He cycled from west to east across Australia, covering more than 5,300 kilometers in six weeks. All to raise funds for research against motor neuron disease (MND), a group of rare and progressive neurodegenerative diseases in which the neurons that control voluntary muscles become damaged and die (the most common and serious form is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS). The day after the finish line, however, Bob Montgomery died suddenly. He was 82 years old.
After the family celebrations for the milestone achieved, Montgomery was struck by a sudden illness. His wife Jenny, to whom he had been married for 59 years, remained by his side until the end. The family spoke of “an unexpected but peaceful death”, recalling how a few hours earlier he still continued to enthusiastically share the message of his initiative.
View this post on Instagram
The sudden illness
The one just concluded represented the sixth crossing organized to support research into motor neuron disease, a pathology which had also affected one of his family members. The man had renamed his undertaking “One last ride”, starting from Broome, in Western Australia, to arrive in Bowral, in New South Wales. At his side was his eighteen-year-old nephew Tom Malcolm, with whom he managed to raise around 105 thousand Australian dollars (more than 74 thousand US dollars, around 64 thousand euros) for an association that deals with research on the disease.