Why these dads rode BMX bikes 200km from Melbourne to Ballarat 

What do you get when a group of dads decide to ride their BMX bikes 200 kilometres from Cranbourne, in Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs, to Ballarat? The answer: eight tired legs, four very sore bums, and more than $13,000 raised for cancer research.

Three dads from Casey BMX Club – Adam Wright, Brent Bailey and Nathan Leworthy – were joined by Marc Missen from Knox BMX Club for the long-distance challenge as part of the Ballarat Cycle Classic’s fundraising efforts for the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute.

It all started when Ballarat BMX Club invited them to a club race – or Clubby – to support the local fundraising effort.

When someone had the bright idea to ride their BMX bikes all the way there, Adam didn’t hesitate.

“Brent Bailey, one of the dads, went to Ballarat BMX Club for work and rang me,” recalled the 42-year-old father of two.

“He said, ‘Do you want to raise a tonne of cash for cancer research?’

“He said, ‘Do you want to do it on BMX bikes?’ And I said yes.

“I think he expected me to say no,” Adam laughed.

It’s a cause close to Adam’s heart: his sister is currently undergoing treatment for stage 4 breast cancer, and his mother died of breast cancer when he was 15 years old.

The group set themselves a goal to raise $1,000 each for their hare-brained scheme. The community’s generosity blew them away.

“We were pretty stoked. Our first goal was if we could make $1,000 each we’d be stoked, but together with Ballarat BMX Club’s Clubby we raised more than $13,000 in total,” Adam said.

To show solidarity, the quartet stopped at two other BMX clubs along the way to cut some laps, and managed to raise some extra cash.

“It was pretty cool that other clubs came on board, too,” Adam said.

“Wyndham had a training day and people were throwing $50 notes to our support crew. Then, at Bacchus Marsh they had a gates session and everyone hang around for a barbecue and raised money from that.”

After starting at 4am in the morning, the ride took about 10 hours and 30 minutes. Including stops, the dads spent more than 13 hours on the road.

It’s a distance that many would find a challenge on proper road bikes, let alone 20-inch, single-speed BMX bikes designed for pumping and jumping along a 400-metre track. And with more than 1,200 metres of elevation gain thrown into the mix, it proved a test of mental as well as physical strength.

While Adam had some experience in longer distance gravel riding, he applauded his companions who’d rarely ventured beyond a BMX track.

“Bacchus Marsh to Ballarat was the hardest part of the ride with a few hills,” Adam said.

“We had to rally around each other to get there, and had a few extra people join us, which spurred us on.

“Because of the gearing, if you get up to 21km/h on the flat there is no point in pedalling.

“One cool part around Mordialloc, we were there at the perfect time when all the road bunchies were on Beach Road, and there we were – these misfits on BMX bikes with all the hardcore cyclists going past.”

Adam says the ride wouldn’t have been possible without the aid of clubmate Ben Schapendonk and Nathan’s father-in-law Lindsay Trotter.

“They met us everywhere, got us brekkie, and fed and refreshed us, they helped us with mechanicals and supported us along the way.”

The Ballarat Cycle Classic raised more than $310,000 for the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute.

Casey BMX Club will now look to their annual breast cancer fundraiser in May, which supports the Olivia Newton John Foundation.

Click to find out more about Casey BMX Club and Ballarat BMX Club.