Cycle for a Cure

1,100 kilometres. One month. All of Australia.

This October, riders across the country are covering the length of South Australia — together. On road bikes, spin bikes, gym bikes and school ovals. Every kilometre takes us closer to a cure for EB.

[Start a Team] [Schools: Get the Pack] [Donate Now]

It started with one man and one idea

Terry Stephens is no stranger to a big ask. Last year, this Adelaide local scaled the seven highest peaks on every continent - on a Versaclimber -raising $12,000 for EB Research Partnership Australia. This year, he set his sights on the road: 1,100 kilometres from Ceduna to Adelaide, solo.

Then, in training, he came off his bike and broke two ribs. Six weeks off the road. Medical advice: no riding until they've healed.

The easy option was to call it off. Terry took the other one.

"Every day, people living with Epidermolysis Bullosa face pain, setbacks and challenges far greater than a couple of broken ribs," he says. "They don't get the option of putting life on hold. They adapt, persevere, and keep moving forward. So that's exactly what we're going to do."

So the ride didn't shrink. It got bigger.

Terry will still travel the route (via car!), meeting supporters and thanking sponsors in the towns along the way, and he'll clock his own 1,100 kilometres on a spin bike. Proof that when the road closes, you find another way through.

Why South Australia

The route runs the length of the state - from Ceduna, on the edge of the Nullarbor, to Adelaide, taking in Elliston, Streaky Bay, Coffin Bay, Port Lincoln, Arno Bay, Whyalla, Port Pirie and Port Wakefield.

Starting at the edge of the state is deliberate. It's the edge of comfort, too - and a reminder that big change often starts a long way from the centre.

Why October

Every kilometre logged through October builds toward something bigger: International EB Awareness Week, 25–31 October, when the world turns its attention to Epidermolysis Bullosa.

Cycle for a Cure finishes exactly as that spotlight lands - turning a month of riding into a moment the whole EB community can rally behind.

Join us. Your way.

You don't need to be a cyclist. You don't need to live in South Australia. You don't even need a bike.

You need a way to move, and a reason to start.

Ride the open road, or a spin bike at the gym. Go on your own, or bring your entire school. Ten minutes at lunchtime, or thirty-five kilometres a day for a month. It all lands on the same map, pointed the same direction.

That's the whole idea. On your own, 1,100 kilometres is a mountain. Alongside a few hundred other people, it's a road — and everyone who joins makes the distance shorter for everyone else.

Riders. Classrooms. Gyms. Footy clubs. Offices. Anyone who's ever been told the plan has changed, and decided to keep going anyway.

This is your invitation. Pick a way in and we'll take it from there.

Pick your distance

Every distance below is a real stretch of road between Ceduna and Adelaide. Pick the one that feels like a stretch for you.

110 km — Ceduna to Streaky Bay About 4km a day across October. A lunchtime ride, a few laps of the park, or one solid weekend.

455 km — Ceduna to Port Lincoln Down the west coast of Eyre Peninsula. Around 15km a day - completely doable on a commute.

765 km — Ceduna to Whyalla Across the top of Spencer Gulf. About 25km a day. You'll feel this one.

1,100 km — Ceduna to Adelaide The full route. Terry's distance. Roughly 35km every day for a month.

Ride outdoors on any bike, or indoors on a spin or exercise bike. Log your kilometres and watch yourself move down the map.

Or take it on as a team

Teams pick a distance the same way individuals do, then split it however they like. Forty people riding 25 kilometres each covers Ceduna to Port Lincoln.

We track distance ridden, funds raised, and kilometres per rider — so a small team going hard is never buried under a big one turning up.

Bring your people

🎒 Schools

Schools are at the heart of this one. Students don't need bikes, and teachers don't need a spare fortnight.

Pick one of three formats:

• Ride to School — one or two nominated active travel days. Cycling, walking, wheeling and scooting all count.

• School Circuit — laps of the oval or a marked circuit. Works at every school, whatever the equipment situation.

• Indoor Spin — stationary bikes in the gym or hall, run as class rotations or a relay.

Walking and wheeling count exactly the same as riding, so no student is left out because of disability, injury or not owning a bike. That's not a concession — it's the point. Terry founded this challenge riding a spin bike because he couldn't ride a road.

About two hours of staff time, one nominated person. That's the honest number. Fundraising can be as simple as a gold coin donation on your challenge day — no sponsorship forms, no chasing.

We send you a challenge guide, printable class trackers, a coordinator sheet, a classroom activity, a safety checklist and certificates for your students.

[Schools: Get the Pack]

🏋️ Gyms and fitness studios

Put a spin bike in the foyer for the month and let members clock kilometres between sets. Run a spin class marathon. Claim your own leg of the route — take Port Lincoln to Whyalla and own it.

Easiest first step: nominate a club kilometre target, stick a whiteboard next to the bike, and let your members do the rest.

🏢 Workplaces

Turn the lunch break into a leg of the journey. Bring in a bike for the month, run a floor-versus-floor challenge, or set a company target and get the leadership team on first. Matched giving is the fastest way to lift a workplace total.

Easiest first step: name one person as your captain and set the target.

⚽ Sports clubs

Footy, netball, cricket, cycling, triathlon, surf life saving. October sits neatly between seasons for plenty of clubs — run it as pre-season conditioning that actually counts for something, and challenge your rivals while you're at it.

Easiest first step: get your captain or coach to commit first. Teams follow leaders.

Cycling not your thing? Take it on your way.

Some people ride. Some people swim, walk, row, run, paddle, lift or wheel. The distance is the point, not the bike.

If you'd rather take on your own challenge for the EB community this October — your sport, your way, your distance — get in touch. We'll help you set it up and count it into the national total.

Terry's whole point was that when one road closes, you find another. Find yours.

Pick your distance. Get on the map.