The inaugural HOSTPLUS Pedal 4 Prostate Firefighters Ride Around Australia was made up of 12 riders and six support staff. All were from various fire stations around the Melbourne metropolitan area.They would be split into two teams, red and blue, and would be supported on the journey by Geelong based event promotions company Caribou Publications. The face of the ride was Ted Whitten jr of the E.J Whitten Foundation. A foundation formed after the passing of his father to prostate cancer back in 1995.

Together with major sponsors HOSTPLUS,Primus Telecom, AHA and Ford; the Ted Whitten Foundation collaborated with the MFB and Caribou Publications to finally live the dream for O’Connor and Doherty.The entourage left Melbourne on October 31 in cool and wet conditions and headed towards the Victorian coastal township of Lakes Entrance. The original idea was that two riders would be on the road at all times with allocated towns or landmarks for rider and team changeover points jotted along the way.

This meant riding at night, something that didn’t go down too well with the NSW and Queensland police. Organisers negotiated to alter the riding times when both forces disallowed the teams to ride beneath the stars in those states for safety reasons.

Instead of the relay between teams, the blue team was sent up Highway number one to ride the disallowed night stages during the day. At the same time the red team would ride their stages some 600 kilometres behind their colleagues, however, still covering the distance in the saddle.

Conditions weren’t ideal in the first week. Heavy rain and strong winds along with impatient drivers and sleepless nights was proving difficult for all to cope with. For the fundraising crew staying in Kiama on day two it was a night they’ll never forget. Monsoon like weather belted the New South Wales coastal township and any chance of a good night sleep had well and truly gone out the window.

The following day the rain continued and while the nation stopped to watch Americain blitz the field at Flemington, the red team rode into Raymond Terrace whilst the blue team reached Coffs Harbour before bedding down in Tweed Heads for the night.

By the end of the first week both teams had reached Normanton in central Queensland, home to the largest crocodile ever caught in captivity. A life-size statue of the crocodile can be found in the main street opposite the Central Hotel Motel. The hotel is one of three pubs in Normanton, the other two being the Albion Hotel and the infamous Purple Hotel. On the night the red team and fundraising crew were in town, the Albion was closed and the Purple off limits; the Central opened it’s doors to the Pedal 4 Prostate gang and locals soon gathered around to drink and hear tales of the ride.

The night had a party-like atmosphere and as the sun set over town, tins rattled with donations and the beer flowed. Ted Whitten jr spoke to all from the balcony on a balmy night. He chatted among the locals about why we had all travelled so far, to spread the word that mens’ health is as important to a truckie sitting at the bar as it is to an AFL footballer preparing to run out onto the MCG.

Raffle tickets were sold with the major prize a replica jersey of the two teams. It was won by the chef at the Albion Hotel over the road. He was there along with the owners who had closed their doors to enjoy the night at the Central. He promptly donned the jersey, smiled for a photo with Ted, and then proudly wore it for the rest of the night.

The riders made their way through Cloncurry and the mining town of Mt.Isa before the blue team found the historical Daly Waters pub. There is not much to look at in Daly Waters – population nine – but the pub is as far as you need to go.

The walls of the character filled pub are covered with memorabilia, with anything from old licenses; bras; photos; footy jumpers; hats and  money, anything that visiting  tourists  no longer require or perhaps they just want to leave their mark on the place, hoping that one day it will be recognised by a fellow traveller.

In the winter months the kitchen will prepare meals for anywhere between one hundred and two hundred people a night! It’s the oldest pub in the Northern Territory and is situated 274 kilometres south of Katherine.

The whole HOSTPLUS Pedal 4 Prostate crew finally made it to Darwin in extreme heat. It was the first time the two teams had seen each other since they left Melbourne eleven days ago. Riders on both teams took time out to pay their respects at the Darwin Remembrance Day Service.

For the next couple of days the top-end of Australia did her thing and in various ways took the breath away from everyone involved with the ride. The night-riding from the blue team was a major highlight and although there were more dangers to consider, be it road trains or wildlife, the experience of the Northern Territory nights was something to behold.

Standing in the middle of Highway number one on the outskirts of Fitzroy Crossing, the stars close enough to touch, was a surreal experience. Spoilt only by the sound of a distant road train, it’s headlights casting a low ray of light from the horizon and the noise emanating from what seemed another state away.I thought of the movie, ‘Close encounters of the third kind’. Then serenity departed as the blue team’s convoy arrived and riders prepared for another leg of the ride through the outback.

By the end of the second week, road house accommodation was the norm and the cost of a hamburger or salad roll wouldn’t leave you much change out of a twenty dollar note! Spending twenty dollars at the Ocean Beach Hotel in Cottesloe wasn’t as painful however. The beachside bar in the affluent suburb of Perth is one of the best watering holes in the land. Raising a cold frothy to the lips here as the sun slowly set behind you, was a memory i hope locals don’t take for granted.

Kangaroos weren’t taken for granted though by the riders. Spotlights and car-horns were on the go as the ride neared the Nullabor Plain to deter them from crossing the path of the riders. They were a major threat at night with riders reaching speeds of around forty to forty five kilometres depending on conditions. Red team leader Mark O’Connor copped the full brunt of a wayward ‘roo. A support vehicle which was drafting O’Connor and Stephen Moore swerved to avoid a collision with a kangaroo. O’Connor swerved to avoid the car and crashed heavily to the road. He suffered concussion and was taken to a nearby hospital for tests.

He was later released. Determined to finish in Melbourne he hopped back on the bike the next day and rode as if nothing had happened. They’re tough firemen, and it would take a hell of a lot more than an interfering kangaroo to spoil O’Connor’s dream. By the time the ride had left Perth the temperature had dropped rapidly. Instead of suffering in the high thirties it had fallen to the low twenties and would have made conditions a little more pleasant for the two teams.

It was the run home and spirits were high in the knowledge that life would soon be normal again. Mowing the lawns, sleeping in a familiar bed, holding the remote control and checking the letter-box were a few of the things that may have been in the minds of most on the ride. Not to mention seeing family and friends again. There had been many towns that the ride had passed through, some memorable and some not. Hahndorf in the Adelaide hills is one that is well worth the visit. The tree-lined main street is used for a stage finish to the hugely popular Tour Down Under road race held annually in January.

It’s cafes, pubs and relaxed atmosphere make it a must see when visiting South Australia. The town was built by German descendants, hence the name Hahndorf, after Captain Dirk Hahn of the ship ‘Zebra’ which sailed into Adelaide in 1838.When the blue team pedalled through here they took their time and you couldn’t blame them. Everyone was relaxed now. There had been some tough times earlier up north. You had to keep your wits about yourself, especially as a rider on the road at night. Not everything was running smoothly as bodies and minds tired. It’s hard work for all when you sleeping only fours hour a night (or day), some in a car, and driving hundreds of kilometres to the next accommodation stop.

You couldn’t blame the riders for not even getting the bike off the back of the trailer on some days. But these guys have big hearts, the cause was never forgotten, and together they kept morale high and worked through the tough times.

In Warrnambool Ted Whitten jr rode the last five kilometres with the blue team into town and then proceeded to have his already short hairstyle trimmed even more by a local hairdresser. Blue team riders Richard ‘Dick’ Grant and Mark ‘Marky’ Lyons also had their locks snipped, although in the case of Grant, a couple of hairs removed.

When the ride made it to Colac in Victoria there was just one day remaining and like the start in Melbourne some twenty-five days prior, the weather had turned sour again.

A torrential downpour hit the streets of Colac as the blue team made their way in. The heavy rain flooded the nearby street to the Austral Hotel where a last night function for all would take place. Blue team captain David Doherty made full use of the flood by swimming in it! He then drank a pot in the pub, showered again, and returned to the pub to drink more beer. It was the  final night together on the road.  

The last day the two teams were reunited as one and rode from Werribee to the MCG. At the ground, family and friends had gathered and were mingling with sponsors and other MFB representatives. They had waited patiently for twenty-six days. As rain fell traffic in Flinders Street slowed the progress of the riders towards the finish. The Melbourne Police band belted out some tunes as the crowd formed a guard of honour for the riders.

On cue the rain stopped and twelve weary and tired firemen rolled though the MCG car park onto the concourse at gate three to smiling loved ones and open arms. It had been a few years in the making for Mark O’Connor and David Doherty, but it had been worth it all the way. An experience and a ride all will never forget. Now pass me the remote please?