Riding 3350km and the height of Everest 4 times for Breast Cancer
Hi Everyone,
Firstly, a big THANK YOU for taking the time to read this page and hopefully DONATE.
For those who don’t know me I am Tony Steele, a 67 year old General Practitioner and more importantly a proud father of Choo. I wish to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ following our own daughter, Harriet (Choo), being diagnosed with Breast Cancer.
I plan to ride the length of New Zealand (and a bit more) solo and unsupported on a good old pedal bike to raise money for breast cancer.
· Length of training time to achieve this goal – 8 months
· Distance - 3,350km – for those interested see below for the full course
· Time to complete – 42 days
· Total climbing meters - 33,469 (equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 4 times!)
· Pedal strokes - 810,000
· Planned daily average - 80km
Why am I doing this challenge?
1. I have been inspired by Choo who was diagnosed with breast cancer early in 2024 at 37 years of age and has undergone surgery, chemotherapy, and medical menopause. Throughout her journey so far Choo has shown amazing courage, resilience, determination, positivity and unremitting cheerfulness.
Choo has also been awarded the Tony Jackson Scholarship to compete in the Taupo Ironman on 1stMarch 2025 – amazing!!!
“What better way to prove you’ve kicked cancer in the butt than dragging your body across the finish line at an Ironman,” the 37-year-old says. “If you can do that, you’ve proved to yourself you’re a lot stronger than you think.” See news article below:
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/09/16/cancer-cant-stop-woman-of-steele/
2. Breast Cancer is the most cancer in NZ women and about 3500 new cases are diagnosed yearly.
· 1 in 9 NZ women will be affected by breast cancer over their lifetime
· Breast cancer diagnoses have increased 18% in the last decade.
· 6% of all cases of breast cancer occur in women under 40.
3. To raise money for the Breast Cancer Foundation NZ to provide funds for research and to support women with breast cancer and their families.
How can you help?
Please DONATE now even if it’s just the price of a cup of coffee! Any amount will be much appreciated to help us reach our goal.
Every year 3,500 Kiwis are diagnosed with breast cancer, and more than 650 will die.
By fundraising for Breast Cancer Foundation NZ, I’m helping fund –
- Ground-breaking projects by some of our countries top researchers
- Education about breast health, the importance of regular screening and the signs and symptoms of breast cancer
- Free support services for breast cancer patients and their families
Steele Wheels Course
A big thank you to the Kennett Brothers for permission to reproduce their maps and for their wonderful work in designing the most amazing cycle rides throughout New Zealand.
· Stage One – North Island
· Stage Two – South Island Sounds to Sounds
· Stage Three – Backtrack Milford Sound to Te Anau, Mossburn then head south to Bluff
Good luck Tony, all the best.