DUAL Australia CEO, Damien Coates, has completed the 1,200km TourXOz charity bike ride, raising over $15,000 for mental health charities in the process.

Coates, who took part in the TourxOz event for the third time, completed the tour over eight days, spending six hours a day in the saddle each day on the journey from Perth to Broome.

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Temperatures during the ride cracked the 40 degree mark with Coates noting that the event was “extremely challenging” but for an important cause.

“On the ride there were so many people in the towns we visited that were experiencing mental health issues, particularly in the remote Aboriginal communities in the Kimberleys,” Coates said.

“Many of the riders also told stories of their journeys – whether it be a young lady whose father committed suicide, or a father whose 14-year old-daughter had committed suicide, through to a former policeman who had suffered for many years following post-traumatic stress from the scenes he had discovered.”

Over 60 other riders took part in the event with the aim of raising some $400,000 for the Black Dog Institute.

Over the last five years, Coates has been able to raise more than $200,000 for mental health charities such as Black Dog and Beyond Blue, with his latest effort raising more than $15,000.

“The one constant thing that is reinforced in any of the events I have done to support mental health, whether it be Black Dog or Beyond Blue, is that the best thing for anyone struggling with mental health is talking, diet and exercise and that is the best advice I can give anyone,” Coates continued.


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