The recent Tour de Gracetown was the final edition of the iconic event after two decades on the state’s charity cycling events calendar.
In conversation with Business newsEvent founder John Sofield said the ride could not compete with rising operating costs, an increase in the number of events (leading to difficulties in obtaining sponsorship) and ever-changing council restrictions.
“When we first started, we rode every year in March and November and attracted 200 riders for each tour and raised $50,000,” Mr Sofield said.
“That lasted until 2010, when municipalities and traffic management became involved.
“Our operating costs have gone from nothing to $15,000 per trip.”
Since the first ride, in which a group of Mr Sofield’s friends cycled an 80-mile round trip from his beach house in Gracetown, he estimates the event has raised more than $750,000 for a number of different charities.
This week’s final ride, of up to 100km, starting and finishing at Fraser Gallop Estate, will raise money for Margaret River charity River Angels, which supports families affected by cancer.
The Tour de Gracetown is one of several fundraising rides that have reached the end of the road in recent years, despite efforts to overcome cost challenges.
In 2016, the ECU Freeway Bike Hike for Asthma held its ultimate ride after eight years, citing a decline in participant numbers and rising costs.
Several other cycling events, including the Tour of Margaret River, will move to unpaved roads from 2026 to avoid high traffic management costs.
Forging paths
The Perth Integrated Events Team has been organizing rides for 26 years.
Together with many other event management organizations, PIET has been struggling with increased expenditure on municipal permits, traffic management and insurance since the pandemic.
The new events, a rare south-west road ride (the Tour of Cowaramup) and the Perth Coastal Bike Ride, are both in their second years.
The coastal ride north from Perth separates registration and fundraising activities, giving cyclists the choice to donate to a selection of four charities.
Ian Wee launched PIET as the philanthropic arm of his multidisciplinary clinic Perth Integrated Health.
He told it Business news Participants’ expectations about the quality of the events were far higher than what was realistically possible.
“The average event participant, not limited to cycling, also seems to want much more than what the cost can provide,” Mr Wee said.
“In the effort to keep costs down, there is often a cost-benefit ratio that has led many to cancel their events.”
Pedal power
Despite the roadblocks, some of the state’s longest-running charity rides remain on track and have turned their attention to the rider experience.
Life Cycle for Canteen WA’s OnRoad rides, which started in 1998, is the state’s longest-running charity ride, followed by the Hawaiian Ride for Youth, first held in 2003.
Raising money for Youth Focus, a mental health provider, raises an average of $46,753 per rider annually, according to estimates from Business news.
Over the past twenty years, Youth Focus chief executive Derry Simpson has seen a generational change as the ride becomes somewhat of a family tradition.
“I think that’s what makes Ride for Youth unique … from a longevity perspective,” Ms. Simpson said.
“Bringing in young riders… it keeps it going, keeps it fresh.
“That’s the power of it.”
She said the appeal of the event – a 700km ride from Albany to Perth – was driven by community involvement.
“Instead of just signing up and seeing who’s there when they arrive for a charity ride, [Ride for Youth participants] spend six months of their lives together [training]she said.
Although the ride has raised a total of $36 million, Ms Simpson said insurance costs, the complexities surrounding rider safety on regional roads dealing with increased traffic flows, and charity fatigue remain a challenge.
Youth Focus is now considering solutions such as additional virtual rides or shorter events.
The next most raised per rider per year was Ronald McDonald House Charities’ WA’s Ride for Sick Kids, with an average of almost $13,000, while the MACA Cancer 200 averaged $3,710.
Wind at your back
In terms of cumulative funds raised, the Cancer 200 leads all charity drives nationwide.
Earlier this year it was named the fourth largest fundraising event in Australia and New Zealand by the Donor Republic.
The 200km ride from Perth to Mandurah and back has raised a total of $84 million for the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research over its history.
“We have never shied away from the fact that the rider experience matters, and we will make sure the rider has the most incredible, life-changing experience this weekend,” said Paige Gibbs, Chief Engagement Officer of the Perkins Institute.
“They literally walk away signing up [to the next ride].”
In its 14th run this month, the Cancer 200 raised $8.3 million with an attendance of 1,660 riders.
Ms Gibbs said bringing the ride in-house in 2018 was a major factor in its success.
“Before that, it was outsourced to a for-profit events company, and we just saw the experience go downhill for the riders,” she said.
“As the Perkins… we are very connected to the cause.
“It makes us quite agile, so if something needs to be done, we don’t have to go through many layers to make it happen.
“If something isn’t working, we can pivot and go a different direction, and…we don’t rinse and repeat either. Ever.”
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