Dave Biondo’s wife thinks he’s nuts. While many New Year’s Eve revellers may still be nursing hangovers, Mr Biondo will set off on January 3 for an 850-kilometre bike ride from Torquay to Adelaide.
The Doreen resident will cycle in a peloton of 30, and aims to complete the gruelling ride in just five days.
“I think it will be pretty hard,” Mr Biondo said.
“We’ll be riding 180 kilometres a day. We’ll leave Torquay on the Sunday and arrive on the Thursday.”
The group hopes the ride will raise about $100,000 for the Herbalife Family Foundation, which provides disaster relief and nutrition to children in need in more than 50 countries.
While the 177-centimetre, 78-kilogram 36-year-old looks every bit the athlete now, an injury three years ago caused him to gain a whopping 25 kilograms.
The personal trainer was forced to take five months off work to recover from a serious foot injury and he struggled to adjust to a sedentary lifestyle, having burned about 5000 calories a day in his prime.
An introduction to Herbalife, a global weight management and skin care product, by former Carlton footballer Anthony Koutoufides, helped get Mr Biondo back on track.
After his ride to Adelaide in January, he will keep up his training regime in preparation for an Iron Man event in New Zealand.
The contest involves a punishing 3.8- kilometre swim, 180-kilometre bike ride, and a marathon.
After that, he plans to go to Hawaii to take on the world’s most punishing Iron Man event.
