It’s so great to see so many passionate men and women making the selfless commitment to raise funds during their Bowral Classic training.
One of those people is Simon Bloomfield, a motivated cyclist and self-proclaimed food and wine connoisseur. His cycling keeps him fit and healthy and is a great way to raise money for the great cause, the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse.
Here is his story;
- Tell us a bit about yourself Simon.
I live in the inner west of Sydney; I’m a Creative Director at an advertising agency, MercerBell. And I’m married to Carol, with two young girls, Audrey (12) and Edie (10).
Apart from cycling, I’d say my most avid hobby is good food and wine, with my cycling habit doing its job of stopping my waistline from ballooning.
I’ve been riding pretty avidly for the past 8 years or so, and in particular with a group of mates known as the Bay City Rollers Cycling Club. It was formed by an old boss of mine, Lee Callister, in Melbourne, with a Sydney chapter established when he moved back up here about 4 years ago.
- How did you find out about the Bowral Classic event?
I’m always on the lookout for interesting new cycling events, and have ridden a bit in the Southern Highlands area. It’s a beautiful, if challenging place to ride, and this seemed like too great an opportunity to pass up. In addition, I’ve ridden the last few years with my Bay City Rollers Cycling Club mates in the Ride to Conquer Cancer. As that event is no longer on, we decided to focus our efforts on the Bowral Classic.
- Why have you chosen the Lifehouse organisation to raise funds for?
The Ride to Conquer Cancer (RTCC) was a charity event supporting the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. And we chose this event because like so many people, cancer has affected us in many different ways. Our club captain, Lee, is over 10 years in remission from cancer, while my brother-in-law Geoffrey, who rode with us on last year’s RTCC, has been having treatment over the past few years.
- How much have you raised so far for the charity?
We’ve developed a really strong connection with the team at Lifehouse, and in particular the ladies who run their Arterie program, which brings artists into the centre for month long residencies, working with patients, staff and relatives. Over the past few years we’ve raised around $70,000 for the organisation which has really had a significant impact.
- How have you been proactive about raising funds for Lifehouse?
Sending a constant battery of emails and social posts will only get you so far. And when you’ve been raising a fairly decent amount of money year on year for the past few years, you have to get creative about it.
This year we’ve held a small Tour de France dinner with the great guys at Bitton Gourmet and raised an easy thousand dollars in a night. I’ve also cooked up a big pot of chilli and sold lunch to everyone in the office for a (generous) donation – that raised me over $300 for a minimal outlay. We also held an Art Auction at Lifehouse last year which was a brilliant night and brought in close to $20,000 – had to pull a lot of favours for the that one. A really easy thing to do though is a raffle – it’s pretty easy to get people to donate some very generous prizes, then sell as many tickets as you can. I keep them cheap and encourage people to buy plenty!
- Tell us how you have been preparing for the Bowral Classic ride through the Southern Highlands.
I had a pretty solid year of riding in 2015, so 2016 has been about maintaining my base fitness and riding consistently, rather than overdoing things. Ultimately I want to just get out there and enjoy the Bowral Classic – it’s actually my birthday weekend, so I’ll be riding down there on the Friday with a bunch of mates and celebrating with our families on the Friday night – we’ll save Saturday as a recovery day 😉
- Any final words to encourage people to donate, raise funds for their chosen charity or in preparation for the Bowral Classic ride?
You’ll be amazed at what you can do when you put your mind to it. Be persistent in asking for donations, be consistent in your training, and don’t forget why you’re doing it – for the love of life!
We would like to thank Simon for his time and generosity, we will see you in October Simon! Keep up the good work.
