After raising more then $6000 last year, Brad Lawrence’s annual Griffith to Cobar bike ride will help a new charity in 2018.
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Mr Lawrence was moved by news his best mate’s wife, Bonnie Buckman, is being investigated for Multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease of the central nervous system.
“This year, we are aiming to raise $10,000, with the money going to MS Australia, and batyr [a youth mental health charity]”.
“Bonnie is in a lot of pain at the moment, but she is determined to ride with us. She said, ‘I can either be in pain on my couch, or be in pain on the road with you guys’”.
In 2017, Mr Lawrence’s bike ride, called the Wines2Mines Tour, was inspired by losing his mum to cancer two years earlier.
The riding group, made up of friends and family, donated the $6,000 raised to both batyr and the Cancer Council.
The 365km ride from Griffith to Cobar was done in three days, with the riders battling strong winds and heavy rain to make their deadline.
This year, the ride, which is to take place on March 16, 17 and 18; will commence at Yenda take a slightly longer route through Hillston and Lake Cargelligo.
“Most of our those riders with us are beginners, so we’ll be going at a slow pace, covering about 135km a day”.
Mr Lawrence said the charity batyr is all about addressing the elephant in the room and they have been doing great work in Cobar to reduce the youth suicide rate.
“In 2015, we had about six or seven youth suicides… since then, baytr’s formed a committee that reaches out to kids in trouble… I don’t think we’ve had a suicide since then”.
For more information on the ride, or to make a donation, visit the Facebook page Wines2Mines