Professor Scott Baum from the Griffith University Urban Research Program cycled about 240km recently in the Rio Tinto Ride to Conquer Cancer.
Professor Baum, with his team Breast Friends for a Cure and thousands of other men and women, cycled from Brisbane to the Somerset Region and back over two days, all in the name of raising funds for the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR).
The Rio Tinto Ride to Conquer Cancer held a personal significance to Professor Baum, whose wife fought a two-year battle with breast cancer, and to the seven other team members who also had experiences with breast cancer.
The group decided to enter as a way to take action on something that had touched all of their lives, Professor Baum said.
“We wanted to put something back into the research that has helped us all personally.
“For many of the team who actually had breast cancer the breakthroughs discovered by organisations such as QIMR were important to their treatment and eventual survival.”
While the course provided a challenge for the team, Scott said they didn’t give up.
“There were lots of hills on the way to Somerset Dam but many of us rose together to provide support to each other,” he said.
Scott and his team raised an impressive $42,000 out of the $4.7 million total raised , and have already registered for next year’s event.