Avid biker Mick Keenan will be taking on a different kind of ride this weekend as he pedals for mental health awareness.

From 6am to 6pm on Sunday, August 24, he will be riding laps of the Rochester Recreation Reserve to raise awareness and funds for Beyond Blue.

Mr Keenan said the idea came to him last year, as he was actively biking long distances at the time.

“I do a lot of bike riding, and I was doing long distances to Elmore, Strathallan and Nanneella,” he said.

“I just had the thought ‘why don’t I do a charity ride?’ not really knowing what to do or how to go about it.

“Last year for the Royal Children’s Hospital, this fellow ran laps around the hospital by way of making money and I thought ‘why don’t I do it around the oval?’ and that’s how it came about.”

In preparation for the charity ride, Mr Keenan has been training by increasing his bike rides to improve his endurance and fitness.

When Mick first planned the ride, he expected to tackle it solo, but as word spread through town, community members began volunteering to join him.

“A lot of people have been putting their hands up,” he said.

“Whenever I go down the street, people call out ‘Oh, Mick, you’ve got a bike ride happening’ so, people know about it, it’s good.”

Mr Keenan has now amassed around 30 riders, many from the Rochester Football Netball Club, who will help him complete the laps on the day.

During the event, community members are also welcome to head down to the reserve to cheer on the riders.

Mr Keenan said that while donations were not the goal, they would be welcomed.

“The main goal was to bring about the awareness of it mainly, but if people want to donate on the day, we’ll have a donation box there and that’ll be good as well,” he said.

Donations can also be made any time online at tinyurl.com/2rzafd6a

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