A group of motorbike riders, who pride themselves on aging disgracefully, are touring across the country to raise research funds for a condition that affects half a million Australians.
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Ulysses Club members, a social group for motorcyclists over the age of 40, made their first stop in Geelong, Victoria, on March 16 in the seven-day ride for rheumatoid arthritis.
The social club, which has already raised $500,000 for the cause, plans to pull into Armidale, NSW on March 24 with even more donations and stories of people they met on the way.
Keen motorcyclist and rheumatoid arthritis patient Ian Ray said he was "hanging" to hit the road, chat with fellow tourers and find new vanilla slices on the journey.
"I really like just getting out on the road. the twistier the better," he said.
The retiree was ticking the 2400-kilometre ride off his bucket list after a long journey back to mobility following his rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis.
"The last two years have been really challenging; losing my wife and getting this [rheumatoid arthritis] diagnosis really knocked me," he said.
The chronic disease crept up on Mr Ray. After months of doctor's visits, physio appointments and blood tests, he found that he couldn't get both feet off the ground and onto his bike pegs.
"Being able to chat with a group of like-minded people [from the Ulysses Club], even if I wasn't able to ride, was huge," he said.
"If I could get up and get mobile, it was a bit easier, but I struggled to get myself up every day."
In retirement Mr Ray had taken up his childhood hobby, the clarinet, but began struggling to play with the onset of the inflammatory disorder.
"I couldn't even close my hand into a fist so that obviously stopped the clarinet," he said.
"When I got a medication that started to work, it just changed my mental outlook completely. I'm looking forward again, I suppose."
Hitting the road
The tourers are taking a scenic route through country Australia as they visit Ulysses Club branches in Victoria, ACT and NSW.
The riders left from Geelong on March 16 and made stops at Ballarat, Bendigo and Echuca as they headed for the border.
Wodonga is the next stop before the racers head for Wagga Wagga, Canberra, Kiama and the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney.
The group will be collecting members as they head up the coast, through Newcastle, Port Macquarie and Tamworth before the riders arrive in Armidale for the Ulysses National Rally.
A fundraiser will be held at each club to raise money for research along the way.
Ride organiser Robert Hunt said each branch has raffle prizes that will be drawn as the tourers pass through town.
"We'll have signs up to explain what rheumatoid arthritis is and we'll take donations. We're rattling that donation bucket as well," he said.
New lease on life
Rheumatoid arthritis patient and retiree Cheryl Mahedy, who is a member of the Ulysses Club's South Coast NSW branch, will be doing the ride alongside her husband.
She spent weeks approaching businesses in her community for donations and raffle prizes to raise money during the cross-country tour.
Ms Mahedy's life changed seven years ago when she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.
"When I heard the words rheumatoid arthritis, I thought my life was over, actually," she said.
"My husband and I scuba dive. We have a boat - we're boaties - I could just see that I wouldn't be able, or potentially wouldn't be able, to do any of that again.
"And it wasn't just my life that would change completely, It was his as well."
Ms Mahedy has been on a steady road to recovery after being treated with methotrexate, a medication that treats rheumatoid arthritis by decreasing the activity of the immune system.
"I'm really blessed that I've managed to get so well again," she said.
Anna Houlahan
Anna Houlahan is a journalist for the Courier, dedicated to uncovering the stories that shape the city. Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.com.au
