Tour de OROC 2024 sets off

The 2024 Tour de OROC rode out from Gilgandra Toyota on March 18.

By Nicholas Croker, Cadet Journalist

Members of riding group two embarking on the next leg of their journey, a 96-kilometre ride to Coonamble. Photos by The Gilgandra Weekly: Nicholas Croker.

The 2024 Tour de OROC rode out from Gilgandra Toyota yesterday, March 18, after a 60-kilometre ride from Dubbo’s Macquarie Home Stay. From Gilgandra, the 26 riders made their way further north to Coonamble, traveling a total of 162 kilometers as part of the first day of the six-day tour. Over the next week, riders will cover 578 kilometers on bikes as they approach Cobar before traveling back to Dubbo via bus.

First held in 2013, the Toyota Tour de OROC began as a way for the community to raise funds for Macquarie Home Stay, a ‘home away from home’ for people needing to visit Dubbo to receive – or support a recipient – of medical treatment. After five years of fundraising, construction was completed in December of 2018. The first guest arrived the following January, a maternity delivery from Walgett. More than half of all admissions to Dubbo hospital come from outside of Dubbo; the facility's affordable accommodation services people from across the Orana region and the wider regional western NSW.

Every 30 kilometers, the riders are given an opportunity to stop, rest, eat, and socialize, made possible by the dedicated support team behind them. Ashley Wielinga, a member of the small team, claimed that they go through eight bags of ice and 16 liters of water a day to hydrate the riders between stretches. This year, 26 riders are participating in the route, including Olympic champions Sara Carrigan OAM and Bradley McGee OAM. So far, the 2024 Tour de OROC has raised $85,000 for Macquarie Home Stay.