Former cycling champion Phil Corley has launched a national fundraiser to help find a cure for brain tumours.

Phil, ex National Road Race Champion, who now runs one of the UK’s leading independent cycle retailers, is hoping hundreds will follow his lead and take part in On Yer Bike for Brain Tumour Research. And he has a very personal reason to support the campaign as he lost his own brother to the disease.

Phil’s brother Richard was 44 when he died in 1990 leaving a wife and two small children who are now grown up and have families of their own – grandchildren Richard never got to meet.

Taking place in February, On Yer Bike is a chance for everyone from committed cyclists – like Phil and his customers who are used to putting in high mileage out on the roads or on turbo trainers – to those more used to the odd spinning class at the gym or cycling as a family, to get involved and raise money for a great cause. Participants select a sponsorship target, set up a fundraising page and can then track their performance, keeping an eye on their ranking on the national leader board, to see who will cover the most miles from 1 February to 23 February.

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 yet, historically just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease and the Brain Tumour Research charity is proud to be changing this.

On Yer Bike has been running since 2012 when it was launched as a local event by brain tumour patient Paul Halfpenny from Derbyshire. Sadly, Paul passed away in 2014 but the event continued and now takes place nationwide.

The 2019 event is expected to be popular with road cyclists, and particularly those who are training for the big events in the sports calendar as this year, for the first time, participants can track their progress on an all-new website www.onyerbikechallenge.org

Cyclists can upload their training and mileage from their wearable technology and so compete against each other on an individual and team basis.

A professional cyclist and National Road Race Champion in 1978, Phil’s business Corley Cycles is based in Milton Keynes; the city is also home to Brain Tumour Research. Other big names who have held the prestigious title include Geraint Thomas (2010), Bradley Wiggins (2011), Ian Stannard (2012) and Mark Cavendish (2014).

Phil said: “As a generally competitive breed, I think cyclists are going to really appreciate the new element of the campaign as they will be able to see how their performance compares with others taking part.

“Many cyclists may well be putting in lots of mileage during February as they prepare for upcoming events and I would ask them to register and take part in On Yer Bike. It’s a great way of raising money for such an important cause and perhaps it will give them some increased motivation as well.

“Sadly, brain tumours are indiscriminate and can affect anyone at any age. They are all too prevalent and many people, like my own family, have been affected this cruel disease.”

Brain Tumour Research funds sustainable research at Research Centres of Excellence in the UK; it also campaigns for the Government and the larger cancer charities to invest more in research into brain tumours in order to speed up new treatments for patients and, ultimately, to find a cure. The charity is calling for an annual spend of £35m in order to improve survival rates and patient outcomes in line with other cancers such as breast cancer and leukaemia.

For more information and to register please go to www.onyerbikechallenge.org

For further information, please contact:
Susan Castle-Smith at Brain Tumour Research on 01908 867206 or 07887 241639 or Susan@Braintumourresearch.org

Notes to editors

Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK dedicated to raising funds for continuous and sustainable scientific research into brain tumours, and we are a leading voice calling for greater support and action for research into what scientists are calling the last battleground against cancer.

We are building a network of experts in sustainable research at dedicated Centres of Excellence whilst influencing the Government and larger cancer charities to invest more nationally.

We welcome recent funding announcements for research into brain tumours from the UK Government and Cancer Research UK – £65 million pledged over the next five years. However, this potential funding of £13 million a year comes with a catch – money will only be granted to quality research proposals and, due to the historic lack of investment, there may not be enough of these applications that qualify for grants from this pot.

We want research funding parity with breast cancer and leukaemia. We are calling for a £30-35 million investment every year for research into brain tumours in order to fund the ground-breaking research needed to accelerate the translation from laboratory discoveries into clinical trials and fast-track new therapies for this devastating disease.

The Brain Tumour Research charity is a powerful campaigning organisation and represents the voice of the brain tumour community across the UK. We helped establish and provide the ongoing Secretariat for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Brain Tumours (APPGBT) which published its report Brain Tumours A cost too much to bear? in 2018. Led by the charity, the report examines the economic and social impacts of a brain tumour diagnosis. We are also a key player in the development strategy for the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. 

Key statistics on brain tumours:

• Brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age
• Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer
• Historically, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours
• In the UK, 16,000 people each year are diagnosed with a brain tumour
• Brain tumours kill more children than leukaemia
• Brain tumours kill more men under 45 than prostate cancer
• Brain tumours kill more women under 35 than breast cancer
• Less than 20% of those diagnosed with a brain tumour survive beyond five years compared with an average of 50% across all cancers

Please quote Brain Tumour Research as the source when using this information. Additional facts and statistics are available from our website. We can also provide case studies and research expertise for the media.