LETTER: Pedalling doctors

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Sir –  A group of Royal Flying Doctor Service staff and supporters will swap aeroplanes for mountain bikes for a 1,400 km off road ride from Timber Creek, NT to Alice Springs through some of the Territory’s most remote locations in aid of the iconic Australian medical organisation.
 
It’s locations like these scattered along the Binns Track that the RFDS Central Operations frequents and which RFDS Base Manager and rider Phil Moran said the group would be traversing in July.
 
The charity event, Wings on the Road, is the second of its kind, as a few years ago Mr Moran and I took part in a bike ride from Alice Springs to Adelaide down the Oodnadatta track, along with eight other riders and an extra 10 as support crew.
 
In preparation for the journey along the Northern Territory’s dirt tracks, the group is training hard, covering distances of up to 100 km per day. There has been no shortage of snakes, kangaroos and emus sharing the road in training sessions; ideal preparation for riding in the Northern Territory’s wilderness.
 
We commence our expedition in Timber Creek on July 1 and expect to roll into Alice Springs on July 16 after covering a total distance of 1,342 km. We will ride between 70 and 130 km per day and camp in a variety of outback locations along the way.
 
With the RFDS in its 85th year, the riders will also be visiting the grave of founder John Flynn, which lies outside of Alice Springs.
 
We aim to raise more than $50,000, after raising $40,000 on the first Wings on the Road trip. Local commerce group Business Port Augusta have helped kick-start fundraising by sponsoring the ride with a $5,000 donation. We are seeking more sponsorship.
 
Dr Andy Killcross 
Royal Flying Doctor Service
Port Augusta

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