Meet NIGEL.
WHY I'm RIDING
If you know me, you'll know I'm pretty passionate about two things – the forestry industry and riding motorbikes. I've been lucky enough to spend a lot of years working with some incredible people right across Australia. The forestry industry is full of good, hardworking people, and over the years many of them have become good mates.
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One of those people is Colin McCulloch. Colin has been a mentor, a mate and someone I've always had a lot of respect for. Recently, Colin was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
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Like a lot of people, I'd heard of MND before, but it wasn't until I sat down with Colin over a coffee and saw what he was going through that it really hit home.
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You sit there looking at someone you've known for years and realise there's not a lot you can do to help. You feel frustrated, helpless and angry all at the same time. After that, I started having conversations with more people throughout the timber and forestry industry. What I discovered was that Colin's story wasn't unique.
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Far too many people had their own story.
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A mate. A parent. A workmate. A husband. A wife. A friend.
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MND has touched more people in our industry and our communities than I ever realised.
The more I heard, the more I realised just how far-reaching this disease really is.
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It doesn't care who you are.
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It doesn't care where you live, what job you do, how old you are or what your plans are for the future.
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It can touch anyone.
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That's when I started thinking about what I could do to help. I love riding bikes. I love being on the road. So I figured if I was going to do something, I wanted it to be something meaningful.
From 20 August to 25 September, I'll be riding a lap around mainland Australia, followed by a lap of Tasmania in December to raise awareness and funds for Motor Neurone Disease research.
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I'll travel through major cities, regional centres, country towns and some pretty remote parts of this amazing country.
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The ride itself has a purpose.
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Just like this journey will cover thousands of kilometres across Australia, MND reaches right across Australia too. It affects people from every background, every profession and every community.
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No one is immune from it.
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But while this ride is about highlighting how far this disease reaches, it's also about highlighting the incredible people and communities that stand behind those affected by it.
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Because if there's one thing I've learned working in forestry, it's that people show up when they're needed.
Whether it's a mate, a family member, a neighbour or someone you've never met before, Australians have a way of getting behind a good cause and helping where they can.
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Every kilometre I ride is for people like Colin, for the families living with MND, and for the hope that one day research can provide the answers we're all looking for.
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I know one bloke on a motorbike isn't going to cure MND.
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But if this ride can help raise awareness, raise funds and get a few more people talking about this disease, then it'll be worth every kilometre.
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I'd love for you to follow along, get involved if you can, and help us make a difference.
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Together, let's show that while MND may reach far and wide, so does the strength of the communities standing against it.
NIGEL HOWARD
MND BEAST RIDE
ONE MAN. ONE BIKE. ONE MISSION | DEFEAT THE BEAST
TO BE HONEST...
IT RATTLED ME.
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A Quick Message
from me
The Bike.
When I first started planning this ride, I knew I needed a bike I could rely on.
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Covering Australia is no small task. There'll be long days, changing conditions and plenty of kilometres between towns, so choosing the right bike was one of the most important decisions I had to make.
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The BMW R 1300 GS gives me confidence that I can focus on the ride and the reason I'm doing it, rather than worrying about the bike beneath me.
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It's comfortable enough for long days in the saddle, capable on everything from highways to country roads, and has the luggage capacity to carry everything I'll need for the journey ahead.
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At the end of the day, it's more than just a motorcycle.
It's the tool that's going to help me travel around Australia, meet incredible people, share stories about MND and hopefully raise as much awareness and support as possible.
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A huge thank you to the team at BMW Motorrad Geelong for getting behind the MND Beast Challenge.
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Their support has played a huge part in making this journey possible, and I'm incredibly grateful to have such a capable motorcycle beneath me as I take on this challenge.
