Charity cyclist, 82, dies a day after 3,300 mile ride across Australia

What the report says

An 82-year-old Australian charity cyclist, Bob Montgomery, has died a day after completing a 3,300-mile (5,300km) cross-country ride that he called “One Last Ride,” BBC World News reported. Montgomery finished the six-week journey from Broome in Western Australia to Bowral, south-west of Sydney, alongside his 18-year-old grandson, Tom Malcolm, and the pair raised about A$105,000 for a motor neurone disease charity.

According to the BBC story, Montgomery’s family said his death was unexpected but peaceful. They said his wife, Jenny, was with him at the time of his passing and that he had been speaking passionately about the cause only hours earlier. The family described the fundraising effort as his sixth ride in support of MND NSW and said the issue was personally important to him.

The report said Montgomery was welcomed by local supporters when he arrived in Bowral on Sunday, and he later continued on to Sydney where the family gathered again to celebrate. He had previously said he was motivated by people he met along the route and by his desire to help others affected by motor neurone disease, a condition he had seen affect family and friends. In a statement, MND NSW chief executive Liam O’Meara said he was deeply saddened by the death and described Montgomery as a valued supporter.