Mount Isa competitors Lynda Jones, Maureen and Tony Sweeney will tick off the annual Cairns to Karumba (C2K) Charity Bike Ride after starting in Cairns last Saturday.

Jones said the trio was looking forward to finishing in Karumba after traversing North Queensland for six days.

“Four years ago I did my first long distance ride tour and loved it so much I promised myself I would do one every year,” she said.

“I’ve wanted to do the C2K for a little while now and when my good friend Tony Sweeney said he was keen to do it in 2015 we locked it in.”

The Mount Isa cycling trio is also accompanied by two support crew.

“We’ve been planning it for months and super excited to be finally on our way to Karumba,” Jones said earlier this week.

For Jones, preparation for the grueling 780km ride consisted of heading out on the bike for training up to five times a week since January.

The intensity was stepped up to longer distances of 200-250km, with at least one ride of 100km a week in the six to eight weeks leading up the ride.

At the start of the event, Jones said she was looking forward to the “tough hill climbing and some long days in the saddle” while also meeting the “crazy cycling characters” renowned for competing in these trips.

“I’m expecting to have an awesome adventure and get to see some of the beautiful North Queensland country,” she said.

“I’m mostly looking forward to pushing myself hard physically and getting right out of my comfort zone.

“I know I’m going to be a stronger rider by the end of this week and mentally tougher.

“It’s always such an awesome feeling to complete such a hard event. The sense of achievement is worth every minute of pain.”

This year the ride consisted of 180 riders - 100 road riders with 80 mountain bike riders, taking alternate routes over off-road tracks.

The ride took cyclists to Atherton, Mt Garnet, Mt Surprise, Georgetown, Croydon and Normanton before finishing in Karumba today.

After 17 years of the event, almost $1 million dollars has been raised to assist students in remote locations gain access to improved educational opportunities.

The 2015 ride has raised more than $67,000 with a finishing goal of $100,000.

The ride also supports communities along the way - and one of those was Ravenshoe.

Jones said she was thrilled to help raise $2800 during the riders’ stop in Ravenshoe, helping the town recover after the devastating gas explosion last month.