Darcy Elbourne participated in the Great Cycle Challenge for a third year in a row, riding 1000km during October to raise funds and awareness for the Children's Medical Research Institute.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 70-year-old completed the 1000km on Tuesday, October 26 which was ahead of schedule. He raised $1083.
"I set myself a goal and just went for it. I really never thought I would achieve it though," Darcy admitted.
In 2019 and 2020 he rode a combined distance of 980km, so to ride this far in just the one month was a huge achievement.
Darcy worked out he had to ride around 32km a day over the month, but he ended up missing two days due to wet weather.
I set myself a goal and just went for it, I really never thought I would achieve it either.
- Darcy Elbourne
"I almost became obsessive, constantly making sure the weather was looking okay so I could ride."
Darcy called his route the 'Tour de Taree,' which was his daily ride from the Martin Bridge to the Dawson River Bridge and back a few times.
"I was pushing really hard."
"If you add up all the kilometres I could have ridden to Bundaberg, but I am a bit old for that so riding locally will do me for now," he laughed.
Darcy said although the rides were physically and mentally challenging, hearing the stories of some of the children with cancer pushed him to keep going.
"When you hear the stories about some of the kids it hits you really hard. Kids should be living life, not fighting for it," he said.
Having gone through cancer treatment himself a few years back, Darcy said he can only imagine what it must be like for young children and their families.
Darcy worked at the Manning Base Hospital for 42 years, starting as an apprentice chef and worked his way up to the managing role of hotel services.
When you hear the stories about some of the kids it hits you really hard. Kids should be living life, not fighting for it.
- Darcy Elbourne
It wasn't until after he retired when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer that he really appreciated what healthcare workers do.
"Now that I am retired I like to keep busy and this (riding) is just another thing that I have felt really passionate about," Darcy said.
Although this is Darcy's third year participating in the Great Cycle Challenge he assured it won't be his last, with plans to ride 1500km and raise $1500 next time.
In 2019 Darcy rode 449 km and raised $764. And last year he rode 531 km raising $850.
In total Darcy has ridden 1982 km for the cause and raised $2697.
And overall the Great Cycle Challenge clocked 2,901,074km and raised $6,785,012 to give kids with cancer the brighter futures they deserve.
Darcy's fundraising can be found here: greatcyclechallenge.com.au/Riders/DarcyElbourne
Read more about Darcy:
Did you know? Manning River Times online subscribers not only have 24/7 access to local and national news, sport, what's on and entertainment - they also have access to our print edition in digital format, with all the advertisements and classifieds at their fingertips.
