By Kyra Gillespie
Rhys Davie is gearing up to cycle over a thousand kilometres to raise vital funds and awareness for a rare disease, which claimed the lives of the two most important men in his life.
A P.E teacher at Pakenham Springs Primary School and father of one, Rhys will take off from Pakenham and finish at the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
He has given himself ten days to complete the arduous, 1100km journey.
“At 22 years of age my twin brother and I lost our dad and uncle to a rare disease called Fabry; a disease which affects the body’s enzyme distribution,” Rhys said.
“The disease can cause things such as strokes, blood flow deficiencies, kidney failure and renal failure, resulting in a really slow, prolonged death.
“With no treatment available, my cousin Megan Fookes worked tirelessly and formed Fabry Australia which is now a nationally recognised, government-supported foundation.
“My mission is to ride from my school – Pakenham Springs to Sydney Harbour to try and ‘bridge’ the gap in the awareness we have around rare diseases.
“The funds that are raised will help support, research and treat this disease.”
Departing on Saturday 22 September, Rhys will travel through the high country past the Buchan Caves, through Jindabyne, Nowra, Bateman’s Bay, and all the way through to the finish line on Monday 8 October.
He has been training for the past four months, waking at 5am each morning before a busy day of teaching.
The avid cyclist will complete the entire trip solo, with no support crew or team to cheer him on at the end.
“The fact that it will be just me is always the biggest surprise for most people,” he said.
“I suppose it’s not that normal in this day and age to do something this big solo, but I really feel like this is something I have to do alone.
“When the going gets tough you need a go-to, something you really believe in.
“I’ll break the journey up into achievable chunks, and if I ever hit a hurdle – either physical or mental – I put on the Beatles or Jimi Hendrix; something that my dad would have listened to.”
He has planned all his stops and will take his own food on the back of the bike, with Nutella sandwiches, nuts, carbs and electrolytes high on the food priority list.
Rhys is no stranger to physical challenge; he has undertaken triathlons in France, Japan, Malaysia, Korea and New Zealand, to name a few.
He and his wife Sarah both take on their fair shares of Iron Man and triathlon competitions.
“He doesn’t give himself enough credit,” Sarah said.
For Rhys, fitness has always played a significant role in the way he lives his life.
“Fitness is my way of celebrating the fact that I am able-bodied; it’s a real privilege and I celebrate that by being the best version of myself while I’m here.
“You really learn a lot about yourself, how tough you are mentally.
“I also like the honesty and rawness of it; if you’ve got $10 million in the bank it doesn’t mean you can run faster than me. If you’re from a less fortunate upbringing that doesn’t mean you can’t be the best athlete.
“No-one knows that thing about each other; it’s just you against everybody else.”
Rhys wanted to thank the school community for supporting his endeavour, as well as the staff at Life of Bikes in Pakenham for their support.
To contribute to Rhys’s journey, head to give.everydayhero.com/au/spring-off-to-sydney-harbour.
