Q&A with Kerryn Roberts, Project Financial Manager at Australian Unity and Free Community Ride participant in the Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane.

Where do you live in Brisbane?

We live in the Brisbane suburb of Windsor but have only lived there for about two years, having moved up from Adelaide. Windsor is a great location as we can access the Kedron Brook Bikeway which is wonderful bike riding spot for young families.

What distance are you riding in the Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane?

Our family are riding in the Free Community Ride. My husband, Andy, myself and two children Jack (11) and Chloe (9) are participating.

What got you interested in participating in the community ride?

We used to ride a lot in Adelaide but we are still relatively new to the city of Brisbane so we thought it would be such a wonderful opportunity to introduce the family to more Brisbane sights. It is also a great way to enjoy the outdoors and stay active.

What cause are you most aligned to and why?

We are really excited about fundraising for medical research at The Common Good. The area of health research we have chosen to support is mental health, as I think it doesn’t always get the attention it needs. 

What is your favourite thing about bike riding as a family ?

Bike riding is such a great way to get out in the open air and to go on a bit of an adventure. There are so many fun destinations in Brisbane to pick from.

Do you have a tip for bike riding as a family ?

Bike riding can be challenging for small children as they can tire quickly or lose interest. My best tip is some amount of bribery is helpful! We have used a slushie bribe at the end, particularly on a hot day. It also helps if there is something fun to do at the final destination and there are not too many big hills! 

Do you have a fundraising tip?

I think getting the kids involved is a great way to make your fundraising a success. People really get behind the fundraising efforts of children. Also, start by asking those closest to you, your family and friends as they are most likely to be your biggest supporters.  

Do you have any advice for those thinking of doing the Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane?

Have a go – this is the first time we will be participating in a bike ride event. The Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane has a ride length to suit everybody or you can join in the Free Community Ride or Free Community Fun Run.

Just $44 powers one hour of life-changing medical research through The Common Good. Start fundraising your Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane ride to power your hour.

Q&A with Kate Phillips, heart and double lung transplant recipient and 110km Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane rider.

Which distance are you riding in this year’s Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane?

This year I am riding in the 110km distance. I usually ride as a team with my brother and some of my friends.  

Since having your transplant you have competed in not just cycling events but also triathlons. What got you interested in triathlons?

I’d always been keen on triathlons as my family and friends both competed in them but I had only been able to be a spectator as my body before my transplant just wasn’t built for it. After I had my transplant, I really wanted to be able to fully participate by competing. I think I have done around 15 triathlons so far but COVID has meant that there have been less competitions available, particularly as some were held interstate.

What is your favourite leg in triathlons?

I’d have to say swimming is still my favourite as it was the sport I could always do, even when I was unwell as it was the least strenuous on my body. But I do love cycling too – just being able to use these beautiful new lungs and being active is the best thing in the world.

Did you know that this year the Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane will include a duathlon?

That’s fantastic news and is a great way for people who are traditionally runners to give the cycle leg a go, or vice versa, for cyclists to take on a run leg. Adding a duathlon will hopefully open the event up to a new legion of fans who can take part and fundraise for vital medical research.

What do you love about the Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane?

It really is a great event – this will be my eighth time competing in the Tour de Brisbane, or as it was formerly known, The Cycle of Giving. It is an amazing local ride on fully closed roads through some of the best Brisbane locations. To have a race of this calibre is such an asset to the city of Brisbane. For me though, it also gives me an opportunity to raise funds for The Common Good for vital medical research, particularly in the area of organ transplant. The Common Good is a charity that I am so proud to support. I also love that the event raises awareness about organ and tissue donation. The event really encompasses so many things I am passionate about.

Last year your team raised over $10,000 and won the top fundraising team in the Tour de Brisbane. Do you have any fundraising tips for others?

I think just sharing how your training is going with your friends, family and workplace. People really like to hear about what you are up to and particularly like it if you are honest about the ups and downs. Let people know why you are fundraising too, why it is important to you. Our team fundraising also benefitted from the generosity of Merlo Coffee’s dollar matching initiative where, for a set period of time, they matched every donation made, dollar for dollar. Our supporters really liked knowing that when they donated during this time, that their donations would be doubled. 

Do you have a training tip?

Over Christmas and New Year we tend to have a bit of a break which is great but give yourself time to build up to the distance you want to compete in by starting training early enough. Also, train for the conditions that will be part of the ride you have chosen. For example, for some distances there are a few hill climbs so make sure you incorporate these into your training.

Just $44 powers one hour of life-changing medical research through The Common Good. Start fundraising your Australian Unity Tour de Brisbane ride to power your hour.

Which distance are you doing? 

Originally the 110km, but after a netball injury resulting in a ruptured ACL and torn meniscus, I pleaded with my physio to help me get to a point where I can do the 30km so I can still participate.

Who do you train with or do you prefer to ride solo? 

Training is usually done with my sisters or my girlfriend, Bec – it makes it easier to get up early when we know someone else is relying on us! I’ve got a wind trainer at home so was using Lord of the Rings as motivation to spend some solid time in the saddle.

What are you most excited for during the ride and the Festival weekend?

I’m honestly just most excited to have our family and friends together enjoying a day out for a good cause. The fact that we get to have dad with us on the sidelines makes it that much better. He’s been quite in awe at how all of our family and friends rallied while he was unwell and this is sort of the pinnacle of that support.

Why do you love to ride? 

I love to ride because it gets me outside, active, and social. We initially started riding because a group of us got together to do solo and team triathlons at Noosa and then it just kind of stuck as a bit of an ongoing team building and fitness family. A lot of people see cycling as a solo sport but it really is up to you what you make of it. Solo can be very therapeutic sometimes.

For someone who may not have done an event like this before, what’s your top tip pre-event?

Just enjoy it. I’ve only done a couple of triathlons and the energy of the event and people being interested in fitness and sport is really cool. It’s not just the actual day of the Tour de Brisbane, it’s everything that happens around it. Top tip pre-event thought is CARB. LOAD. UP. And remember to taper. You can’t be going in all guns blazing after a week of hard training – enjoy your taper week and let your body reenergise for the ride.

Why are you fundraising, and how is it going?

Our team is fundraising in support of our dad who needed an urgent heart transplant at the start of this year. We’ve raised over $7,500 from our ridiculously supportive family and friends – and even strangers! The generosity of people is so unexpected and astounding. We’ve raised over 126 hours of medical research and honestly, we can’t really believe it. To think of how many families OUR family and friends will help with this research, it’s pretty crazy.

To donate to The Common Good, click here. 

Q&A with Team CVMT (Cardio-Vascular Molecular & Therapeutics) at The Common Good

Which distance are you doing? 

The 5 of us in the lab are covering all of the distances from 30km to 100km.

Who do you train with or do you prefer to ride solo? 

We are a mixed bunch with some of us training with groups/friends to other enjoying the serenity of  solo rides.

What are you most excited for during the ride and the Festival weekend? 

The atmosphere that the festival brings to the city.

Being able to ride on the roads and through tunnels not normally available to riders.

Coming together as a team outside of the lab to do something we all enjoy.

Why do you love to ride?  

The ability to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Queensland weather.

It a great way to explore the city and surrounds.

A great way to keep fit.

For someone who may not have done an event like this before, what’s your top tip pre-event? 

Simply get on your bike and enjoy riding.

Why are you fundraising, and how is it going?

Our invitro human heart laboratory is at the coal face of identifying mechanism of heart failure and has the  opportunity and capabilities to development new treatments to keep failing hearts beating. Funding is critical for all researchers in all fields to continue their work  so we all want to support fund raising efforts where ever we can. So far the team has raised over $2,000!

To donate to The Common Good, click here. 

Q&A with Kate Phillips, heart and double lung transplant recipient and 110km Tour de Brisbane rider as part of team Porky’s Pedallers.

Which distance are you doing? Our team ‘Porky’s Pedallers’ is doing the 110km.

Who do you train with or do you prefer to ride solo? 

I personally train mostly indoors (mainly because I do not always feel safe on the roads and to fit in training around work, I find this works best). But we have also done some weekend training rides as a team.  

What are you most excited for during the ride and the Festival weekend? 

We are excited to finally see the event take place and to see The Common Good benefit from the fundraising efforts that everyone has carried out over the past year and a half. While it was disappointing  having the event postponed twice due to COVID, it has also allowed us to continue to build on our initial goal.

Why do you love to ride? 

Riding is such a wonderful way to keep fit, and is a great way to explore local areas on two wheels.

For someone who may not have done an event like this before, what’s your top tip pre-event?

I am always a ball of anxiety before any event, so probably not the best person to ask. But preparation is key. Make sure you have all your gear ready the night before. Don’t try anything new on the day (whether it be nutrition, new shoes or even a new kit). And just try your best to enjoy the day ahead. It can be really overwhelming at the start line, but just stick with your team and ride your own race.  

Why are you fundraising, and how is it going?

‘Porky’s Pedallers‘ are fundraising for a cause that is close to our hearts. Our team member Kate was extremely fortunate to have received a Heart and Double Lung Transplant after years of declining health. This transplant not only saved her life, but absolutely transformed it, and has allowed her to achieve more than she ever thought possible.

Unfortunately, transplants aren’t forever, and while they are a miracle of modern medicine, recipients face a number of complications post transplant. The researchers at The Prince Charles Hospital are at the forefront of this and are currently working on new and innovative ways to identify and treat these issues. 

So that is why we are riding! With all funds raised through our Tour de Brisbane ride going directly to supporting this work, it will give more people like Kate the hope they need. 

Right now Porky’s Pedallers have raised over $8,500 and are striving to reach $10,000 by July 11. We are blown away by the support we have received, but most of all, are so excited to be able to give back to The Common Good and The Prince Charles Hospital.

To donate to The Common Good, click here. 

Q&A with Dr Andrew Haymet, Vascular Surgical Registrar & PhD Candidate at University of Queensland/Critical Care Research Group, with support from The Common Good

“The thing about cycling is it’s unique because it’s one of those things you can do as fast or as slow as you like – short of falling off, you can use it to unwind, you can cruise along all the way up to absolutely hammering yourself and everything in between. I can’t really think of any other sport or activity that’s like that, which I think is what makes it so special.”

How is your training going for the TDB?

My training is variable! Working in a surgical job it’s a bit unpredictable at times but I’ve found the indoor trainer is a good friend of mine. You can get on and be done anywhere from 30-90 minutes and it still keeps you in pretty good shape. I also have a few mates here at work who are pretty keen cyclists as well, so some days we meet at 4:45am to do a loop before work. Having another person to keep you accountable can be really handy.

I also have a Tacx Neo Bluetooth trainer, and I use Zwift to give me lots of courses to choose from. The smart trainer knows how to hurt you, and there’s no escape, but I’ve found if you live a busy life it’s a good way to fit your training in and still do things like Tour de Brisbane.

What part of the 110km course are you most worried about? 

That’s a good question. Coo-tha on its own is enough of a challenge; Coo-tha at the end of a long bike ride like this is that much harder! The mornings when I’ve found a reason not to ride my bike will catch up with me at that point on the ride. I think that the biggest challenge will to be pace myself, once I get to 70 or 80km and have to do Coo-tha that’s when I’ll have to really dig deep.

What part of the 110km course are you really looking forward to?

The start is always awesome because you can feel everyone’s anticipation and excitement, you know what’s ahead of you, you’ve got all the adrenaline flowing. And then equally, at the finish line there’s something about getting off the bike and having some fun with your mates at the end, and maybe having a drink knowing you’ve done a good honest hard set of work.

Where are your favourite places to ride? 

Around Brisbane, Coo-tha is always just a sneaky little bit of punishment for days when you’re feeling a bit stronger, it’s just a good honest yardstick for Brisbane cyclists. Otherwise I’ve found the river loop is simple, but a great way to start the day. There’s something about crossing the bridge and seeing the river first thing in the morning, super placid, with the sun coming up – always puts me in a good mood. It’s the alarm going off that’s the hardest part, but once you’re out there you feel a million bucks!

My favourite Zwift course is a British circuit around Buckingham Palace and the streets of London. Having been over there it reminds me of one of the epic triathlon finishes between the Brownlee brothers – I’m nowhere near as quick as them though!

How is fundraising going? 

Pretty good! I’ve had a few mates get around it once I’ve told them what we are doing, and they’ve backed not only the fact that we’re riding for a great cause but also from the research side as well. Some of them are researchers too, so they have that perspective as well. I’m still campaigning, we’ve got a month to go so it’s full gas with drumming up support!

Why are you fundraising for this particular cause?

I think that some causes are less visible than others, and that is also reflected when it comes to medical research. Events like this re-focus attention to people living with chronic, life-altering illnesses, the impacts of which may not be easily understood, and the difference that the research community can make. This event is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on that. An event like TDB is unique in that a much larger range of people of all different ages and walks of life can get involved.

About Andrew’s Research

My work looks at blood vessels, and more specifically, how the lining of blood vessels becomes damaged across a range of conditions. In particular, I am studying how that lining changes during states that are not natural, such as various forms of cardiovascular surgery and artificial forms of heart and lung support – and what this means for treatment we offer, and how we can improve them.

To donate to The Common Good, click here.