Peter Reaburn with Peter Smith. Photo: Supplied.
CONTRIBUTED BY PETER SMITH
Five days, 500km and 30 riders. That’s what good friends Peter Reaburn (Honorary Adjunct Professor of Sport and Exercise Science, Bond University) and Wynnum local Peter Smith (retired ATC) have organised for the 2024 Ride4Research into Rare Ovarian Cancer charity bike ride.
The two Peters are longtime friends who first met in 1977 on the beach at Coolangatta while competing against each other in the Queensland Surf Life Saving Titles. They went on to study Human Movement together at the University of Queensland. They shared a house, surfed together, played rugby and touch football, and went to each other’s weddings.
The driving force behind the charity ride is Peter Reaburn’s wife, Claire, who was diagnosed at 53 with Juvenile Granulosa Cell Tumour (JGCT). This rare ovarian cancer typically affects younger females. Claire is the oldest female in the world to have JGCT. The youngest was diagnosed in Australia at age 11 months. Ninety-four per cent of patients with JGCT are under 30 years of age.
Two groups of riders will participate in this year’s Ride4Research, with a limit of 15 riders per group.
The Rare Ovarian Cancer (ROC) Road Team will cover 500km over five days of riding, including three challenging climbs (Tawonga Gap and Rosewhite Gap, Stanley Loop, and Mt Buffalo) and two days of longer, flatter rides.
The ROC Rail Trail Team will cover 250km over five days, riding rail trails that are flatter and shorter (30 to 60km) in distance.
A notable team inclusion is Richard Odgers, a well-known rider from the Manly Mashers, renowned for his enthusiasm for cycling and helping others.
There is no cure for JGCT, nor is there research to help understand the disease. Clinicians are prescribing treatments based on “best guess” rather than facts. Research is needed. In 2022, Ride4Reserach raised $165,000. In 2024, the fundraising goal is $200,000 to assist in lifesaving research into this killer cancer at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne.
You can donate to ROC Inc. via the web page: www.rocinc.org.au/ride-for-research/
All donations over $2 are tax deductible.
