As the sun was setting last night, Goonellabah local Peter Budden and his son Sam were the last of 205 motorbike riders to arrive at Lismore’s Gateway Motel.

Peter had doubled Sam on his 2003 Kawasaki the last leg of the journey from Urunga to Lismore, as Sam’s bike had died on a dirt track, 10km just south of Tabulam earlier that day.

Sam’s bike was one on the casualties of the five day trip from the Hunter Valley to the Gold Coast.

The father and son were among 205 riders taking part in the Moto Trekker 2021 Ridge Rider tour - on dirt tracks through forests in the border ranges, stopping at Tamworth, Port Macquarie, Urunga and Lismore on the way.

That day alone, the riders had travelled through dust on 510km of dirt tracks, from Urunga to Lismore, spending at least nine hours in the saddle.

They were greeted with cheers, as their friends awaited their arrival alongside food trucks from local vendors who were ready to sell food to the hungry mob.

Organisation

Moto Trekker organisers Jay and Cherie McNabb said the fires, covid and floods stopped the annual event going ahead last year.

So, when they could run it this year, they wanted to support as many small towns as possible and bring the riders in to spend money on food, fuel and accommodation.

Jay said people from all States and Territory in Australia and all walks of life took part in the trip – from doctors, accountants, police, fire fighters and business owners.

“Every town they go to, they are filling up the hotels,” he said. “There are 225 beds and in every town and they are eating and they are drinking there,” he said. “We want to give back to the country and support locals.”

Logistics

“The logistics of organising this are huge,” Jay said. “We needed to stop at towns that were big enough to accommodate the riders.

“We have a good support crew and we cart all the participants luggage for them to the next town.”

There are 20 support crew on hand to support the riders, including a team of mechanics, paramedics and a private 4WD ambulance that follows the riders on the dirt tracks on the trip.

The support crew cook breakfast for the riders and give them a packed lunch each day.

Shane and Bradley Hilaire from Nowra.

Support crew

Paul McGlynn and his son are part of the support crew – and drive a 4WD truck which sweeps behind the riders, making sure the last rider makes it out.

They also pick up lost number plates or broken bikes and transport them to the next town. Yesterday, the truck brought three downed bikes into Lismore with them.

Why do it?

Goonellabah’s Peter Budden said "because it’s fun - and you can”.

“Everyone looks after each other,” Peter said. “We all like riding bikes and we have a laugh with each other and it’s run really well.”

“It’s fairly easy to do – you download the route map and leave when you want, but you do need to be into town by a certain time,” Sam said.

“So you need to take the highway of you are running behind.

“There are also more difficult off-shoot routes so you can tailor it depending on how you feel."

Exhausted and happy riders eating and drinking from food trucks from the Winding Road Distillery, Jom Makan Mobile Eatery, Olive & Luca wood fired pizza and Seven Mile Brewery.

Injuries

“There’s a lot of injuries too,” Peter said. “There’s been a broken thumb, foot, leg – and one bloke broke his shoulder, his leg in two places, three ribs and punctured and collapsed his lung on the first day.

“Today there was a broken collarbone and one woman, riding an Enfield, crashed and was taken by helicopter to Lismore base Hospital.”

“There’s a lot of mechanical failures too,” Peter said.

Endurance

“It’s a good test of endurance, riding through the scrub,” Sam said.

“The Gwydir Highway and the elevation was awesome to see and the back of Dorrigo was beautiful - we saw trees laying over creeks and weirs from the big floods.”

Why do it?

Organiser Jay McNabb said after being in lock down, getting out and having an adventure is a big part of it.

It’s also about the adventure of riding and expecting the unexpected.

Peter Gordon.

Vietnam veteran

Participant Richard Gordon is 72 and a Vietnam veteran from Young – and he intends to be in Kyogle for Anzac Day.

He said the ride from Bellingen through the Gibraltar National Park on twisting dirt roads with rocks, hills corners and more corners was “exciting stuff”.

“There were potholes and damage from rain and I was awestruck seeing the rivers,” he said.

“I allocated 12 days out of my life to do this,” he said. ”It means about 3,500 to 4,000 km on a bike - and a worn out tyre,” he laughed.

“You have to be switched on every inch of the way.

“It’s fun adventure - not easy but it’s great. I’m a thrill seeker and I’ve been riding farm bikes all my life.

“I’m riding in a group of seven with a fired I was a school with – we left school in 1967.

“We stop occasionally to drink and eat and catch up with mates and talk about how good the ride has been.

“It’s every man for himself until someone gets stuck, then it’s team work.

“The first day, we had 15 river crossings with rocks and we had to ride through.

“I got wet and people helped and walked into the water and picked up the bike to get it out. Four bikes got drowned that day.”