Sunshine Ride raises nearly $100k for Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre

But that's what happened on Saturday when the third Sunshine Ride kicked in around Albury-Wodonga to raise funds for cancer patients and those who care for them.

"You can see the love in their eyes," said ride founder Steve Ballard, referring to the musicians, celebrities, politicians, sports personalities and just ordinary folk who donated 24 hours of their time - and a bucket load of sweat - to ride a stationary exercise bike to boost funds for the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre Trust Fund.

Fund manager Sally Evans said at 4pm yesterday afternoon the event had raised $96,000, $26,000 more than last year's effort, but Mr Ballard was confident it would creep over "the magic $100,000 mark" once all the sums had been done.

Border music legend Danny Phegan, who contributed to the effort with Robbie Mackinlay, started riding at 6pm on Friday night and was still going strong the next morning at Guru's Cafeteria and Pizzeria on Dean Street on Saturday morning.

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A remarkable feat in that Phegan had a gig to perform at Lockhart on Saturday night.

"I pulled over on my way to Lockhart to do a quick promo for the Sunshine Ride, and I must have fallen asleep, the band was really really worried and rang me," he said. "When I woke up I thought it must have been the next morning and I had missed the whole show.

"But luckily it was only about a 20 minute power nap and I got there and everything went great.

"The Sunshine Ride is a fantastic event for a great cause, the camaraderie between everybody back slapping and getting everybody up because everybody's thoroughly exhausted, and I've got to tell you when you get up to your snap crackle and pops in the morning, you know it's not your rice bubbles when you've been on a bike for 24 hours!"

Mr Ballard said four gyms on both sides of the Murray participated including Wodonga-based PT Fitness, which was one of the first to challenge the original riders and organisers based out of Adrenaline Boxing and Conditioning in Albury.

Other gyms were Fernwood Albury and F45 Albury and Wodonga.

Albury Thunder, O-Health and police from Albury and Wodonga also had teams.

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