G’day all, well it’s that time of year again…time to ride a bicycle some stupid distances in the name of cancer research. In this case, funding melanoma research conducted by the Mater Research Foundation, one of the top cancer research institutions in Australia.

I’ve been involved in this shindig since 2008, so this is the 16th year. I’ve lost track of the number of events over that time…lots.

I want to ask if you can ‘spot me for a tenner’? That’s $10 towards the cause.

One of the 50+ riders this week is Prof. Brian Gabrielli, one of the principle researcher’s at the Mater Foundation In Brisbane…it’ll be good to ‘yarn’ with him in the bunch as we’re riding and get the updates on what they’re working on. There has been enormous work in the past few years around ‘self-immunisation’, I think I’ve got that term right? It’s where the body creates its own defence to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. That alongside quality of life measures, is top of mind to me.

It’ll be twenty years this year, since my old man ‘choofed-off’ from the ‘Big-C’, prostate cancer. I’ll be thinking of him a lot this week.

In Smiddy Challenge terms, this week isn’t extraordinarily difficult in terms of distance; 700 kms over 5-days.

The ‘secret-sauce’ is the climbing, mostly in the Adelaide Hills. I need to re-check the overall elevation gained, but it’ll be north of 10,000 metres, I’d think. Doesnt sound much, but think of that as 10 kilometers straight into the air; OR 3,300 flights of stairs in 5-days!

Anyways, it’s for an important cause…

https://fundraise.mater.org.au/fundraiser/christophergeeves/challenge-south-australia

I’ll check in most days with a quick update; mind and body willing.

Best, Geevesy.