100 Days Out: Greg Hire Gears Up for the Telethon Alcoa Cycle Challenge with Purpose

The countdown has begun. One hundred days until Telethon 2025, one hundred days until Greg Hire, former Perth Wildcats star turned mental health advocate, takes to the pedals again. For Greg Hire this is not simply a fundraising ride. It is a symbol of resolve, compassion, and the kind of leadership that wears out tyres to spark hope.

Pedalling for Something Bigger Than the Ride

Greg Hire is no stranger to pushing boundaries. Last year he cycled more than 3,200 kilometres from Kununurra to Perth to support suicide prevention. The West Australian This time he is leading the Alcoa Cycle Challenge, an eight-hour ride held in conjunction with Telethon’s family festival. The West Australian What makes this challenge resonate is the layered purpose: support for sick, vulnerable, and disadvantaged children across Western Australia; raising awareness around mental health; and modeling what persistence and community action look like.

Joining Hire in this challenge are other public figures and everyday people whose stories intertwine with the cause. Xavier Ellis, former West Coast Eagles player, signs on to ride. His connection is deeply personal: his young nephew lives with cystic fibrosis. The West Australian Schools are also involved. Year 12 students including Rory Thorpe and Max Clarke are pushing themselves to be part of something larger than marks and exams. The West Australian Together they represent what community means: shared work, shared risk, shared hope.

The Stakes Are Real—And Emotional

Numbers tell part of the story. Telethon raises funds every year for hundreds of beneficiaries. This year the Alcoa Cycle Challenge adds a new physical dimension to the fundraising mix. It demands endurance, it demands sacrifice, and it betokens visibility. People will see the effort; that amplifies its meaning. The West Australian

But beyond metrics, the emotional landscape is what lingers. For Hire, the ride is an act of giving back. He describes his long ride last year as both exhausing and rewarding, but especially a calling. The West Australian For participants like Ellis, it is a chance to translate personal experience into public empathy. For students, it is a chance to stand up for causes beyond their age, to find strength in community, to feel part of something lasting.

And for the wider WA public, this is more than another charity event. It is a reminder that mental health and childhood vulnerability are not abstract. They are lived. Every ride, every dollar, every story shared brings closer the idea that our society measures success not just in athletic feat or trophy, but in the lives we touch.

What Needs to Happen Next

With 100 days on the clock preparation becomes essential. Here are what steps matter:

1. Visibility and Storytelling: The more people hear Hire’s story, Ellis’s connection, students’ excitement, the more momentum builds. Media, social media, community events—all are levers.

2. Logistics and Support Systems: An eight-hour ride demands safety, training, rest stations, medical back-up. Organisers must ensure riders are prepared physically and mentally.

3. Fundraising Pathways: It must be easy for supporters to donate, to sponsor, to follow. Clear options for teams, individuals, corporate partnerships, school involvement help amplify reach.

4. Mental Health Messaging: This is central. Not as an add-on, but as part of the core narrative. Mental health awareness must be woven into the challenge—not just in speeches, but in how the event functions: rest breaks, peer encouragement, acknowledgment of hardship.

5. Legacy and Continuity: This challenge follows on from past physical challenges in support of Telethon. Hire references Matt Fuller’s legacy. The West Australian The goal is not a one-off gesture but something that can inspire ongoing action, year after year.

A Takeaway Beyond the Ride

In 2025, what we need more than ever is small courage multiplied. Greg Hire’s challenge is not simply about riding a bicycle for hours. It is about commitment to invisible struggles. It is about saying that when someone battles mental health, when a child faces illness or disadvantage, we will not stand aside.

Telethon, via the Alcoa Cycle Challenge, offers a stage for that promise. It invites all of us—in whatever strength we have—to participate. Whether by riding, sponsoring, cheering, or speaking out, the impact lies in joining.

At TMFS we believe that hope is built by grit, transparency, and shared effort. We believe that when public figures engage openly, when communities unite around challenge and cause, real change happens. This ride, 100 days in advance, is our reminder that change does not wait.

If you are able, mark your calendar. Sign up. Share the message. Back the ride. The journey will be tough. The reward will be lasting.

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