Mayor Mark Honey has welcomed 40 cyclists to Kiama at the end of Day 3 of the Bondi2BlueMtns Ride to Remember.

The four day 650km journey to the Blue Mountains and back via Lithgow, Goulburn and Kiama has raised $175,000 to support the work of Dementia Australia.

Sarah and Nick Young

Nick Young, one of the founders of the original Bondi2Berry Ride fundraising campaign in 2016, says they decided to keep the longer ride within the state this year, after the eight day 2019 Ride from Bondi to Brighton Beach in Melbourne.

"Primarily this was to go to visit bushfire affected areas, although there were COVID considerations.

"There was a lot of elevation, and it was challenging, but that is what we sign up for - to do a decent bike ride that is tangible enough to make people notice and get more attention."

The riders' sleeves have a poignant message of Riding for Dad, Riding for Mum and Riding to Remember.

"People are riding for grandparents, aunties and uncle, friends and all sorts of reasons," says Nick.

Kiama's Hamish Armytage was welcomed by his mother Ruth

Kiama has always been an important stop on their rides, given the Municipality's commitment to being a Dementia-friendly community.

The riders are staying the night in Kiama before heading back up to Bondi tomorrow. Some will be returning to Kiama soon to participate in L'Etape.

Dementia is the second leading cause of death of Australians and the leading cause of death among Australian women. 

Dementia Australia is the source of trusted information, education and services for the estimated half a million Australians living with dementia, and the almost 1.6 million people involved in their care.

To add to their fundraising efforts, go to https://www.bondi2berry.com/