Riders on this year’s Toyota Tour de OROC were welcomed by Cobar Shire council’s deputy mayor Peter Abbott and general manager Gary Woodman with a cold beer when they arrived in Cobar on Tuesday afternoon after a long, hot ride.
This year’s Toyota Tour de OROC 1,200km charity bike ride, which commenced on Saturday in Wellington, will pass through the 12 council areas of the Orana Region of Councils (OROC) to raise money for the construction of the Macquarie Homestay patient accommodation facility near Dubbo Hospital.
David Hayes, chairman of the Toyota Tour de OROC ride, spoke with The Cobar Weekly after completing a 210km ride leg from Warren on Tuesday.
He said while the riders hadn’t been too bothered by the heat (the temperature topped 37 degrees Celsius on Tuesday) they did however find it hard going in a strong headwind.
“We had a really good day, and worked well together as a group.
“We’ve had really strong support all throughout the ride,” Mr Hayes said.
“Not only do we have a committee of volunteers from across the region involved in the event, we rely heavily on the support of councils, local groups and communities.”
He said this year, the Rotary Club of Dubbo South had undertaken the event as one of their major fundraising projects for the year.
“It is because of this commitment from the club that the event is possible to be run in 2015,” Mr Hayes added.
While not expecting to match the $176,000 total raised during the inaugural 2013 Toyota Tour de OROC, Mr Hayes said they are hoping to raise around $100,000 this year.
“If we get over $100,000 in today’s climate, I think we’d be doing pretty well.
“We’re well on track for that so hopefully it will be that and a bit more.”
He said in addition to the $3,000 donation paid by each of the 18 core riders on this year’s tour, donations have been made by towns along the way as well as a monster raffle that’s being run in conjunction with the tour.
“We’re all putting in a big effort to make this Macquarie Homestay happen, which is very important for people of the region. It’s not just for Dubbo people, it’s for the people of the region,” Mr Hayes said.
Mr Woodman said CSA Mine, Endeavor Mine and Peak Gold Mines had sponsored the tour riders’ dinner and accommodation costs while they were in Cobar.
