October 4, 2017
It may have been wet in Kingaroy on Tuesday morning, but it takes more than a little rain to deter a determined cyclist from his (or her) chosen route.
That was certainly the case for Relay For Life’s brand new Ride For Relay team.
Not long after dawn, eight riders and three “day trippers” gathered at Kingaroy Showgrounds to stow their gear into two support vehicles.
After that, they mounted their cycles and headed off along the South Burnett Rail Trail for the first leg of an epic five-day, 330km Ride For Relay.
They plan to travel from Kingaroy to Murgon, back to Kingaroy and on to Camp Duckadang (near Linville), then back to the Kingaroy Showgrounds in time for this year’s Relay For Life on Saturday.
The idea for a bicycling team is the brainchild of Jason Wyeth, the secretary of the South Burnett Mountain Bike Club (SBMTB).
Rather than form one of the more usual fund-raising Relay teams, Jason decided to use his love of cycling to do something completely different.
He and his team of cyclists will be spending the five days before this year’s event raising awareness about Relay For Life right around the region.
And providing the weather is kind, they plan on having a great time in the process.
The team consists of Jason and seven other cyclists.
Originally it was going to be 10, but two had to reluctantly pull out due to circumstances beyond their control.
The ride has been sponsored by Kingaroy’s McDonalds, the Wooroolin Lions, Ackinclose Plumbing and Kingaroy State School.
The SBMTB are also helping out, and so is KDOT/MDOT Dog Training and Bill Hull Car Centre, who are providing two support vehicles to shadow the riders.
The group has invited the public to join them on the first and final legs of the trip, and on Tuesday morning three riders took them up on the offer.
The first leg saw the group travel to Murgon and back again along the South Burnett Rail Trail, a distance of about 91km.
And on Saturday, October 7 the final leg will see the riders depart from Yarraman State School at 7:30am to return to Kingaroy via Nanango along dirt back roads, a distance of about 53km.
Jason was relaxed about the weather on Tuesday.
“We need rain – no doubt about it – so none of us will complain if we get a bit wet,” Jason said.
“And we’re all looking forward to the ride, because Relay For Life is a really great cause.”
People who’d like to follow the team’s progress over the next four days can get daily reports about their progress on the SBMTB’s Facebook page.
