Peter Roberts and Brian Ripps, over the course of the last decade, would have ridden thousands of kilometres to help raise money for the Western Care Lodge.
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And the reason is pretty simple.
"We hate cancer," Mr Roberts said.
Combining their love of the open road with their aforementioned disdain for the disease, the Emus Roadrunners will again hit the road on March 7 with the goal of raising money for Cancer Care Western NSW, which helps provide affordable self care accommodation for those having cancer treatment at Orange Health Service.
It's $35 to be part of the ride, with this year's event to wind through 265kms around the Lachlan Valley.
The event will start and finish at the Emus Rugby Club on Woodward Street, where raffles will be conducted as the participants look to help out the Western Care Lodge, the facility on the Orange hospital campus which provides accommodation to patients receiving cancer treatment.
The ride is in its 11th year in 2020 and Mr Roberts said the motivation to start-up the now annual event hit close to home.
"When we started Jill Bale, one of our friends, she had breast cancer and had to travel down to Sydney and they had problems staying anywhere and looking after themselves, so we chose this," he added.
It's a great day and a great atmosphere and you feel good after helping people.
- Brian Ripps
Mr Ripps said the ride was a great way to see the countryside and support a worthy cause.
"It's a great day and a great atmosphere and you feel good after helping people," Mr Ripps said.
Mr Roberts rides a Triumph Thunderbird while Mr Ripps is on board his Indian Scout for the 2020 ride, and the pair anticipated around 80 riders - with all sorts of bikes - will join them come March 7.
"There's that bloke from Molong who has the 44 Indian with a sidecar on it. It's not a race, there's support vehicles and we encourage people to take their time," Mr Ripps said.
The ride normally aims to raise around the $3000 mark, but being members of a rugby club the competitive spirit normally drives them to better that mark year on year.
"We always want to beat last year," Mr Roberts said.
"The most we've raised is $4500, but this is the club's charity too.
"It's started from the road runners, the Emus, and went on to the old boys, the women's too, they adopted it. And then Knox old boys jumped on board too and they raise up to $60,000.
"Those efforts all started from the bike run."
The ride starts at 10am on March 7, with registration on the day from 8.30am.
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