By Luke Voogt
Richard Hamilton’s cycling quest to help sick children began after his own harrowing experience with cancer.
The Geelong West business consultant’s mother died from breast cancer in 2004 after battling the disease since the 1980s.
“She went through a pretty gruelling process with chemotherapy,” Richard said.
But as bad as that was, he said, it was his first-hand glimpse into childhood cancer at the hospital which horrified him.
“I used to take her in for her chemo sessions and I’d see all these kids sitting in the corridor.”
“You’d go into this place and there’d be kids looking yellow with no hair on their heads. I thought ‘my god they’re just kids’.”
Richard, 52, will take part in the Great Cycle Challenge next month to support childhood cancer research.
“To see a four or five-year-old kid looking sickly is a terrible thing,” he said.
“They deserve a chance at life.”
The father of four has raised $890 of his $1000 goal.
“I might bump it up to $1500 or $2000 if I’m doing well,” he said.
It’s not Richard’s first time cycling for the challenge; he has raised $5700 for it since 2013, he said.
Friends and family have again got behind him, along with a number of his professional contacts.
“Businesses I have worked with in the past have been pretty good,” he said.
“This year they’ve donated the majority of it.”
Richard will ride 500km for the challenge, much of which will be on Bellarine Rail Trail, he said.
He also plans to pack a tent and sleeping bag for a few long rides to Victoria’s more scenic holiday spots.
“I’ll bring my wife along as well,” he said.
“We’ll get about four free holidays – it’s not a bad deal is it?”
Richard has cycled for most of his life but it wasn’t until about a decade ago that he “got into it a bit more seriously”.
A food outlet was running a promotion for a mountain bike and Richard managed to get his hands on one.
He rode the mountain bike until “it tanked” and bought a “proper” bike to replace it.
About eight years ago Richard began riding in Around the Bay joining 15,000 people raising money for homeless children.
He’ll ride in Great Cycling Challenge with more than 7900 participants, who have raised $550,000 out of the event’s $3m goal.
Participants nominate a distance to ride during October and a fundraising goal, and will use their mobiles to track their cycling.
Richard said people could support him by visiting www.greatcyclechallenge.com.au/Riders/RichardHamilton.
