Matt Churches and Cam Taylor have just returned from a gruelling 1000km mountain bike ride from Canberra to Melbourne.

A close friend’s spinal cord injury in 2023 played a big part in motivating the two Brisbane mates to sign up for the challenge (an annual event called the Hunt 1000) and raise funds for the Foundation in conjunction with the off road adventure.

Both brutal and beautiful they passed through some of Australia’s most remote wilderness areas like Kosciuszko National Park which required them to be self sufficient for days at a time.

The ride was made even more challenging with the combination of long distances, towering mountains, and extreme weather conditions. Matt and Cam dealt with everything from a Canberra heatwave to severe thunderstorms in the Victorian Alps. Road closures and sickness also played their part as the ride went on.

After 9 days, 1,000 kilometres and 20,000 meters of elevation the challenge was complete and over $20,000 was raised in support of the Foundation.

We are so grateful for the outstanding efforts of Matt and Cam along with their community of supporters for raising such a huge amount in the support of a cure for paralysis!