Former Prime Minister and high profile backbencher Tony Abbott will be in Albury on Monday morning when the 2017 Pollie Pedal Bike Ride sets off from Noreuil Park Oval.
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Member for Farrer Sussan Ley, who will also be part of the starting peloton, said several parliamentary colleagues will join the ride as it makes it way towards Sydney.
“I expect to get to Culcairn, anything past Culcairn is a bonus,” Ms Ley said on Sunday.
“Tony should get to Wagga by lunch time, most of us are a bit slower.”
Member for Lyne David Gillespie, Member for Hume Angus Taylor, Member for Solomon Luke Gosling and ACT Senator Zed Seselja will be among the non-partisan group of cycling enthusiasts joining Mr Abbott during the journey.
The ride starts at 8.15am and, like Mr Abbott’s aspirations of returning to the PM’s job, it will be a largely uphill battle.
The route will cover about 1000km over eight days, taking riders through Wagga, Talbingo, Cooma, Canberra, Goulburn, Mittagong and Camden before finishing in Mr Abbott’s electorate at Manly on April 9.
“They’ve been doing it for years. I think they do in five days what they used to do in 10,” Ms Ley said.
“I always say to Tony it has become an extreme sport, compared to what it once was.”
“It’s a really good fundraiser and I’m really pleased the charity they’ve chosen is Soldier On.”
Soldier On helps veterans and their families overcome any impacts from their service and re-adjust to normal life.
The organisation provides a range of free support services including mental health support, education and employment support.
These services reduce the rate and impact of veteran unemployment, homelessness, mental health conditions, family relationship breakdowns and suicide.
“It is about appreciating that even the strongest, even the bravest, even the toughest, can carry scars through life that need to be understood and accepted,” Mr Abbott said of the work Soldier On does.
Since it was first held in 1998, the Pollie Pedal has covered about 19,000 kilometres and raised more than $5 million for organisations such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Ronald McDonald House, Youth Insearch, the Paralympic Games and Carers Australia.
Returned servicemen and women will also ride.