Coonamble Times
13 March 2024, 6:40 AM
The Tour de Oroc is headed back to Coonamble for 2024, but this year it's a bit more golden than in the past.
2004 Olympic gold medallists, Sara Carrigan and Brad McGee, will be riding along to raise money for the Macquarie Home Stay in Dubbo.
This year the goal of the ride is to raise $250,000 to create much needed accommodation at Macquarie Homestay.
Chair of the organising committee, Ben O'Brien is encouraging Coonamble locals to get involved and donate.
"I want people to think about how needed Macquarie Homestay is," he said.
"There is a chronic need for accommodation in Dubbo for medical patients, raising that money would fill that need."
"Everyone in Coonamble would know someone who has needed the Homestay at one point or another."
Twenty eight riders are expected to roll into Coonamble on Monday 18 March after their first stint from Dubbo where they will stay the night.
From there the charity dinner at the Terminus Hotel is the place to be on Monday evening, with a number of items up for the taking, including a signed Tour de Oroc Jersey signed by both Gold medal winning Olympians.
Western NSW Local Health District Deputy Chief Radiation Therapist, Cath Osborne and Senior Nuclear Medicine Technologist, Jennifer Walter, are also expected to talk at the dinner as well.
Mathew Dickerson, the founder of the Tour de OROC and Dubbo Regional Council mayor, said he was delighted to have both Sara and Brad on board and encouraged other cyclists to join the ride.
"Sara Carrigan and Brad McGee are legends of Australian cycling and great ambassadors for the sport. Having them on the Tour de OROC will inspire other riders and attract more sponsors and donors," said Mr Dickerson.
For anyone not able to make it to the dinner or hop on a bike, the Tour de Oroc crew have organised a raffle to give away a brand new Toyota Rav-4, with tickets at $50 dollars.
"We want to encourage as much local support as possible, the benefits for the Coonamble community would be profound."
You can find all the information at Tourdeoroc.bike.