Collie man Michael Hart to give back in his third charity bike ride for the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation

In a bid to raise money and give back to a charity that previously supported his family, a Collie man is set to venture on a massive bike ride along the east coast.

Michael Hart is one of six people embarking on an epic six-day bike ride from Newcastle to Brisbane, raising money for the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation.

Mr Hart, his fellow riders and their crew will depart from Newcastle on Saturday January 14 and arrive in Brisbane on Thursday January 19, with stops in Taree, Byron Bay and the Gold Coast.

The Herbalife Nutrition Foundation Bike Ride is in its eighth year, and it will be Mr Hart’s third time taking part in the initiative.

This year’s ride is the first one since 2019 after the event was disrupted by COVID-19, with its location changing from South Australia to the east coast.

Since its inception in 2014, the HNF Bike Ride has raised over $500,000 for charities in Australia and New Zealand, with funds designed to support children in need of good nutrition and nutrition education.

Speaking to the South Western Times, Mr Hart said he first heard about the ride in 2018 after he and his family received support from the foundation while his son was in palliative care.

“There’s six organisations that the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation supports and the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation is one of them,” he said.

“Because my family and I have spent time at Princess Margaret Hospital when my son passed away from a brain tumour, we received a lot of support from the foundation.

“I thought it would be good to give back and help the foundation continue to support those in need.

“I’ve done it twice before in 2018 and 2019 so I’m definitely getting back into it after a few years off and training has been pretty steady.”

Mr Hart has already been accepting donations leading up to the ride with the aim of raising $5000.

“We really just want to bring awareness to the group and the organisations they support,” he said.