The 24 riders and seven support crew roll out of Balranald about 6am today bound for Hay, 130km down the Sturt Highway.

Yesterday they had an “easy” 80km run from Robinvale to Balranald after Thursday’s epic 160km leg from Mildura to Robinvale.

That included a 39km leg along the Mourpoul Track in the Hattah Kulkyne National Forest.

Sandy and corrugated road surfaces with some undulations made it a tough haul.

The 160km was also the longest distance in the 10 years of Westpac charity rides.

While long, it was something of a “walk in the park” for Kurri Kurri’s Mt Mongrel Bastards, a group of long-distance charity riding mates who had completed a tour of Tasmania before joining up with the Tamworth riders in the Barossa Valley last Thursday.

“We’ll ride ‘til it’s dark if we have to,” Martin Parker said during the latter stages of Thursday’s marathon.

He, Phil Stewart, Jack Gillard and Alan Moyle are part of the Mt Mongrel Mad Bastards who rode from Broome to Newcastle (5620km) last year.

“The year before, we did Africa,” Parker said.

“On the Broome ride we averaged 185km a day, did 234km in one day and (on) the Longreach to Toowoomba leg, we rode 1000km in five days.”

Maurice Doughan has been in the support crew for most of those rides and recalled one famous day.

“They rode 400km on mountain bikes in one day,” he said.

“Went from Bourke to Dubbo. Started at midnight and finished at 8.30pm. Started with 15 and finished with seven.”

Thursday’s leg might not be the toughest day in the history of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service Charity Bike Rides, but it was certainly the longest.

Thursday’s stage from Mildura to Robinvale was originally a 135km stage through some gravel roads in the Hattah Kulkyne National Park.

However, rain had closed the scouted tracks and what followed was a war of attrition, a 160km leg, comprising some 38km of sandy, corrugated and undulating road along the Mournpoul Track.