THE CONCEPT
Paul Begg and Matt Holmes to tackle Australia’s lowest point to it’s highest, on two wheels to raise money for cancer treatment and research.
Both are are well known in the Australian Cycling community through their riding and contributions to the industry over the years. Both passionate riders, and both with a shared cancer experience that they have overcome, Salt2Snow is their way of giving back to the many incredible people that dedicate their lives to cancer treatment.
Together, their journey through cancer and it’s treatments will extend to taking on the long road from Lake Eyre in South Australia’s lowest point, across the deserts into the Great Dividing Range with their goal, Mt Kosciuszko at the top of Australia.
Why tackle this ride through the extremes of the Australian landscape?
To raise money and awareness to the two hospitals, Doctors and Nurses that Paul and Matt now owe their lives to. Salt2Snow is a journey for those that have been affected by cancer and their families. A journey not too dissimilar from the arduous journey that the many forms of cancer treatment take their participants through.
THE RIDERS
Paul started BMX racing at the age of 12. At 23 he started riding and of course racing mountain bikes. He has competed at the world championships three times in downhill mountain bike racing and raced in Europe, Asia and the USA.
He worked with Cycling Australia coaching and mentoring the Junior National Team for 10 years. Recently he has turned his cycling focus to grand adventures. His last was in Nepal cycling around the Annapurna trail in 2016. This adventure was featured in Australian Geographic magazine.
In 2017 he was diagnosed with a rare bilitary cancer and underwent major surgery and six months of chemotherapy. Four months later he was back on his bike.
25+ years in the bike industry across BMX and MTB publishing, event management and as a freelance art director/writer/photographer for a wide variety of print and web media outlets. Oh, and he’s been aboard both bikes even longer riding around the world.
From riding with the worlds best, his focus moved to documenting the ever progressing nature of both cycling genres, a passion that eventually lead to publishing Australia’s leading BMX and MTB magazines in 2020BMX Magazine and [R]evolution MTB Magazine.
Still loving riding trails, parks, jumps and the streets on 20 and 27.5 inch wheels after more than two decades on two wheels, riding might just have been the secret weapon through Matt’s 2013 Stage 4 cancer diagnosis and year of radical surgeries alongside new chemotherapy and radiation techniques thanks to the incredible team at Kinghorn Clinic.
THE JOURNEY
Aiming to cover 150km per day, the two week trip will be onboard the latest in eBike technology.
The trip will none the less be a gruelling one that will take in the huge expanses and extremes that only Australia can provide. To keep it interesting a route following as much dirt as possible has been mapped out starting on the iconic Oodnadatta Track.
Taking in deserts and rich high country, this trip from the lowest point in Australia to the highest is nothing short of iconic.
Lake Eyre
Below Sea Level
Total Distance
To Ride
Mt Kosciuszko
Above Sea Level
THE CHARITIES
PAUL AND MATT UNDERWENT LIFESAVING TREATMENTS FROM TWO OF AUSTRALIA’S LEADING CANCER TREATMENT CENTRES
With their help, both are riding to raise much needed funds to further research into cancer and treatment.
KINGHORN
The vision of The Kinghorn Cancer Centre is to realise the promise of innovative personalised medicine for people affected by cancer.
As a Centre focusing on translational research and personalised cancer care, our mission is to align world-class cancer research with rapid translation to the clinic to improve outcomes for cancer patients
LIFEHOUSE
Lifehouse is an integrated and focused centre of excellence, offering everything a cancer patient needs in one place, including advanced onco-surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, clinical trials, research, education, complementary therapies and psychosocial support.
Our mission at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse is to improve the quality of life of cancer patients, carers and their families by advancing the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of the disease.
PARTNERS
We are very proud to announce the following partners joining us on our journey.
