A four-women cycling team has made history, completing a 4000-kilometre quad-tandem ride across Australia to raise funds and awareness for suicide prevention.
The Ride4Life team—comprising Adventist women Louise Ginn, Sonia Allum, Anna Lindbeck and Rachel Beaden— arrived at Bondi Beach after a six-week journey that began at Scarborough Beach, Perth. Their effort marks the first recorded quad-tandem crossing of Australia.
The ride was conducted in partnership with Gotcha4Life, a charity promoting mental fitness. Every day, nine Australians lose their life to suicide. Gotcha4Life aims to get that number down to zero and Ride4Life is just one small (but significant) part of making that dream a reality. During the trip, the cyclists visited schools, local clubs and community hubs to speak about mental fitness.
Each day began before dawn and often ended late at night. Behind them was a support crew from Avondale University, managing logistics, mechanical repairs, accommodation, meals and a media campaign that documented the journey.
Lindbeck described the experience as both gruelling and transformative. “We were literally talking about mental fitness along the road,” she said. “I feel like we journeyed through that as a team.”
For Beaden, the most difficult aspect was the constant filming for social media. “Having a camera following me at all times was a challenge,” she said. “Sometimes I had to look like I had it together when I didn’t.”
Support crew member Kalvin Dever said the operation required constant coordination. “There was a whole lot of logistical work happening in the background,” he said. “We never knew whether there would be a flat tyre or an accommodation issue that needed to be resolved.”
The cyclists said the most rewarding moments came through community encounters along the route. Lindbeck recalled people being moved to tears as they shared personal stories of loss and survival. Dever also recounted meeting a farmer who had once planned to take his own life. “He was set to kill himself. And he was at peace with all of it.” He then shared how his mates had been there for him, and how it had made all the difference.
Allum said faith had been a guiding element for the team. She pointed to the verse printed on the back of their jerseys—John 10:10: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” “There have been so many things that have gone wrong and it’s turned into something amazing.”
Donations to support the Ride4Life initiative remain open.
