Distance 4 Dementia rider Nicholas Tremaine from Kangaroo Island has crossed Australia, finishing his epic ride in Sydney on Sunday, July 17.
Nicholas rode 7615 kilometres from Perth to Sydney to raise awareness about dementia, so far raising $12,000 for Dementia Australia.
Journey stats:
Distance: 7615.2km
Riding days: 40
Rest days: 3
Time: 346h 15m
Average speed: 21.99kmh
Elevation: 44,570m
Flat tires: 9
Bike breakdowns: 2
“It’s exciting to be finished but I’m still realising that it’s over,” he said.
It was physically demanding on my body and I lost 10 kilograms.
“I notice I have lost muscle mass and that’s what made it harder toward the end.”
“It’s been mentally tough but also mentally rewarding. All of it has been tough but also rewarding.
“But you don’t something being rewarding without being tough.”
“It’s been completely worth it.
The fundraising is not over as the day after he gets back to KI, he plans to shave his head and beard at the half-time of the Parndana A Grade football match.
Funds raised will go to his overall tally for Dementia Australia.
On Monday the day after finishing, he visited the Dementia Australia headquarters in North Ryde, where he met the team and told them about his ride.
Hardest days
The last few days heading out of Victoria into NSW and the south coast were the hardest of the ride.
Day 40 from Lakes Entrance to Mallacoota was mentally tough, but lots of positive messages on his Facebook made a big difference.
The support was so good that the very next day, it helped him complete the most physically challenging section of the ride, from Mallacoota into NSW and to Narooma.
I can’t thank people enough for their support they have been sending me in messages,” he said. “That helped a lot.”
His final stretch from Huskisson to Sydney was made all the more tougher when he dropped his bike, breaking the gears.
This meant he had to finish the final hills in high gear.
Local support
The local community has come out in support of Nicholas’ ride, including Primal Harvest Kangaroo Island, which is donating sales of discounted whole chickens to Distance 4 Dementia.
“He’s doing an amazing job with some impressive speeds and distances travelled in a day,” Jenny Stanton said.
He crossed over the the mainland after visiting his mum on Kangaroo Island on July 2.
He posted: “This was all made possible by the great safe and crew that work for SeaLink, who sponsored this section on my journey. I can’t say how much I appreciate the support from SeaLink and their team.“
Now his trip is all over, Nicholas plans to returning to KI to take it easy for a few weeks to let his body recuperate.
And he has the dream of attending the Tour de France next year as a spectator where you can ride sections of that prestigious race.
On road interview
Nicholas was interviewed by an Australian Community Media journalist for an article in the NSW south coast newspapers.
He said he was inspired to do the trip after watching friends go on “bikepacking” trips.
“The cycling idea sparked during COVID,” he said. “I saw a few friends going off doing bikepacking trips, and I’ve always enjoyed cycling – I thought it would be a fun thing to do.
“As much as I’d love to do something like this overseas, I thought I should practice in Australia first. I was at tennis one day when someone suggested I should do it for charity.”
“I’m doing this for people living with dementia, the families who take care of them, and the medical staff who work in homes and hospitals to take care of people.”
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.