2013 National 1 Day Ride Wrap Up

4,500+ riders on the roads and 1,700+ Winstons taken for a ride.

Proudly supporting Lifeline

The 2013 Black Dog Ride 'National 1 Day Ride' took place in generally fine weather throughout all of the States and Territories of Australia. From Darwin in the Top End to Kangaroo Island in the Southern Ocean and from the tiny cattle town of Dardanup in the West, to the mining town of Coober Pedy in Central Australia, to the Central Coast on the eastern seaboard nearly 5,000 riders and pillions jumped on their motorbikes to support the cause. The Ride was immensely successful in achieving its goal of raising awareness of depression and suicide prevention.

Black Dog Riders in Coober Pedy, March 24th 2013. Image by Barney.

As Black Dog Ride is an independent organisation whose primary mission is to raise awareness of depression and suicide prevention, every ride has a specially chosen beneficiary for the funds raised on the ride. Black Dog Ride has been proud to again support Lifeline with the National 1 Day Ride. Lifeline is the pre-eminent suicide prevention organisation in Australia, receiving over one million contacts per year, and a call for assistance on their crisis line every 50 seconds. Lifeline's suicide prevention programs save lives every day yet rely upon public generosity to maintain these vital programs around Australia.

Now to hear about the fruits of our labour over the past six months. We are thrilled to announce:

The Black Dog Ride - National 1 Day Ride
has raised over $190,000 for Lifeline!

These funds will help to maintain and build Lifeline's vital suicide prevention programs around the nation. The generosity of Black Dog Riders and supporters and their commitment to riding for awareness is truly humbling. Thank you, Black Dog Riders!

The media that this ride has produced is fantastic and helps us start the conversation of depression awareness in our communities. Have a look at the National 1 Day Ride Media Page. Can you spot any familiar faces?

Check out the chatter on the BDR Facebook Page & on Twitter and take a look at the National 1 Day Ride photo albums here. If you have any images of your ride, please email them to Fiona so they can be shared amongst the Black Dog Ride family. Contact details here.

Due to the overwhelming response we had for the ride - over 1,500 more riders participating that we expected! - we ran short of merchandise. If you missed out on your BDR Badges at ride check-in you can email the BDR Merchandise Officer Debbie with your postal address and she'll pop them in the post for you. The BDR Shop will be open again next week!

Let's take a look at how many Black Dog Riders took part in National 1 Day Ride:

	Winstons	Bikes	Pillions	TOTAL RIDERS
TAS	120	207	50	257
Bendigo	56	130	39	169
Bacchus Marsh	240	395	52	447
Penshurst	26	49	9	58
Canberra	93	189	15	204
Sydney	306	375	50	425
Central Coast	250	634	208	842
Helensvale	135	489	61	550
Mackay	30	90	13	103
Townsville	33	158	23	181
Kangaroo Isl.	45	57	15	72
Adelaide	50	106	16	122
Coober Pedy	8	7	*	7
Alice Springs	27	29	8	37
Darwin	90	158	33	191
Kalgoorlie	45	106	26	132
Dardanup	148	613	147	760
TOTALS	1702	3792	765	4557

*Coober Pedy also had 4 cars filled with 20 fantastic supporters following the riders.

Total Bikes: 3,792
Total Pillions: 765
Total Riders: 4,557
Total Black Dogs on Motorbikes: 1,702

And drumroll...... SYDNEY had the most Winstons on the day with 306 black dogs on bikes being used to raise awareness of depression and suicide prevention! Well done Sydney and congratulations to Nathan, Paula, the hardworking volunteers and Sydney Black Dog Riders for getting those dogs on bikes to start the conversation about depression awareness.

Dardanup, Western Australia is still the reigning World Record Holder with 330 Winstons on the 2012 National 1 Day Ride.

Well done to the sensational Black Dog Ride Coordinators in each State & Territory, volunteers who spend so much time and energy organising their leg of the National 1 Day Ride. They are inspirational people and our hats are off to them for their dedication to raising awareness of depression and suicide prevention.

We would be remiss not to mention and thank the fantastic sponsors whose support is vital to the success of these rides, and also the volunteers who worked behind the scenes supporting the Ride Coordinators. Without these volunteers behind the scenes the Black Dog Rides simply couldn't run as seemlessly as they do.

Finally, a heartfelt thank you to every Black Dog Rider across the country for supporting the Black Dog Ride mission. It's the Black Dog Riders hitting the highway for depression awareness who are starting the conversation and dragging the black dog out into the open. We hope to see you all again on the next Black Dog Ride!

Sydney Black Dog Riders on the road for depression awareness.
Image by John Rogers.

Let us know what you think about Black Dog Rider's awesome efforts in raising awareness and funds for suicide prevention here