17 September 2014
Adelaide cyclists are gearing up for the state’s premier cycling challenge – the Ride for Pain – to raise awareness of the world’s most burdensome health issue.
Chronic pain costs Australia more than cancer and diabetes combined, with more than 15 per cent of Australians having a chronic pain condition that reduces their quality of life.
The brainchild behind the ride, UniSA’s Professor of Clinical Neurosciences Lorimer Moseley, says around 500 elite and recreational cyclists are expected to take part in the event on November 16.
Prof Moseley says Ride for Pain allows participants to choose their own pain challenge traversing some of the Adelaide Hills’ toughest hill climbs over two, four and six hour durations.
“The Ride for Pain is intentionally tough, taking in hill climbs known best to cyclists as Montacute, Corkscrew, Little Italy, Mt George, Pound and The Wall,” Prof Moseley says.
“The ride gives participants an insight into what it’s like to suffer from chronic pain and what it takes to recover.”
Now in its third year, Ride for Pain has been revamped with Adelaide’s ‘pain community’ coming together to support the event.
Prof Moseley says Pain Adelaide is a collaboration between UniSA, the University of Adelaide, Flinders University, the Motor Accident Commission, WorkCoverSA and Pfizer.
“Pain Adelaide is a network of scientists, health professionals and consumers who are dedicated to taking on this massive challenge of increasing understanding of chronic pain and helping to find a solution,” he says.
“Adelaide is absolutely one of the best places around to ride a bike – there is not much that can match the accessible and picturesque Adelaide Hills. It is also one of the most important pain research and management centres on the planet. Taking part in the Ride for Pain is one way Adelaide’s cycling community can help take on this massive challenge of chronic pain. This is a unique, challenging and altogether fantastic community cycling event.”
Prof Moseley will again be taking part in the ride himself – this year taking on the six hour challenge.
“I’m certainly not ready yet but I’m aiming to get myself prepared over the next two months,” he says.
“I’m really excited about this new and expanded Ride for Pain, in which people will end up back at the village at the University’s Magill campus at the same time and probably all feeling equally exhausted.
“It will be tough as participants want to make it. There are so many metaphors in this ride for chronic pain, like training, patience, persistence, courage, support and digging deep.”
Prof Moseley, who is also UniSA’s Chair in Physiotherapy, has been researching chronic pain for 20 years.
“I find humans fascinating and pain is at once a very private and ubiquitous experience,” he says.
“I was struck by two things when I started to encounter people with chronic pain – that they were often left on the edges and in a descending spiral of disadvantage and misunderstanding, and that we, the health care community, seemed to have no way of helping them.
“By riding in the Ride for Pain, Adelaide cyclists will help researchers in their work to reduce the massive personal and societal cost of chronic pain. We really appreciate this support.”
For more information and to register, please visit www.rideforpain.org
Media contact: Kelly Stone office 8302 0963 mobile 0417 861 832 email Kelly.stone@unisa.edu.au
