Waugh was one of 40 semi-experienced cyclists who departed Sydney on Sunday on their way to Byron Bay as part of the Captain’s Ride for the Steve Waugh Foundation for children and young adults with rare diseases.

But Gresford couple Kim and Scott Everett meet the leader of the pack when some of the riders called into their service station on their way to Dungog.

Many locals were hoping he might have been one of the cyclists who stopped in Dungog's main street for morning tea, but he was in the last group of riders to coming into town.

They were heading to Stroud for lunch and were quite late in getting to Dungog, so kept going.

Steve Waugh is riding the full 920km from Sydney to Byron Bay via Stroud and Gloucester.

One of the underlying objectives of the ride is to foster a sense of camaraderie and teamwork amongst the riders, provide a challenge that tests you both mentally and physically and create an experience that provides lifelong memories.

The Steve Waugh Foundation is somewhere to turn for children and young adults with a rare disease.

The rare disease patient is the orphan of the health system, often without diagnosis, without treatment, without research and therefore, without reason to hope.

The money raised allows the foundation to fund individual grants for medicine, specialised equipment and treatment therapies, as well as support respite camps for families and those living with rare diseases, plus raise awareness around rare diseases and rare disease research.