Sport
24 September, 2024
Cyclists ready to tackle Pyrenees Magic Tri-Distance
While it will be a quieter event than last September’s edition, there should still be plenty for everyone who participates in Friday’s Pyrenees Magic Tri-Distance bike ride.
The second of the bi-annual rides will be done with three options, a 96-kilometre ride, a 53-kilometre option and a 33-kilometre option.
It’s a ride which is held in an Audax-inspired style, which helps people of all abilities get to enjoy the ride, while it also takes riders away from major arterial roads such as the Pyrenees and Sunraysia highways.
Overall, it is a fundraiser for the Maryborough Rotary Club, which will use funds raised from the ride to donate to a host of charities.
Event organiser Brian Reed said while there are fewer riders this year, there will still be plenty on offer for riders.
“This ride will probably be a bit of a quieter one this time around. We have about 32 or 34 riders at the moment — last year we had 161, but the advertising started a bit later this time around,” he said.
Prizes on the day will include raffle prizes, with riders starting and returning at the Summerfield Winery in Moonambel.
“We usually pick up a few things from Bunnings and we have a few raffle prizes. The main reason we have that is we need everyone to register when they have come back, so we tell them they are in the raffle, which is a check-in that works very well,” Reed said.
“We are sticking with this route and staying off the Pyrenees Highway. The 96-kilometre ride turns around at the T-intersection of the highway, the 53-kilometre ride turns around at Landsborough, and the 33-kilometre ride turns around about 15-16 kilometres from the winery.”
Reed said there will be many charities who get to share in the donations throughout the day.
“We had a Rotarian come and give us a talk about a small island near Papua New Guinea,” he said.
“We had an Army force there repelling the Japanese, who would use it as a station ground. The guy that was doing the talk, I think his father was on the island, and his club raise funds for schools and things like that.
“Part of it will go to that, and part of it will go to local charities.”
Reed said it is an attitude which has helped the Maryborough Rotary Club support many around town.
“Once or twice a year, we give books to the newborn babies, and grade one and twos to get them interested in reading,” he said.
“There’s various other things that we do, such as the sayNO2familyviolence started by Gary Higgins, which has been really successful.”
Friday’s event will start at 9 am, with rider registration closing at 8.45 am.
For more information on the event, you can email brianreed3472@outlook.com or call 0418 331 596.