… And so it begins

October 31, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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What a fantastic day. The day finally arrived and the 2011 Cancer Ride is under way.

We began by broadcasting from St. John’s Church in the main street of Albany. Then at midday the Mayor of Albany wished us well and officially started our ride.

We cycled just over 91 kilometres to Cranbrook with a very pleasant stop at a cafe in Mt. Barker.

The team had a wonderful day on the bikes with a good breeze mostly on our backs for a good part of the afternoon which meant we achieved a fairly good pace. The only downside was that most of the day was spent in the very busy Albany Highway. Oh …. and the fact that there were plenty of hills which bothered a few riders.

The people we met in Albany over the last few days have been extremely generous with great hospitality and lots of donations to kick the fundraising tally along.

The meal we had in Cranbrook tonight proved that country hospitality is always outstanding. We’re looking forward to a good night’s sleep before broadcasting from the Cranbrook Post Office then cycling 80 kilometres to Katannning. The roads will be much quieter tomorrow now that we’re away from Albany Highway.

If you’d like to support Cancer Council WA just click the link in my sidebar.



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The Day Arrives

October 29, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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We’re finally about to hit the road.

At midday today our team of cyclists and our trusty support crew will say goodbye to friends and family as we leave 98.5 Sonshine FM in Como to begin our ride for cancer. If you missed the details you can read all you might like to know at my previous post, Cancer can be beaten.

There won’t be any cycling today. We’ll be packing our support bus and driving to Albany in preparation for our first day of riding on Monday. The ride of over 500 kilometres next week will be a tough road but I’m reminded that those who are facing cancer often travel a much harder road. I’m glad to be relatively healthy and happy to do what I can to help people facing some tough times.

If you haven’t had opportunity to donate so far, please follow this link. Your contribution will go directly to Cancer Council Western Australia and to the amazing work they do. Donations of $2 and above are tax deductible in Australia.

As I try to balance cycling and radio broadcasting over the next week I’m not sure how much opportunity I’ll have to update you during the trip. I’m hoping it’ll be often and I’ll make every effort to keep you up to date.

You can listen in each morning from 9 to 12, Monday to Friday, to hear more about the ride and the work that your donations will do through Cancer Council Western Australia. If you’re not in our broadcast area, you can listen online by going to the 98.5 Sonshine FM website. If you’re overseas you can use this great Time Zone Converter to work out when to listen. Just enter your location and Perth, Western Australia to check time differences.

Thanks for your support.



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Cancer can be beaten

October 24, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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“Cancer can be beaten.” What an amazing statement. That’s what one cancer researcher recently told me. He’s confident that a day will come when we beat cancer.

How different would our world be without cancer? How many people that we have deeply loved would still be with us? How much heartbreak would we have been spared?

It might not be in our grasp to relegate cancer to the history books yet but if we’re serious about it, we can help with research that may help that eventually happen and we can help those who are currently on a journey with cancer.

In one week from today, Monday the 31st of October, I’ll be joined by twelve other cyclists for a ride from Albany to Perth, honouring those who have battled cancer and the many more who have journeyed alongside a loved one who has faced this terrible disease. I’ll broadcast my morning radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM from a different town each morning before we jump on our bikes to ride to our next destination.

As well as getting ready to cycle over 500 kilometres we’re all raising money for Cancer Council Western Australia and so while you may not be able to join our ride you can certainly help us reach our fundraising goals.

The team is hoping to raise over $20 000 for Cancer Council WA.

Can I ask you to consider donating right now to Cancer Council WA to help those facing cancer? I know that not everyone can afford to a huge amount so please feel free to give whatever you can. Every amount of $2 or above is tax deductible in Australia and will make a difference for so many.

You can donate directly by following this link. The link will take you directly to the Everyday Hero secure site.

Monday 31st October 2011:
Broadcasting from Albany 9 – 12
Albany to Cranbrook 91 km

Tuesday 1st November 2011:
Broadcasting from Cranbrook 9 – 12
Cranbrook to Katanning 80 km

Wednesday 2nd November 2011:
Broadcasting from Katanning 9 – 12
Katanning to Wagin 55 km

Thursday 3rd November 2011:
Broadcasting from Wagin 9 – 12
Wagin to Pingelly 100 km

Friday 4th November 2011:
Broadcasting from Pingelly 9 – 12
Pingelly to York 87 km

Saturday 5th November 2011:
York to Perth 97 km

TOTAL: 510 km

Help spread the word.

I’d also ask you to share the link to this post through your blog or whatever other means you have available. At the bottom of this post are buttons for sharing the details on StumbleUpon, Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg, Reddit or even emailing the post to others. Just click your preferred button (or all of them) to get the word out.



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Buy a Cycling Jersey to Suppport Cancer Ride

September 12, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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I’ve written here before about my upcoming Ride for Cancer

I’m about to undertake a bike ride of over 500 km from Albany to Perth to raise funds for Cancer Council Western Australia. This will be the third year in a row that I’ve cycled for this cause. I feel very strongly about it and if you’ve been effected by cancer, I’m sure you do too. The work being done by Cancer Council Western Australia is having effects right around the world through their high level research.

I’ll be joined by twelve other cyclists and each morning for a week I’ll be sharing cancer stories on the Morning Café, my 98.5 Sonshine FM radio program, before hopping onto my bike just after midday to cycle to the next town. The ride will start on the 31st of October and we’ll arrive back in Perth on Saturday the 5th of November.

The team is hoping to raise over $20 000 for Cancer Council WA. I’ve set my personal goal at $2000.

You can give directly by going to the secure Everyday Hero fund raising site set up especially for the ride. Just click the Donate Now button and select my name as the team member you’d like to support.

Buy your own exclusive jersey

Another way you can help the cause and get something for yourself is to buy a limited edition cycling jersey. These jerseys will be the same as those that the team of riders on the Albany to Perth ride will wear.

Perth Integrated Health have jumped on board as a major supporter of the Cancer Ride this year and have set up an online store for those who’d like to buy one of the limited edition jerseys. Orders close on Monday the 26th of September so you have only two weeks to order.

Follow the link to get all the details and see both the front and back views of the jersey.



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Please Join the Battle Against Cancer

August 25, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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If it hasn’t touched your life yet, I can almost guarantee that it will.

We don’t like to talk about cancer so we can sometimes start believing that we’re alone in facing its effects. The reality is that since I’ve started talking to others about cancer I haven’t encountered even one person who hasn’t been personally affected in one way or another.

I do hope you can spare just a few moments to read my personal appeal to you and consider helping

I’m about to undertake a bike ride of over 500 km from Albany to Perth to raise funds for Cancer Council Western Australia. This will be the third year in a row that I’ve cycled for this cause. I feel very strongly about it and if you’ve been effected by cancer, I’m sure you do too. The work being done by Cancer Council Western Australia is having effects right around the world through their high level research.

I’ll be joined by twelve other cyclists and each morning for a week I’ll be sharing cancer stories on the Morning Café, my 98.5 Sonshine FM radio program, before hopping onto my bike just after midday to cycle to the next town. The ride will start on the 31st of October and we’ll arrive back in Perth on Saturday the 5th of November.

The team is hoping to raise over $20 000 for Cancer Council WA. I’ve reset my personal goal to $2000. That means that I need 20 people to give $100. Can I ask you to consider donating $100 to help those facing cancer through Cancer Council WA? I know that not everyone can afford to give so generously so please feel free to give whatever you can. Every amount of $2 or above is tax deductible in Australia and will make a difference for so many. If you can afford $5, $10 or $20 it will certainly help towards reaching the target.

You can give directly by going to the secure Everyday Hero fund raising site set up especially for the ride. Just click the Donate Now button and select my name as the team member you’d like to support.

You can find out even more about the ride and my reasons for taking part by reading my earlier blog post, Riding for Cancer 2011.

Thank you for considering my request and for helping those facing cancer.

Can I please ask one more favour? Please use the sharing buttons at the bottom of this post to spread the message through Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or whatever services you use.



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