Our cyclists feel great in lycra

1200Kms for Kids cyclist, Darryl, will be riding from Sydney to Brisbane to raise money for sick kids.

For the past 11 years, passionate riders across Queensland and New South Wales have been waking up early, donning the lycra and training for the 1200kms for Kids bike ride. The bike ride sees riders travel from Sydney to Brisbane, raising money for the Children’s Hospital Foundation and the Humpty Dumpty Foundation.

Ride Coordinator, Darryl joined the ride seven years ago, and has now travelled more than 43,000 kms on his bike as part of the annual event and training. He can often be seen at the front of the pack, leading the group of cyclists, or towards the back offering words of encouragement and support to riders reaching mental roadblocks.

“My first goal is always to get every rider and support crew back home to their loved ones, safe and sound. My second goal is to raise over $250,000 to be able to truly make a difference in the lives of seriously ill children.”

Darryl recalled his second year of the ride, when he presented a regional hospital with a digital thermometer.

“We purchased a thermometer for the hospital, which was worth $1,500. As we handed it over, the nurses burst into tears. They couldn’t believe a bunch of strangers just gave them something so valuable,” he said.

Darryl said it was unbelievable, as he could buy this equipment himself.

“From that moment as I was fighting back tears, I realised sick kids need fundraisers like the 1200kms for Kids – we need to do more.”

Since 2006, the 1200kms for Kids bike ride has raised $1.4 million, which has funded life-saving research and vital equipment for sick kids. The ride begins in North Sydney and finishes at Brisbane’s Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, which is Australia’s largest paediatric facility.

When riding through the east coast countryside, Darryl said a wide range of things went through his head, from thinking about the massage and cold beer waiting at the finishing line, to all the sick kids battling illness or injury in hospital.

“I also think about seeing my beautiful family and being thankful for our good health,” he said.

Expressions of interest are now open for the 2017 – ACT Australia 1200kms For Kids. This year, the team will leave Sydney on Saturday 14 October and will stop at Newcastle, Muswellbrook, Tamworth, Armidale, Glen Innes, Warwick, Ipswich and finish in Brisbane on Saturday 21 October. For more information, visit www.1200kmsforkids.com or email hello@1200kmsforkids.com.