A George Town man has pushed himself to the limit, completing a grueling 200km bike ride to raise awareness and funds for mental health and honour the memory of his friend.
Ben, a colleague of Steve Moore’s at Woolworths Mowbray, tragically took his own life earlier this year.
Determined to pay tribute to his friend and support a worthy cause, Moore set off from George Town for the return trip on Thursday morning for RUOK Day, despite not being an avid cyclist.
Moore stopped at Woolworths in Scottsdale along the way, before heading toward Launceston.
Champion cyclist Richie Porte joined him for the leg of the ride from Lilydale to Mowbray.
“Steve’s obviously not a cyclist, so to throw himself into a 200km challenge like this, I really tip my cap to him,” Porte told 7 Tasmania.
Moore admitted that some of the hills around Lilydale proved to be particularly challenging.
“It’s been tough. That’s what the whole challenge was about—to make it as tough as possible, to go through every emotion. And I definitely have gone through that,” he told 7 Tasmania.
Moore and his team arrived at Woolworths in Mowbray surrounded by a warm round of applause from colleagues, where emotions were still running high over the loss of their friend.
Following a celebration, Moore then continued on his pedalling journey back to George Town, stopping at Woolworths in Legana and Launceston along the way.
Moore arrived back at Woolworths George Town late on Thursday night, managing to raise over $25,000 for mental health following his mammoth effort.
If you or anyone you know needs help:
Lifeline on 131 114
Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636
NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511
Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
Headspace on 1800 650 890
Emergency services on triple-0 if you need immediate care
