Many gathered at Outback at Isa on Saturday to see Cooke escorted into town by the Mount Isa Fire Brigade and complete his ‘Gloria for Cancer Ride’ in support of his mother.

Cooke said he wanted to participate in the ride after his mother passed away from metastatic bladder cancer in April.

“There is a history of cancer in my family so I thought I would do the ride to raise awareness and money for the cause,” he said.

“I thought I would ride back here from Brisbane as I had lived here for 13 years and it was a good opportunity to catch up with friends.”

While living in Mount Isa, Cooke worked as a Mount Isa Mines employee before working for Queensland Fire and Rescue, in which he still works on the Sunny Coast today.

After riding unsupported for 13 days, Cooke arrived in Mount Isa successfully raising $6892 for the foundation.

“This is the longest solo ride I have done- actually this is the longest ride I have ever done,” Cooke said.

“I was lucky enough to have great weather all the way with some good tail winds and most of the traffic was really good.

“I received some great country hospitality, with people wanting to buy me dinner and drinks and I went and had a massage and the lady gave it to me for free.”

Cooke said people from different towns also joined him in on his ride.

“People would ride out of town with me and ride for 10 or 20 kilometres then turn around and go back. It was nice to have some company and have a chat to different people,” he said.

“I averaged between 160 to 170-kilometres a day which were decent days for a cyclist.

“On the final stretch of my journey I had Mount Isa riders join me from Cloncurry to Mount Isa, it was a nice way to complete my ride.”

Cooke updated his Facebook page daily with posts of his journey and said it was never too late to donate.

You can donate at ‘Gloria for Cancer Ride’ Facebook page or donate at this link: http://bit.ly/2areS7c