Mick Keenan's family came out on the day to support him. Photo: Supplied.
Rochy local Mick Keenan has taken on his biggest bike ride to date, successfully raising more than $4000 for Beyond Blue.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The event, held at the Rochester Recreational Reserve, saw Mr Keenan ride laps around the oval from 6am to 6pm on Sunday, August 24.
Mr Keenan said he was overjoyed with how everything came together on the day.
“We all had a good day. I was definitely elated when I done the last lap and I done a big punch in the air,” he said.
“We totalled it all up and with the online donations, we made 4480-odd dollars. It was great.”
Brad McEwan and Mick Keenan take a ride on the tandem bike. Photo: Supplied.
Although he initially set out to do the charity ride on his own, as the news of the event spread, community members began offering to help him complete some of the laps.
On the day, around 27 community members and 15 Scouts showed up ready to support the cause.
Some rode solo while others chose to ride in pairs and groups of three, and one couple even brought out their tandem bike.
While it was a quiet start to the day, a crowd began to gather at the reserve from 10am to watch and cheer on the riders.
A few people also took the chance to get their steps in, lapping the oval alongside the riders while pushing prams or assisting little ones on their bikes.
One of the days many riders, Sanjay Ranchhod, with Mick Keenan. Photo: Supplied.
Mr Keenan said after a successful first event, he was considering hosting another charity ride in the future.
“It was a lot of work, I must admit, and I’ve heard a few say it could be an annual event and I sort of think, yeah, it might be,” he said.
“If I done it again I’d have it during the warmer months of the year, probably either in spring or summer, and someone even mentioned I could do a night ride and people might stay more for that.”
Mr Keenan thanked all the volunteers who helped out on the day and also Beyond Blue for the opportunity.
7°C