Over the weekend of January 19-21 a team of Cashcard riders completed the JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes.

After months of fund raising and training, a team of Cashcard staff travelled to the Barossa Valley to compete in the 2007 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Ride to Cure Diabetes on the weekend of January 19 - 21. The theme of the weekend was to challenge diabetes through raising funds to find a cure.

On the day it was not the expected usual South Australian summer heat that greeted riders, rather rain and a cool breeze. After a carbo-loading dinner the night before nearly 200 riders, including 5 Cashcard riders took the challenge and took to the roads amongst the vineyards.

All five riders from the Cashcard team comfortably completed the 80 km course through the undulating countryside of the scenic Barossa region. Riders came from diverse functions within Cashcard including Finance (Mark Louder, Ross McIntyre), Product Management (Stephen Devitt) and Information Technology (Ross McDowall, Phillip Finnegan).

Through the event JDRF raised over $750,000 towards finding a cure for type 1 diabetes. For the Cashcard teams part in raising over $24,000 for JDRF, the ride team completed a number of activities from a trivia competition, renting car parking spaces at work, guessing competition and jersey corporate sponsorship.

We would like to specially note our corporate sponsors, who joined Cashcard in challenging diabetes: -

"It was a great weekend - excellently ran by JDRF and very inspiring to be part of an effort to find a cure to a life affecting disease that impacts so many Australians" said Phillip Finnegan (vice president Application Services) after completing the ride.

Donations are still accepted by JDRF and can be made at http://ride.jdrf.org.au/firstdata.

Cashcard Ride Team page

About the Ride To Cure Diabetes

About JDRF

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's (JDRF) mission is 'to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research'.

It has now been more than 35 years since a determined group of parents vowed to do whatever it takes to find a cure for type 1 diabetes. The tireless efforts of donors, supporters and volunteers over the years have seen over $1 billion invested globally in diabetes research since 1970. In 2004-05 $8.6 million was invested in 30 Australian research projects.

JDRF is dedicated to funding only the best and most promising diabetes research around the world. This investment has already significantly improved the lives of people with type 1 diabetes, and every dollar raised from the Ride to Cure Diabetes will bring us closer to a cure.

For further information about JDRF and current research progress go to the JDRF Website @ http://www.jdrf.org.au