The riders Mark Mason and James Turner were joined by two friends, Scott Dickson and Cam Collard, with support provided by the wives of the four riders on and off the road. In a show of incredible support one of the major sponsors of the ride – Josh Rich from King River Ag – also joined the riders for the final two days of riding in France.

The ride took the boys through some spectacular scenery ranging from the starting point high in the Pyrenees mountains, through dense woodlands and forests, on to wine country through the Bordeaux region and then on to the stunning coastline of North West France. Whilst the weather gods mostly smiled on the riders throughout the ride, they set off in the mist and rain in Lourdes and rode into their finish point in France – the 8th Wonder of the World Mont Saint-Michel – in torrential rain. It is difficult to capture every moment in print but suffice to say all riders created memories for life.

The ride then transitioned to the UK where the boys joined a charity ride for Lord Ian Botham’s Beefy Foundation that would ultimately deliver them to Lords Cricket Ground. Day 1 of the UK ride departed from Portsmouth on the South East Coast of the UK (with a quick unauthorised detour whilst slightly lost through a British naval base!!) in dangerous 70+km/ hr cross winds which saw the riders thankful of some coverage from the hedgerows and forests of the South Downs National Park.

A highlight of the ride was then spending the evening in the company of sporting legends Lord Ian Botham, Sir Bill Beaumont (British and Irish Lions legend) and Sir Bradley Wiggins (Tour de France winner and 5 x Olympic Gold Medalist) in the village pub run by the brother of Hayley Mason. This event saw an incredible £5,283 raised for the Beefy Foundation which supports multiple medical research charities in the UK.

The last day of the ride saw the riders joined by another 20 riders from all across the UK as well as Messers Botham (albeit riding in a rare 1912 Rolls Royce Ghost) Beaumont and Wiggins. Sore, tired and emotional the riders made their way through the sacred gates of Lords Cricket Ground to complete their mission.

Celebration ensued with the riders given special permission to access the playing field of Lords to celebrate their achievements. This was followed by a dinner celebration that night in the Long Room at Lords alongside a who’s who of English cricket and politics. Rumor has it they gave Mark the microphone when the conversation of the upcoming Ashes Series was being discussed and he left the room in no doubt that Australia would be the victors!!

The Road to Research team are almost at their goal of raising $100,000 for their chosen charity Breakthrough T1D. With the kitty currently at $90,870 with further commitments of just under $6,000 to be received in the coming weeks the final push is on to hit the goal.

Anyone wishing to donate can go to https://bluearmy.breakthrought1d.org.au/fundraisers/markmason/road-to-research.

The entire Road to Research team is incredibly humbled by the incredible support of the community and can only say Thank You, Thank You Thank You to everyone who has provided their support and encouragement over the past 18 months as this project has evolved.

Road to Research – R2R

• The dream of the Dads is to find a cure for T1D.
• Type 1 diabetes can strike anyone at any time, and 7 Australians are diagnosed every day.
• Diabetes is a condition that occurs when you body can’t maintain healthy levels of glucose (sugar) in your blood.
• Type 1 diabetes is when your immune system attacks and destroys the cells in your pancreas that normally make insulin.
• Symptoms of type 1 diabetes include thirst, frequent urination, weight loss and fatigue.

This article appeared in Allora Advertiser, 29 October 2025.