“IT’S Kevin Weeks here, the crazy cyclist.” That’s how The Senior’s conversation with the 67-year-old businessman kicked off following his 2450km bike ride from Adelaide to Rockhampton.
A gruelling journey, yes, but not all as crazy as you might think: except that the keen Adelaide cyclist has Parkinson’s disease.
And only a month before setting off he had an operation to remove a double hernia and cyst from his groin.
The general manager of The Weeks Group in South Australia pedalled for just over three weeks, rising at 6am every day and travelling up to 100km a day, to raise money for a cycling therapy program for people with Parkinson’s.
Supported by his wife Val, who drove ahead, Kevin said the pain, sweat and tears were worth it.
“At times we asked ourselves why we attempted this crazy ride,” he said. “But the best thing was sharing it with my wife and being together.”
Kevin was told he had Parkinson’s disease in 2013.
“Its a devastating diagnosis,” he said. “But it’s so important to get up and go on. I’m a big believer in the GOYA philosophy: Get Off Your Arse and live life!”
Already a keen cyclist, Kevin found that riding a bike helped improved some of his Parkinson’s symptoms.
“When I’m riding I forget about my Parkinson’s and feel like my symptoms, such as the tremors, actually improve,” he said.
As well as getting to share the adventure with Val, Kevin said another plus was discovering the country and meeting all the generous “everyday Aussies” out there.
“It really is a beautiful country and at 25kph you see so much more than when you’re zooming past in car,” he said, adding that the people they met along the way – from drovers and ballroom dancers to grey nomads and pub owners – were the highlight.
Despite spending many hours in the saddle “with miles of grey bitumen in front of me” and thinking he was going to become a statistic at least three times while travelling along parts of the Newell Highway, Kevin said he had a “huge feeling of satisfaction and achievement” after arriving at Rockhampton.
“At the 700km mark it felt like we would never finish this foolhardy challenge. But when we turned north at Gilgandra and headed for Gulargambone (I love the name!) at last I felt like we were moving in a better direction.”
Kevin has already raised nearly $35,000 to help Parkinson’s Australia SA create a cycling program.
“Some people have balance issues and feel they can’t ride on the open road, but this is about giving them the chance to feel as good as I do from cycling,” he said.
