A group of cyclists will take to the roads in the name of a good cause, as the Toyota Tour de OROC starts rolling today. 

Over six days, 25 riders will cover over 1,100 kilometres, breaking in Armatree, Walgett, Bourke, Cobar and Warren to raise money for the Macquarie Home Stay. 

Rider and Chair of the Tour de OROC fundraising committee Mathew Dickerson said that despite it being his fourth year of the tour, he’s still tentative about the trip. 

“It’s very tough. It varies each time we do it in different aspects…one year we had a 20 kilometre headway and it was 55 degrees in the sun, it was a really tough day and people were really struggling,” Mr Dickerson said. 

With 25 riders set to tackle the challenge, Mr Dickerson said that the charity ride was open to anyone willing. 

“It’s for anyone who is silly enough to say that they’d like to ride 1140 kilometres over six days, and pay money for the privilege of doing it,” he said. 

Originally started in 2013, the ride was an idea to raise money for the establishment of the Macquarie Homestay; a crucial facility to give patients and their loved ones a home away from home during their stay at Dubbo Hospital.

Since then, the biannual event has occurred four times, raising around half a million dollars for the facility. 

One of the highlights of the ride, Mr Dickerson says, is the interactions with the communities the riders pass through each day, and where they will eventually stop over to stay at night.

“We stop at lunchtime for an hour each time wherever we might be, and for that hour we eat and interact with some locals. Then each night time there will be a different function that each community will put on, and you will meet people that have used Macquarie Home Stay,” he said.

“Most of the riders come from Dubbo who never use Macquarie Home Stay because we’ve got somewhere to live in Dubbo. All these people out in the regions actually use Macquarie Home Stay, and they just have so much appreciation.”

Member for Barwon Roy Butler said that more than 50 per cent of admissions to Dubbo Hospital come from outside of Dubbo, making the home stay a crucial facility. 

“The facility provides affordable accommodation for people in the region in a range of circumstances, from pregnant ladies through to extended treatments and emergency situations and everywhere in between,” Mr Butler said. 

Excitement and Trepidation, in equal parts, is how Mr Dickerson is approaching the ride. 

“It’s not much about outright fitness, you don’t have to be an Olympic athlete. You do have to make sure you’ve trained your body to be used to sitting on a narrow seat for a long period of time,” he said. 

“People probably suffer more from what happens with their contact points - their hands and their bottom - than their legs. You’re not going flat out, but you are sitting on the bike for a long time, approximately 45 hours altogether.”

The Tour de OROC will kick off on 21 March, and see the riders finishing at the Macquarie Home Stay in Dubbo on 26 March. 

To read more visit the Tour de OROC website.