Community rides for rare ovarian cancer research

From rugged Queensland rail trails to the winding roads of the Tweed Valley, a community united by hope has cycled more than 800km to support life-changing ovarian cancer research.

Associate Professor Simon Chu, Head of the Hormone Cancer Therapeutics Research Group, recently joined two charity cycling events as part of ROC Ride for Research 2026, helping raise close to $110,000 for research into granulosa cell tumours (GCT), a rare and poorly understood form of ovarian cancer. This remarkable fundraising effort demonstrates the power of an engaged community to accelerate research into a disease that receives little mainstream funding.

A community united on two wheels

The first event, the SISTAS ROC Ride for Research, took place on the 27th of June through the stunning Tweed Valley region of northern NSW and southeast Queensland. A/Prof Chu joined around 20 riders tackling the GC Big Loop – a challenging 115km course with nearly 1,900m of climbing through Crystal Creek, Springbrook, Pine Creek Road and Numinbah.

Riders from across Australia took part, including members of the Spin Sistas women’s cycling community, whose longstanding support has been instrumental in raising awareness of rare ovarian cancers and driving this grassroots fundraising effort.

Turning kilometres into research discoveries

The centrepiece of the 2026 campaign was the Great Queensland Rail Trail Adventure (GQRTA), which ran from 7-11 July. Ten riders covered 689km over five consecutive days, cycling from Gladstone to Brisbane across three historic Queensland Rail Trails – the Boyne Burnett Inland Rail Trail, the Kilkivan Kingaroy Rail Trail, and Australia’s longest rail trail, the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail. The course wound through remote and spectacular Queensland countryside, including significant stretches of unpaved terrain, with daily stages ranging from 110km to 154km.

What makes this campaign remarkable is not just the physical undertaking, but the spirit behind it. ROC Incorporated was established in 2018 by survivors and their families, people who understand firsthand what it means to face a rare cancer with limited treatment options and insufficient research attention. The riders who give up their time and put their bodies through these events are drawn from exactly that community: women and men rallying around girls and women living with GCT, determined to change the outcome for those facing recurrence.

A/Prof Chu leads the Hormone Cancer Therapeutics Research Group within the Centre for Endocrinology and Reproductive Health at Hudson Institute, and his team’s work is a direct beneficiary of funds raised through these events. The previous two rides, in 2022 and 2024, helped generate discoveries that have since been translated into submissions to this year’s NHMRC Ideas Grant scheme, a significant milestone that would not have been possible without community-sourced funding. The 2026 campaign builds on that momentum, with every dollar contributing directly to the search for better diagnostics, precision medicine approaches, and new therapeutic options for GCT.

To find out more or to support the campaign, visit https://www.rocinc.org.au/r4r26/