It was a mammoth journey for a noble cause.
Sunday, April 21 saw Ben and Ricky Ramadge finish their bike journey from Melbourne to Cobram (roughly 258km) to raise money and awareness about breast cancer and the work Breast Cancer Network Australia does for sufferers and their families.
For the men, the cause was deeply personal.
Last year, their aunt Kelly Ramadge was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I found a single lump in my left breast in March last year and went through everything I had to,” Kelly said.
“I had it removed, had some radiotherapy, and I didn’t tell anyone because I thought it was okay; it was contained.
“When I got rescanned in November, (the doctors) found more had grown in my right breast. Then, when I had the PET scans and everything else, it had spread into my lymph nodes.”
The men embarked on their ride on April 18, passing through Yea, Seymour and Shepparton, with their final destination a willow tree at Scott’s Beach in Cobram.
For Kelly, the willow tree was of great personal significance.
“My mum, my dad and my daughter, Chloe, who I lost to SIDS, all of their ashes are up there, at Scott’s Beach, and that’s where I’ll end up too,” she said.
As Ben and Rick approached Cobram on the Sunday, crowds of well-wishers greeted them.
“It was absolutely amazing,” Kelly said.
“We had people in Federation Park cheering them on and passing the Grand Central Hotel (where the family later hosted a Sunday roast fundraiser).”
The two riders finally reached the willow tree at 2.50pm, surrounded by family and friends.
For Kelly, it was an emotional event.
Though greatly supported by family and friends, Kelly said fighting cancer could still be incredibly lonely and that sufferers often didn’t want to share the nitty-gritty details of their suffering with those closest to them.
“The whole idea of this fundraiser and bike ride is to let people know that they aren’t alone and there is so much support out there,” she said.
As for the riders themselves, the memory of the journey won’t leave any time soon.
“It’s very surreal,” Ricky said.
“The pain we endured to complete the ride was unbelievable.”
Ricky said the journey was nonetheless incredibly heartfelt, with people tooting their vehicle horns in support and waving or sharing their stories about cancer.
Though the pain of the ride was as incredible as the support, Ricky said it was nothing compared to the pain suffered by cancer sufferers.
“They have to endure their pain for the rest of their days,” he said.
Though many would say Ricky and Ben are everyday heroes, it is a label that Ricky rejects wholeheartedly.
“Ben and myself are just two average tradie blokes who are just out there to do a good thing,” he said.
“We aren’t special, but we hope we have inspired others to do something special in their lives.”
At the time of writing, Ben and Ricky had raised $21,000.