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The latest interview in our ‘Talking Cycling’ series is with Steve Waugh. The former captain of the Australian cricket team is about to embark on another edition of his “Captain’s Ride”.

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“It’s sort of stretching it to say I’m a ‘bike rider’,” he admits early in the interview but, the fact is: Steve Waugh is indeed a cyclist. He has come to ‘our’ sport not as an athlete but as a fundraiser.

The Steve Waugh Foundation hosts a charity event each year which helps raise funds to assist children with rare diseases.

On the first weekend of November 2017, he begins another adventure along with the likes of Cadel Evans, Richie Porte, Mark Webber, Adam Goodes, Shane Gould, Drew Ginn and Daley Thompson… and a host of others who will cover around 800km in six days.

Steve and his wife Lynette are putting their names to an endeavour that extends well beyond sport and his reputation as a cricket player, team captain, philanthropist, businessman, author appeals to a broad spectrum of the community. It allows him to spread a message of hope for children who are battling illnesses that few have ever heard of.

And it’s cycling that is part of an impressive, successful fundraising initiative.

The ride, that begins and ends in Hobart, provides a challenge for the participants and its designed to push the limits during the day. In the evenings there are talks about leadership and presentations from people associated with Waugh’s charities.

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Watch RIDE’s interview with Steve Waugh on YouTube, click the link (above).

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Each night next week, stories about some of the recipients of grants from the Steve Waugh Foundation will be shown to the 100 or so riders who are riding around Tasmania – and they will get an insight into how important it is to raise funds for “the orphans of the health system”.

“A couple of years ago we wanted to have different events that people wanted to come to where they could raise funds,” Waugh explained.

“We wanted a challenging event that was going to be fun – and something that people would come back to each and every year without us hassling them to turn up…”

The aim of the six-day Captain’s Ride is to raise a million dollars and those funds are distributed to children living with rare diseases.

It’s a fantastic initiative that provides money – and hope – for people who have truly inspirational stories. Those who are living with rare diseases are often able to overcome enormous obstacles and even do so with a giant smile on their faces.

 

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Waugh was a fine cricketer, a player of repute who earned respect from his peers and the public alike for his gracious manner and impressive form with the bat. He likes to lead by example and he doesn’t shy away from a challenge.

He may not call himself a cyclist but he does certainly ride a bike – and he does so with purpose and with a very worth cause in mind.

During our discussion he talks about a wide range of topics including cycling, cricket, leadership, motivation, grace and poise… and there are lessons that can be learned – from Waugh and his associates.

He offers sage advice about life because of his experiences as a cricketer, a father, a husband, a brother, a philanthropist… a cyclist.

“If you train for something like cricket like I did for many years, you become very good at it – very successful. But then you want another life challenge,” he said, concluding our interview.

“I think everyone is looking to find purpose in your life.

“You’ve got to have something that wakes you and makes you excited about the day ahead. And that’s what I look for: the next challenge.

“I don’t know what I’m going to be doing in five years but I hope it’s something different to what I’m doing now. I don’t want to be doing the same thing for too long.

“I’ve learned that I want to test myself in as many ways as possible…

“There’s nothing wrong with changing direction in life; it happens to everyone. So long as what you’re doing next, you’re passionate about.

“If you haven’t got the passion then you’re doing the wrong thing.”

 

I hope you enjoy the interview and agree that “The Captain’s Ride” is a fantastic initiative for a community that deserves support – not just next week but every day of the year.

 

 

– By Rob Arnold

 

– For more visit the Steve Waugh Foundation’s website –

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Other interviews in the ‘Talking Cycling’ series:

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