get us to the finish line at Longreach. As you can see from these snaps…
Day 5 is done and dusted, and it was a long stretch from Mitchell to Augathella – a total of 183kms. The previous night’s Calcutta for first flat tyre meant that the normal pre-ride tyre check was closely monitored this morning. Today’s conditions were close to perfect excluding a few windy patches in the first…
Day 4 on our amazing adventure started a bit later today given the shorter distance of 90k from Roma to Mitchell. We were hosted for a hearty breakfast by Mark, Annette and Tim from Roma Pumps and Solar then rolled out of Roma at about 9.00. Mark commented on the amazing work that the RFDS…
Day 3 done. Big day, 195km from Chinchilla to Roma. We had it all, bush mechanic, pit stops on the side of the road, tons of food & heaps of laughter. Easy day tomorrow 90km from Roma to Mitchell, so the bar at the Explorers may get a work out tonight. #ridewestaust 2016 Day 3…
Day 2 completed 168k – from Oakey to Chinchilla, including 12k of corrugated dirt, which gave rise to a couple of mechanicals. MAGIC conditions, nice & sunny & beautiful tail wind. 1st class morning tea. No one is going to lose weight on this ride! Thanks to Scott & Katie Lloyd, for the use of…
Day 1 completed 133k – Amberley Air Base to Oakey. What a day!! A steady climb for the entire day and then Murphys Creek hill. Murphys Creek is 21% for 1.2k, one of the hardest hills to climb. Thankful the hill at Murphys Creek is behind us. Hopefully tomorrow won’t be as hilly!! 6 days…
On Sunday 3 April 2016 a number of the RideWest 2016 participants rode from Brisbane to Mt. Mee, another 100km+ training ride. Check out some of the action below.
On Sunday 20 March 2016 a number of the RideWest 2016 participants rode from Brisbane to Deception Bay, a training ride of 128km. A video of some of the action is available below.
One day down!! Plenty of dry empty paddocks for the peloton to see today. Had numerous conversations with fellow riders about the state of western Queensland at the moment and how bad things are and the effect it is having on its residents. Hard to believe there are no stock apart from a few sheep….
In June 2015, a new RideWest ride is taking place. Complimenting the bi-annual Brisbane to Longreach ride which raises funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the 2015 ride from Longreach to Tennant Creek will cover 1335km across Western Queensland and the Northern Territory. With a goal to reach more of the remote towns of…
There were tired bodies and sore heads all around this morning as the RideWest team and crew re-grouped one last time over a magnificent breakfast hosted by NAB’s Longreach team. Spirits were still riding high as the group reflected on experiences from the past week and shared some laughs and banter. Last night’s final celebration…
A heroic day. The stuff of legends. What a team! Watching this very special bunch arrive into Longreach around 5pm after 7 tough days and 1237 very long km’s was just sensational. They arrived to huge applause from the locals, shared hugs all round and couldn’t get into those cold, icy beers fast enough. When…
Another great night was shared by the group at the Augathella Bowls Club where the opportunity for a 10-pin lawn bowling competition run by jovial local, Trevor, created a lot of fun and brought out the competitive spirit. The guys were all gunning to beat lead man Simon Southwell who knocked…
An early start today with 180km ride from Mitchell to Augathella. However, before getting into the day’s round-up, it would be remiss to not talk about the fantastic experience at the Old Courthouse Hotel in Mitchell last night. Absolutely personifying outback Australia, this pub has all the character (and characters!) that you only get…
After a very well deserved sleep-in, the Peloton departed Roma this morning for Mitchell at 8.30am in brilliant sunshine. Officially the “hump day” with only a ”short” 88km ride, the bunch welcomed the perfect conditions and the oh so slight breeze. The shorter, more gentle ride and awesome conditions allowed some of the…
Following the first two hard days in the hills and then the headwinds, the third day of riding 200km from Chinchilla to Roma was always stacking up to be tough. The Peloton departed from Chinchilla at 7.30am in brisk, sunny 8 degree temperatures. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Passing through cold seam…
The Peloton departed Oakey this morning at 7am for the 166km ride to Chinchilla, with punishing 30km headwinds confronting them all day. The bunch did an amazing job of breaking through the mental challenges and physical pain barriers. The first 70km on the open roads were bordered by cotton fields and proved to be tough….
With much anticipation of what was in store for the next 7 days and the 1237km ahead, the RideWest Peloton took off from the Amberley Air Base around 7.30am AEST. There was a warm breeze flowing and thunderous rain threatening to wreak havoc, however the riders looked strong behind Captain Brendan Wright and well tuned…
The RideWest Melbourne Business and Fundraiisng Lunch, held on Wednesday 26th March at NAB’s ‘’The Hall’’, was a great success. With a capacity crowd of 230 guests from across the Melbourne Business Community including banks, professional services firms and a range of entrepreneurial businesses, the lunch raised in excess of $15,000 for RideWest and the…
We are now three weeks into training for our 27km leg of the ride from Ilfracombe to Longreach, and while it seems a short distance compared to the distance the main team will be cycling, for a 37 year old 170kg bloke who hasn’t been on a bike since high school it is very daunting….
Great to see RideWest foundation sponsor Lindsay Transport making a huge impact to drought affected families. Vehicle was loaded this morning at Rocklea markets with donations for the drought relief . The truck will be stopping at Gatton and topping up with bails of hay /feed blocks and other items and then continue to Charleville…
M+K LawyersFounding sponsor by Les Hancock The back storyIn 2009 I came across a really confronting statistic, that the suicide rate of remote outback Queensland graziers was 30 per cent higher than their counterparts here on the coast. Around that same time, I discovered the story of a Melbourne man who was riding from Melbourne…
We are pleased to have launched our major fundraising event today – the RideWest Melbourne Business Lunch – to be held on Wednesday 26th March 2014. To be hosted at foundation sponsor NAB’s new function venue at 700 Bourke St, Melbourne, this lunch fundraiser is expected to attract between 200-250 people from across Melbourne’s business network. RideWest…
Whether you are a corporate organisation looking to give back to the community in an effective and tangible way, a small business with a charitable focus, a cyclist who loves a challenge or one of the many people across Australia touched by the work of the RFDS, there are a number of ways you … [Read More...]