The Male Bag Ride from Perth to Melbourne in April 2013 provided 12 days of adventure. We had 26 postie bikes and a support crew of 8 men. This ride was supported by 2 Nissan Utes, a mobile workshop van and a 12 tonne Budget truck carrying food and refreshments, gear, swags, a spare bike as well as tools and spare parts.
The logistical issues were huge, but not insurmountable. We needed to purchase 30 postie bikes, most of the 26 riders needed to obtain a licence, the bikes had to be shipped to Perth, accomodations and air fares needed to be booked and so on…
While our planning and organising rolled on, the next 12 months were spent busily signing up sponsors, collecting donations and training novice riders. With everyone working together we all made it over to Perth and back and it was an adventure of a lifetime riding 4,500km across the continent, while raising approximately $430,000 which was presented to Prostate Cancer Foundation Australia (PCFA) at the MCG when West Coast Eagles were playing the Melbourne Demons on our final day.
PCFA used this money to set up a global research project involving oncologists, doctors, specialist prostate cancer nurses to produce a set of clinical guidelines for prostate cancer patients. These guidelines were a world first document, providing prostate cancer patients with accurate, up to date information enabling them to make informed decisions about the best course of action that was most appropriate in individual situations.