UNIVERSITY lecturer Brad Hodge\u2019s bike journey from Bendigo to Uluru has not been without some hiccups, battling headwinds, rain, and border closures.<\/p>\n
After riding to Mildura, Dr Hodge realised that he would not be able to cycle into New South Wales, and his ride into the heart of Australia would be with wings, not wheels.<\/p>\n
\u201cI took an aeroplane from Mildura to Sydney and then Sydney to Alice Springs, then I rode out the front door to Alice Springs with a big smile on my face again and I\u2019m like alright, this is on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On 10 August, Dr Hodge set off on the trip, aiming to ride 2229 kilometres and raise $10,000 for his charity, I Am Someone.<\/p>\n
The organisation works directly with developing nations and currently has projects building schools and villages in Sierra Leone, Uganda, Kenya, Cambodia and Tibet.<\/p>\n
Dr Hodge said the detour means he\u2019ll be spending more time riding around Alice Springs, before the trip finishes on 5 September.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent months preparing my track notes for the original trip, I have a spreadsheet with kilometres between towns, whether they\u2019ve got water and food all of that, that\u2019s all rubbish now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a number of circuits you can do out to places like Glen Helen, Hermannsburg, Kings Canyon, Kings Creek.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, I\u2019ve never been to Alice Springs before, as it turns out there\u2019s heaps to see, it\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Hodge said the support he\u2019s been given while on the road has been uplifting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve met people that have given me cash on the road, businesses who\u2019ve said \u2018we love what you\u2019re doing put this this towards your cause\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very generous but also the level of trust, we\u2019re very lucky in Australia that we have that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He encourages anyone to get involved with the cause and help change the world just a little bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s only a little thing, we watch the horrible stuff going on in Afghanistan, we\u2019ve seen the photos around the world, and we get crippled by the enormity of it, but in reality if every one of us did a tiny thing every day, whether its donate or volunteer or get involved, we would change the world a lot,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n