The Leukaemia Foundation and Tour de Cure will combine forces in 2019 to host the first Life Ride – an inspiring three-day cycling event to help fund research and find a cure for blood cancer.

The inaugural Life Ride will be held in the spectacular Margaret River region of Western Australia from Sunday, November 24 to Tuesday, November 26, taking riders on a three-day adventure travelling up to 380 kms through the region’s pristine beaches, magnificent forests and incredible wineries of the region.

The ride will be stages of loops with each day departing from Margaret River and incorporating Cape Leeuwin, Cape Naturaliste and the magnificent wine region.  The route will also see the Life Ride team share the Tour de Cure BE FIT BE HEALTHY BE HAPPY cancer prevention message with over 2,500 kids along the way.

The Leukaemia Foundation said Life Ride was the next step of an exciting relationship with Tour de Cure and an opportunity to inspire riders to enjoy an epic cycling experience while raising awareness of the increasing incidence rates of blood cancer in Australia.

“Tour de Cure is an amazing organisation and the Leukaemia Foundation is excited to be partnering with them for this event for the first time in 2019. Tour de Cure have been supporting the Leukaemia Foundation through their annual grant program since 2009 and have provided over $700,000 to date in support of people living with blood cancer,” a Leukaemia Foundation spokesperson said.

“Life Ride will be a fantastic opportunity for our two organisations to bring together our supporters for a special cycling tour while raising vital funds for game-changing cancer research, support and prevention projects that will bring us closer to a world without blood cancer.”

Tour de Cure’s vision is to end cancer in our lifetime. Over the last 12 years, the organisation has raised over $45 million through cycling events, walks, corporate health challenges, gala functions and kids BE HEALTHY programs.

“We encourage thousands of people around the country every year to raise awareness and funds that will enable world class cancer research, support and prevention projects,” Geoff Coombes, Co-Founder and Director of Development, Tour de Cure, says.

Tour de Cure has funded 322 cancer projects, contributed to over 25 scientific breakthroughs, and talked to over 110,000 school children about making healthy lifestyle decisions; knowing that one in three cancers can be prevented through lifestyle choices.

“While this sounds impressive, we are only able to fund a quarter of all cancer project grant applications made to us each year. We are determined to fund more, because we know that our funding allows the continuation of vital cancer research in Australia,” Mr Coombes adds.

In 2017 the Federal government funded $174.8 million in cancer research through its NHMRC program, however this represents only 13-15% of requests made from Australian cancer researchers in that same year.

Tour de Cure aims to keep Australians busily engaged in cancer research and hopes to reach its goal of $60 million by 2020. “We couldn’t do it without the continued support from our corporate partners and donations by everyday Australians. We’ll only end cancer by working together to fund much needed research. And that’s something we can all come together to support.”

Registrations are now open, and riders are encouraged to register as soon as possible with limited spaces available. Find out more and register here.

What:             Life Ride

Where:           Margaret River, Western Australia

When:            Sunday 24 to Tuesday 26 November 2019

Why:             Cycle 450km over three days through the spectacular beaches, magnificent forests and incredible wineries in the Margaret River region, knowing every kilometer cycled takes us closer towards beating blood cancer.

About Tour de Cure:

We cover ground to cure cancer. Through our inspirational, challenging and fun cycling tours and events, we fund the world-class cancer projects that will have the biggest impact.

Since 2007, we’ve raised more than $45 million, we’ve funded 322 cancer projects, we’ve achieved 25 significant cancer breakthroughs, and we’ve helped to raise awareness about cancer prevention to more than 110,000 school children across Australia.