north east regional extra | July 7 - 13, 2021
nemedia.com.au
1.
July 7 - 13, 2021
Getting back on his bike
By BELINDA HARRISON
◆ READY TO RIDE: Izaak Raaijmakers will continue his ride from the end of July, all going well.
ALMOST one year ago, 19 year old Sydney-sider Izaak Raaijmakers (pronounced Is-ark Rye-markers) decided he would set off on a ride around Australia to raise money for Type 1 Diabetes. Izaak’s 11 year old sister, Adela, had been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was seven years old so he was quite familiar with the treatments and struggles. Izaak completed his HSC last year and decided he would take a gap year in 2021, and that his ride would take up a good portion of it. “I wanted to get out and see what was out there,” he said. “I wanted something that would get me out of my comfort zone while doing something worthwhile.” Izaak’s goal was to raise $1 for every kilometre he intended to ride - which equated to $15,000 - and by the time he found himself in Wangaratta in April 2021, he was only $2000 shy. His time in the North East will be particularly memorable; for good and bad reasons. Having left Sydney on March 19, Izaak travelled to Kiama in NSW, then inland to Canberra, through Gundagai and Tumut before turning towards Falls Creek and arriving in the King Valley. He had completed around 1250km by that stage and on April 4, found himself in the picturesque valleys and hills of Whitfield. “I had ridden about 145kms that day, which was the longest I’d ever ridden at one time,” Izaak said. “I was pretty tired and hadn’t really eaten or had enough to drink and I had decided on a different route to my original plan so there were a whole heap of things that contributed to what happened next.” What happened was that Izaak nicked a rock, was thrown from his bike (over the handlebars) and blacked out before hitting the ground. He woke up on his chest with his left elbow fractured/ dislocated so badly that it was twisted 5-10cm in the wrong direction. “I think he lost concentration for just a moment,” Izaak’s mother, Emma said. “I felt that he had been riding too many kilometres each day, but he’s young and was feeling good so while his body was coping well, his mind might have been too tired and he missed the warning signs.” “I was really very lucky; I was wearing a helmet and I had no damage to my neck,” Izaak added.
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