My Fundraising...

The main aim of the Beat Cancer Tour is for riders to raise funds for the Cancer Council that goes towards the Beat Cancer Project.

The Beat Cancer Project is a strategic cancer research partnership between Cancer Council SA, SA Health, and South Australia’s flagship research facility the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

Cancer Council's Beat Cancer Project has one vision – to bring us closer than ever to a future without cancer... and we have every reason to believe it is possible!

Thanks to the contribution of cancer research, over the last 20 years in Australia we have seen;
 
- Cancer deaths fall by approximately 14%
- Survival rates for many common cancers increase by as much as 30%
- An estimated 61,000 Australian lives saved by improvements in cancer prevention, screening and treatment

Thanks to your generous support, Cancer Council SA is investing $10 million into Cancer Council's Beat Cancer Project over five years, to be matched by SA Health, creating a pool of funds totalling $20 million – making it the single largest source of funding for cancer research and infrastructure within our state.

Through investing these funds with SAHMRI, Cancer Council’s Beat Cancer Project will not only ensure that the donations given by our generous supporters are strategically targeted to cancer research projects that are needed most, it will also ensure that the research being undertaken is of the highest standard and enable further funding to be acquired.

My Fundraising Ideas:

When I was accepted onto the Beat Cancer Tour team my aim was do fundraise $25,000, and my official finishing total ended up being $32,954 !!!!!!

Some of the things I did were:

Catch the Crowds:
This was my biggest contributor.  I had some signs made up and stood out the back of the Adelaide Railway Station when there was a football or cricket game on and catch the crowd as they walked towards the bridge to Adelaide Oval.



Raising Funds Outside The Railway Station On Game Days

I stood here for around 3-4 hours each game day and generated anywhere between $500 - $900 per game.  I also got to talk to and meet many people, some with very touching cancer stories of their own.

CULLEN Real Estate:
I am fortunate enough to own my own  real estate business. 

Beat Cancer Tour Sticker On Our Window

Before the Beat Cancer Tour came along, every month I would make a donation out of the commissions I made to Canteen - an organisation that helps young people deal with the challenges cancer brings.  I then moved these donations to my fundraising effort.
I also has a sticker made up to put on my office window, and also promoted the Beat Cancer Tour on flyers I sent out to the local neighbourhoods.
I wrote letters to the people who had bought and sold from me before, and also tenants and landlords, many of whom were happy to donate!




Leaflets Distributed Around My Neighbourhood



 

 

 

Mum's 80th: 

My mum celebrated her 80th birthday this year and in lieu of receiving presents she asked people to donate to the Cancer Council via my fundraising instead.

 

She also put the word out to all her friends and our extended family, many who donated - some even twice!!

 

Thank you very much mum!

 

Mum and I at her 80th Celebration Dinner

 

 

My Swag Forum:

We are members of the myswag.org internet forum - a forum for offroad camper trailer enthusiasts.  This year I led a two week trip for interstate members to the Flinders Ranges.

 

Every morning the campers in our group would drop off all their 10c recylables to me which they had consumed the night before, I would wash them, crush them, and then carry them in a bag tied to our van.

 

The group also got together and donated $200 as a thank you for organising the trip!

 

Holding Up The 'Cheque' Given To Me By The MySwag Flinders Trip Crew

 

 

 

Adelaide Jeep Club:

 

We are also members of the Adelaide Jeep Club and have been since we bought our first Jeep back in 2004.  Although we are now Land Cruiser owners, (as many Jeep owners experience the 'Jeep Thing' too they also move to other brands - over half of our club are non-Jeeps!!), we have made many great friends within the Club.

 

Alot of members made individual donations as well as the Club as a whole donating $200 to me.

 

2 Handmade Quilts:

Caroline, a lady I sold a house to, put in a massive amount of time and effort to donate two handmade quilts to my fundraising effort.

I placed both the quilts on eBay and both were snapped up by an interstate buyer!

Caroline Presenting Me With One Of Her Handmade Quilts

10c Recyclables & Money Box:

 

We keep our 10c recylables and after rinsing them place them in a bucket.  It's surprising to see how much these add up to over the year.

 

We also have a little Cancer Council money box on a table where we place our car keys.  Each time we come home I empty the coins out of my wallet and into the box.  Again it is surprising how much this can add up to over time!

 

My Friends, Faceboook, and E-mail:

 

A HUGE THANK YOU has to go out to my Facebook friends and E-mail acquaintences.  Since March this year I have pestered them relentlessly asking them to support me with donations, sharing my Facebook posts to their friends, and giving me encouragement along the way.

 

These friends extend to old school friends, people I haven't even seen in over 25 years but still communicate with, the awesome Megabike cycling community, from the MySwag Forum and Jeep Club and more.  I can't Thank You enough and it is because of generous people like you that has made this all worth while!

 

My Family:

 

A MASSIVE THANK YOU goes out to to my wife Catie and sons Oliver and Jasper.

My wife held very strong holding down the fort of both house and business during my accident and was so supportive and patient with me during my recovery - I can't thank you enough.

 

My boys are always there with me - they have come out fundraising with me, Ollie was there beside me the first time I go on the wind trainer after my accident, rode Amy's Ride with me, and has been out on many of my rides with me.

 

I am very lucky to have such an awesome family - the time taken for training for the Beat Cancer Tour, plus the time for the fundraising effort has meant less time with them, but they have been very understanding, realising that participating in the Beat Cancer Tour is a dream come true for me.

 

Finally I would like to say that my fundraising journey has been very humbling and rewarding.  I have met some extrordinary people, realised the true friendships I have, and are blessed to be surrounded by the people I am close to.

 

Thank You to everyone that has donated to me and/or supported me in this journey, now let the riding begin....

Training...

Below is a snapshot of the training I have been doing leading up to the Beat Cancer Tour.

These are a few of my favourite training rides.  I don't do each of them every week, however I try and get in anywehre between 4 and 6 rides depending if I can get the time off from work that is needed, my body is injury free, I am not too tired due to working late the night before, the kids don't have anything on that I am needed to transport them too etc etc.


To Birdwood and back including Checkers Hill, Corkscrew, and Eagle on the Hill to Mt. Lofty - 158kms

This is my longest and hardest ride for the week.  I do it all in the top chain ring except for the three climbs to build strength in the legs.  This is particularly hard going up Gorge Rd, and also the unulations on the way back at about the 98km mark.

I have covered 118kms by the time the last climg up Eagle on the Hill to Mt. Lofty arrives, so the legs are certainly feeling it going up there.

This ride takes about 6hrs including a stop in Birdwood for a hot chocolate and a bite to eat.




To Birdwood and back

Easy Ride to Outer Harbour and Seacliff - 78kms

After yesterday's hard ride this one is the total opposite - an easy flat one done in the small chain ring to spin the legs.
I play a game on this ride called 'lets see how many people can pass me' so I don't start getting competitive and chase people down that I can see ahead of me!

This is a very popular route for cyclists so quite often I can get on the back of a group and just have a nice and easy ride.  It is also great during the summer months as there are many people walking along the beach, and the views out over the ocean are superb!



Easy Ride to Outer Harbour then Seacliff

 



Wednesday: Mega Spin Mega Advanced Class

I have mentioned these classes previously so just briefly, throughout the year when Megabike holds these classes I really enjoy participating in them, even though they are 90mins of suffering and sweating!!  It's an early morning start with the classes going from 6.30am-8am.

The classes are quite varied each week from sprinting, practising surges, climbing, time trials etc.  I have noticed a huge difference in my road riding since doing these classes and I can very highly recommend them.  Even Oliver is doing them now (he is in the beginners class though!!).

Mega Spin Mega Advanced Class

Ryan O'Keefe Ride Up Norton Summit then to Outer Harbour - 117kms

Ryan O'Keefe (ex Sydney Swans player) is one of the helper riders on the Beat Cancer Tour (BCT) so he invited participants that they could join in on this ride on a Thursday morning, which is done at a brisk pace.

Brisk - I think that was a subtle warning - this group is fast!!  The first time I went out with them I set a PR (Personal Record) up Norton Summit!!  From the summit we then go across to Mt. Lofty, then come down the Old Freeway back to the city for coffee.  The loop is only 50kms, but it is a hard and fast 50kms.

I then go a bit further to Outer Harbour and back, and a more sensible pace, and end up with a ride of over 115kms.



Ryan O'Keefe Ride

Triple Challenge - up Norton Summit, Eagle on the Hill, and Greenhill Rd, all to Mt. Lofty - 113kms

This ride is pretty much the same distance but has alot more climbing in it as I am going up to Mt. Lofty three times, but the pace is no where near the same as the one above as I am on my own and just enjoying the riding and the scenery that goes with it!

I consider Norton Summit the easist to climb, so I start with this one, then the next easiest is Eagle on the Hill (the Old Freeway), and Greenhill Rd the most difficult as it has quite a steep beginning, and there are no flat bits to give you any rest.  So I go from easiest to hardest on this ride.

Each time I reach the summit I have a couple of minutes break to have a gel, something to eat like a museli bar, and of course a drink.

The ride takes about 4h30mins, and is almost 3000m of climbing (Mt. Lofty is Adelaides highest point at 950m).



Triple Challenge

Megabike Saturday Ride: To the Bower Rd Roundabout and back - 75kms

I have two Saturday rides that I choose from, but this is the main one I do - usually because my legs are tired and I want an easier ride, and also because Oliver quite often joins in on this one too.

The other one I do leaves from the old Megabike shop in Hyde Park and is called the Fast 40's.  The pace is higher and goes all the way to Outer Harbour, and I do this ride is Oliver is not riding, or if the legs are feeling good and I want a fast one.

The first one leaves the Megabike shop in Rundle St at 7.30am, but I take the long way there going along Port Rd and down Robe Tce just to get in a few kms extra beforehand and it is done at an easy pace with the right hand lane doing 35kmh, and the left hand lane doing 30kmh, that way giving each rider a small turn on the front with plenty of time to recover.

We then ride back to the city for coffee and a chat, and then I just come home. 



Saturday Megabike Ride

 Sunday Surprise Ride - approx 90kms

By far my favourite ride of the week.  Every second Sunday Claud from Megabike takes us on a surprise ride in that we don't know where we are going until we get there.  Sometimes we head up Clarendon way, sometimes through Belair, and sometimes through Stirling and Aldgate and Hahndorf.

I like these rides the best as quite often we go on roads and climbs that I have never done before so it makes it interesting.  The rides I do my myself I have done hundreds of times before and just about know every inch of the road, so these ones gets me out to new places, seeing new views, going through little towns, and all with a great group of people!



Sunday Surprise Ride

All up I ride anywhere from 300 - 520kms per week plus the spin class over the 4-6 rides per week. As I write this, just a week and a half out from the Beat Cancer Tour, in the past three weeks I have set PR's up all the hills that I do, so my form is currently very good.

The biggest thing I am concerned about is having to back up day after day, and not getting a rest day at all. Approx 900kms in one week is way longer than any week I have had previously, my record being 540km, but I feel that I have put in the effort, and have the advantage of being in a group and not having to be out in the wind for the whole ride like I am when I go out on my own, so am quietly confident of meeting the challenge!!

 

To Make A Donation To My Beat Cancer Tour Fundraising:

https://secure.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=880491&Referrer=http%3a%2f%2fwww.beatcancertour.com.au%2f

Sunday Mail Article

I was given a call By Sam at the Cancer Council to see if I was interested in writing a few lines about my accident, training, and fundraising efforts for them to submit to the media to try and get the Beat Cancer Tour some exposure.

 

'Of Course' was my immediate answer, then my composition went to the Cancer Council's media advisor, Georgia, who refined my words to make it 'media legible'.



 

Thankfully the paper liked the story, and along with Felicity's story, which is more relevant being a cancer survivor, a day was set up where some photos could be taken.

 

 

So we met at the Beat Cancer Tour's sponsoring bike shop Bicycle Express where we had a few photos taken with a mechanic working on a bike.  It was funny in parts as none of us knew where to look or what to do, so quite a bit of direction was needed.

We then were given a couple of brand new bikes and Felicity and I went around the corner to a side street and rode up and down it five or six times, which is where the main photo for the article came from.  The 'training ride' was all of 500m!!

Next we went to the Hilton (where we will be staying with the pro's during the Tour Down Under, and met a couple of masseurs who set up their tables and we had a couple of photos of us pretending to get a massage.

Next we went across the road to a cafe where we ordered some breakfast food (even though it was early afternoon).  The photographer wanted all sorts of different photos of us eating, chatting, and looking at eachother, and in the small photo you can see the smirks on our faces as we kept on trying not to laugh at each other.

It was a fairly simple day, and then by surprise a few months later the article appeared in the Sunday Mail!

To Donate To My Beat Cancer Tour Fundraising:

http://sa.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=880491&Referrer=http%3a%2f%2fwww.beatcancertour.com.au%2f

The New Bike...

After my accident my Merida was written off and thankfully the driver's insurance company gave me a decent payout based on its replacement value, not its current value.

So then the search was on of what to get next.  My older bike was a Cannondale and, although 12 years old now, it still serves me well and is an enjoyable and comfortable bike to ride, so they were definitely on the list.

My bike shop, Megabike, stock Fondriest and also Bianchi.  Bianchi have been around for a long time, are ridden by the Lotto Jumbo pro team, and have some cool frame designs.  However, they are associated with this light coloured green, a colour that I am definitely not a fan of!

Fondriest TFZero SS No. 5

So then it was onto Fondriest.  Fondriest bicycles are made in Italy and named after Maurizio Fondriest. Maurizio won the 1998 World Championships, along with 4 stage races, and 4 one day races during his career.

After reading reviews and speaking to other Fondriest owners, including my son Oliver who has a TF3 (and has no other experience with road bikes to compare it to apart from his Fondriest R20), it was then that I chose the Fondriest brand.  The next choice was which model.

Megabike not long after released an article about a Limited Edition TFZero Super Sport.  Only 9 were to be made in the world, and the frame was to be made by the famous custom frame builder Sarto, and were to be built to each owners individual specifications.

Pick Up Day!!

The order was put in and deposit was paid, now it was just a waiting game.

After approximately four months I had the call to say that it had arrived!

The bike build was No.5 out of nine (which is great as 5 is one of my lucky numbers!), and has full Campagnolo Super Record groupset with a 53/39 front chainring, 11-25 rear cassette, Selle Italia SLR saddle, Bora Ultra 35 wheelset, Keywin Titanium peddles, and 2 Arundel carbon bottle holders.  All up it weighs 7.1kg which is extremely light for an XL sized bike,  As a comparison, my Cannondale is 2.1kg heavier!

Finally At Home!!

The day I picked it up, Ollie and I went for a quick ride up Norton Summit, and compared to my 12yr old Cannondale it felt like a glider!!

No. 5 out of 9.

I then did the Megabike Saturday morning ride, then on Sunday did the Triple Challenge being three ascents up to Mt Lofty via Norton Summit Rd, The Old  Freeway, and Greenhill Rd - 110kms.
The next day I went out to Birdwood and back via Checkers Hill, Corkscrew Rd, and the Old Freeway to the bollards - 152kms.  Each ride was thoroughly enjoyable, very smooth, and the bike felt very accurate and precise when cornering and steady at speed too.

It is such a lovely bike to ride and I am very happy with my decision and  I am really looking forward to being on this machine for the Beat Cancer Tour!!

Full Carbon Frame

  

Weight - just 7.1kg (for an XL bike!)

Campagnolo Super Record

Bora Ultra 35's

An Awesome Looking Bike!

 

       

To Make a Donation to My Beat Cancer Tour  Fundraising:  

https://secure.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=880491&langPref=en-CA#&panel1-3

Two Children's Handmade Quilts For Auction!!

A massive Thank You for Caroline who has made and donated these two children's quilts.

Caroline donating the Scooby Doo Quilt

Caroline donating the Winnie the Pooh Quilt

One is in a Scooby Doo pattern and the other a Winnie the Pooh pattern, with the reverse side of each being a patchwork pattern.

Each of the quilts measure 2.06m in length and 1.4m in width.

I am selling each of the quilts through eBay and the auction will end at 8pm on Sunday 22nd November.








       

                                         You can bid on the items via the following links:

Scooby Doo Quilt

Scooby Doo Quilt: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Scooby-Doo-Handmade-Quilt-All-Proceeds-Go-To-Cancer-Research-/221941146156?ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:AU:1123



Winnie the Pooh Quilt

Winnie the Pooh Quilt: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Winnie-the-Pooh-Handmade-Quilt-All-Proceeds-Go-To-Cancer-Research-/221941154727?ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:AU:1123

Reverse Side of Each Quilt

     

          BOTH NOW SOLD 
          AND $131 RAISED 

              THANK YOU!!

To Make A Donation To My 2016 Beat Cancer Tour Fundraising:

https://secure.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=880491&langPref=en-CA#&panel1-1

Amy's Ride

Amy's Ride is a Community Ride run by the Amy Gillett Foundation.

The Amy Gillett Foundation is a charity with one purpose – reducing the incidence of death and injury of bike riders.
The Foundation was born out of tragedy, the death of Amy Gillett, who was hit by an out of control motorist whilst cycling with her National Team mates in Germany. Since its inception they have been a catalyst for change, focused on what should be, rather than what is. That’s why they have set ambitious aims and outcomes working to reduce bike related deaths and serious injuries.
Our Mission is for: Safe cycling in Australia
Our Vision: Zero bike related fatalities

Recently South Autralia brought in new regulations for motorists on our roads.
The new rules will require road users to give bicycle riders at least one metre on roads with speed limits of up to 60kmh, and 1.5 metres for anything above that speed. 

Amy's Ride was held on the 1st November and there were many choices for the length you could ride from 12km all the way up to 125km!! 



Injuries From My Crash The Day Before

As I was doing this ride with my 10yr old son Oliver, and it was his first big Community Ride, we decided to do the 100km course which still included travelling along the length of the Southern Expressway as well as taking on the iconic Willunga Hill.  This would be a good challenge for him and would also be ok for me considering I had another bike accident the day before!!

Yes once again I came off, through no fault of my own, when riding in a group going through a roundabout and the rider on the inside didn't leave enough room for me to get around, and hitting or jumping the kerb was my only option.  I chose the latter with a slim hope of survival, but at 40km/h and a split second to jump, I didn't quite make it and went sprawling over the handlebars.  Grazes to both knees, arms, back, and a sore chest were my injuries, and my bike suffered $800 damage with an irrepairable rear wheel and a cracked helmet!




Ollie and I on the Start Line

Thanks to some great and efficient work from Megabike, they were able to fix my bike that day so I was on the start line the next morning!
The day was slightly overcast but perfect riding weather and we set of at 8am with approximately 2000 other riders from outside Flinders University and headed up the Southern Expressway.
Once at the top of the climb the slope heads downward, and an over enthusiastic Ollie was trying to set speed records, much to the disapproval of his dad thinking that he was going too hard too early and he would be stuffed by the 50km mark!

I taught him alot about getting through these rides including;
- Don't pedal when going downhill to conserve energy (he didn't take to that one too well at the start!!)
- Get in a group and sit behind someone as to take advantage of drafting
- Eat something (museli bar, Bounce bar, banana etc) every 25kms, and have a sip from your drink bottle every 15kms
- Always ride in your easiest gear when going up hills, even if you think you can do it in a harder gear
- Ride at your own pace and don't get on the back of groups that are well above your speed capability
- Always keep in a gear where your cadence (pedal speed) is between 90 - 100rpm
- Enjoy it, look around, talk to other people, admire all the awesome bikes being ridden, and conserve energy so you still have something left at the end!

We stopped at Willunga at the 60km mark and ate and drank a few of the freebies that were on offer, and it was here that I met Mark Wadsworth who will also be in the 2016 Beat Cancer Tour!!  We had a great chat, then it was time to be off and climb Willunga Hill.  We set a steady pace all the way, being passed mid way by last years Beat Cancer Tour Yellow Jersey winner Matt Schmidke.

Ollie and I Crossing The Finish Line!

With Willunga Hill out the way it was then undulating with a few climbs and a really nice decent before being relatively flat for the last 15kms where we were able to get on the back of a group. 

When we had 5kms to go Ollie came beside me and said 'I want you to floor it for the last 1km so we can pass all these people and cross the finish line before them!'  As there was a strong headwind we left it for the last 500m, but we did manage to 'breakaway' then had out own little sprint to the finish line!  Such a magnificent effort for a 10yr old to ride a 100km hilly course - I was a very proud father!

Overall Amy's Ride was very enjoyable and supports such a great cause and we both look forward to doing it all again next year!!

To Make A Donation To My 2016 Beat Cancer Tour Fundraising:

https://secure.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=880491&Referrer=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rideforareason.com.au%2f#&panel1-2

The Road To Recovery...

I thought I would give an update as it has now been just over 3 months since my accident.
I will sort through each of the injuries sustained and give you an update on each:

Acetabular Fracture of The Pelvis:
What this means in English is that my right leg hit the car causing the femur bone to push into the pelvis with such force that it cracked it.  Luckily the femur bone didn't break (it is the strongest bone in the body!!), but I did also suffer a haemotoma of the quad muscle.
This fracture meant that I could put no weight on my right leg, hence why I was in a wheelchair for a total of 8 weeks.  The bone has healed somewhat, but the surgeon has said that pelvis fractures are a bit weird in that the bone will heald up 80% in the first year, then take another 20 years to heal up the last 20%.
From a day to day point of view the pelvis doesn't cause me many issues, however I can certainly feel it when climbing a ladder, or with some of the stretches I do.  However, I can't feel it at all when riding my bike.
The haemotoma took about 5 weeks to fully heal, but all good there and no residual pain at all.

Two Broken Ribs:
These are all good now, they took about 4 weeks to heal properly and for me to feel no further pain.  The worst thing about broken ribs is coughing or laughing, painful each time, but all good now!

My Collarbone Plate

Smashed Collarbone:
This was by far my worst injury.  My leg/lower body hit the side of the car, then the momentum of my body flexed over and my shoulder hit the bonnet full force and totally smashed it.
I had this operated on the day after the accident where they put in a plate, and apparantly they had to remove approximately ten bone fragments.
As you can see from the Xray, the type of plate which I have is called a hook plate which goes under the shoulder joint which greatly restricts the shoulder movement I have.
I can't lift my arm above my shoulder and it took me two weeks to be able to reach my handlebars, and reaching for anything with a straight arm is very difficult (and painful).
Looking on the bright side - this plate is due to come out mid November so I can't wait!!

Broken Right Hand Pinky Finger:
They reset this on the day of the accident, but apparantly it didn't set properly, so I had surgery on it where they rebroke it, reset it, and placed two pins to hold it in place.  The pins were in for 4 weeks, and since then it has been constant exercises to try and get movement back into it.
I am having physio on it every couple of weeks with daily exercises to do each time, and am slowly making progress and hope to get full movement back into it. I also have to wear a splint to bed everynight to try and help it get to straighten as well.
However, at this stage it isn't causing me too much anguish and I don't notice it while riding my bike.
                                                                 


First Ride up to Mt. Lofty Summit

Training for the Beat Cancer Tour: As you saw from my last post I was back on the indoor trainer six weeks after my accident just getting the legs turning over, and slowly building up to the point where I could spend 2.5hrs on there.
At the start of September the shoulder doctor gave me the go ahead to start riding on the road again, so although I had aerobic fitness from the indoor trainer, the leg strength was pretty weak.
However I have slowly being getting out there, and along with the Mega Spin classes which I am doing, progressivley building up the strength and fitness.
After not riding up a hill for 3.5 months I went up Greenhill Rd yesterday for the first time, just to see how I was progressing.  I was stoked to ride up there just 1min2secs slower than my best time ever!!
However, I used to be able to ride up this road 4 times in a row, and after yesterdays effort, I almost had a coronry by the time I reached Mt. Lofty Summit, however I am making progress!!

 

To Make A Donation Towards My Beat Cancer Tour:

https://secure.cancercouncilfundraising.org.au/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=880491&Referrer=http%3a%2f%2fwww.beatcancertour.com.au%2f#&panel1-1