An 82-year-old charity cyclist, Bob Montgomery, has died a day after completing a 5,300-kilometer ride across Australia to raise funds for charity. The news was reported by infohub.kz.
His family said in a statement on social media that his death was "unexpected" but "peaceful." He passed away a day after finishing what he had dubbed "One Last Ride" from Broome in Western Australia to Bowral, south-west of Sydney.
He and his 18-year-old grandson, Tom Malcolm, raised about A$105,000 ($74,000; £55,000) for a motor neurone disease (MND) charity during the six-week ride. The family said it was his sixth fundraising ride in support of MND NSW, a cause that was deeply personal to him.
His wife of 59 years, Jenny, was by his side during his "peaceful passing." The family said he was "still passionately sharing his message only hours before his passing."
According to the national broadcaster ABC, Montgomery and his grandson arrived in Bowral on Sunday to "roaring applause" from the local community. He told ABC that he had been motivated by meeting people along the way and enjoying a "beer or two" at each stopover. "There's so many stories and so many people we met along the way who put their hands into their pockets to throw some cash in, which is fantastic," Montgomery was quoted as saying.