Day Three: Coastal Route

It’s a bit hard to accept that the day three activities of the Hawaiian Ride For Youth are drawing to a close. After 152 kilometres, the Coastal peloton riders and support crew found themselves in Busselton, having ridden a wet and windy route up from Pemberton.

The peloton split into two groups to manage a visit to two schools, St Mary McKillop College and Georgiana Molloy Anglican School.

First-time rider and Youth Focus mentor, Nick Ryder of team Coca Cola Amatil presented at St Mary McKillop. He shared his first-hand story of helping his brother overcome suicidal thoughts and one attempt on his life. He explained the CARE model to the students, who featured that in their questioning…along with a lot of questions about the Ride and bicycles, too! The group were joined by one of the Youth Focus counsellors, Cindy Elson who jumped in to respond to some of the questions related specifically to mental health.

The other half of the peloton visited Georgiana Molloy, where experienced rider, Phil Funga of team Vimy shared his own story of caring for a loved one with a mental health disorder.

Tomorrow is the last big leg before three of the four pelotons converge in Mandurah in preparation for the journey home on Saturday morning.