Cyclists invited to join top doctors in RideBeyondFive cancer fundraiser

Two of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District’s most accomplished medical professionals are encouraging cyclists to join this year’s RideBeyondFive on Thursday, October 26.

The 104.8km loop charity ride, which raises funds for Head and Neck Cancer Australia (HANCA), is the brainchild of best mates Wombarra surgeon and HANCA co-founder Professor Bruce Ashford and Stanwell Park anaesthetist Dr Trevor Gardner OAM.

It was the pair’s years of cycling in other fundraising events that motivated Trevor to propose an endurance ride to raise funds and awareness for head and neck cancers – which have been under-represented in the advocacy space yet more than 5000 Australians are diagnosed yearly.

Since 2019, the ride has raised more than $40,000 for the organisation and made inroads in raising the profile of head and neck cancer, which, to date, has no formal screening tests.

“There’s lots of families, lots of individuals, lots of workplaces, lots of communities impacted by head and neck cancer, and the worst thing is that often patients present late. Early detection really is the key,” Bruce said.

“And the thing about head and neck cancer is you can’t escape the effect of it; how you speak, how you look, how you sound, how you eat and drink.”

The ride, which begins and ends in Audley, takes in views of the Royal National Park, Bald Hill, Sea Cliff Bridge and Bulli Tops, and has often attracted cyclists from out of area.

This year, after a chance meeting at Adelaide’s Tour de Cure, Bruce has recruited former pro-cyclist and Tour Down Under assistant race director Annette (Netty) Edmondson, who will be joined by Wollongong-based professional road racing cyclist Josie Talbot.

“We’d really love girls to come and ride, because they get to meet these superstars of female cycling,” Bruce said.

“There’s an increasing amount of younger people, non-smokers, and particularly females, who are developing head and neck cancer at a really young age.”

The pair recommend that participants are regular cyclists, but there is the option to use an e-bike, join the ride at a distance more suitable to your ability, or ditch the bike and attend the lunch to follow at Audley Dance Hall.

“You don’t have to be an elite athlete – it’s a charity ride in the end [and the] important thing is that it’s a really good day out,” Trevor said.

“It’s a nice ride with good people, and you’re raising for a valid reason.”

RideBeyondFive registration is $500 per rider, which includes a jersey, morning tea and refreshments and a sit-down lunch at Audley Dance Hall. The fee is tax-deductible and the $500 can be refunded if a rider raises $1500 in the lead-up to the event. Places are limited.

To register, find out more about Head and Neck Cancer Australia or learn the signs and symptoms to watch for, visit https://support.headandneckcancer.org.au