This year’s Tour de Brisbane, sponsored by Transurban, has made a significant impact for transplant research, with over $70,000 raised in 2025.
The event, on Sunday, 13 April, had the highest number of participants yet, with more than 7,000 cyclists from 15 countries taking on the closed streets of the river city.
Fortunately for everyone on their bikes, the rain cleared, and there were primarily blue skies on Sunday. The beautiful weather allowed people of varying ages and abilities to complete the 50km, 80km and 120km rides, as well as the family fun community ride.
And we are so grateful to those cyclists who used their ride to raise vital funds to support life-saving transplant research done right here in Brisbane at one of the country’s leading heart and lung hospitals – The Prince Charles Hospital.
Partnership Fuels Crucial Research as Transplant Challenges Remain
“2025 marks the fifth year that The Common Good is a proud partner of the Tour de Brisbane. To this day, riders continue to raise money for transplant research and related conditions such as heart disease and ICU care,” said Chloe Nguyen, General Manager of Communications, Marketing and Engagement, The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation.
Organ transplantation has revolutionised modern medicine, offering hope and a second chance at life to countless individuals. However, despite remarkable progress, significant challenges remain. From increasing the number of viable organs available to reducing transplant rejection and the risk of post-transplant complications, research is at the centre of it all.
Heart Transplant Recipient Completes 120km Ride for Research at 2025 Tour de Brisbane
Every year, there are many riders who hop on their bikes and take on the challenge. This is because they have been personally impacted by organ transplantation and the medical research that strives to improve outcomes.
This year, one of those very special participants who took on the 120-kilometre course was heart transplant recipient Rob Hodgson. Rob completed the 50-kilometre course virtually in 2023 to raise funds for research– just six months after his heart transplant.
He travelled from Sydney to take part in the 2025 Tour de Brisbane. Rob cycled the 120-kilometre course in person, again fundraising for this important cause. It was a mammoth accomplishment for him, as it was the first time he’d ridden over 100 kilometres since his lifesaving operation in 2022.
I wanted to give back after my journey. It’s a great cause, and it’s because of medical research that I’m here today.
– Rob, heart transplant recipient.
We were delighted to show him the Critical Care Research Group Innovative Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology Laboratory at The Prince Charles Hospital a few days before the event.
The research group wrote online, “Rob’s donor heart was transported to him using the hypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) preservation technology that we shepherded into clinical practice.”
This is one of many research projects the Foundation has helped to fund, with the aim of improving the availability of donor organs and outcomes for transplant patients.
You can read more about Rob’s story here.
Thank You to All Our Fundraisers
The top fundraiser in 2025 was Kirsty Madsen, who was also the second highest fundraiser of 2024.
She wrote on her fundraising page, “A close colleague’s father was admitted to ICU less than 5 years ago with Giant Cell myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle). Due to the rapid decline in his health, he was moved to the top of the transplant list and received a heart transplant within a week. Against all odds, he’s now living a full life four years post-transplant!”
Congratulations on your incredible fundraising efforts again in 2025, Kirsty!
Thank you to Rob, Kirsty, and all the other riders who hopped on their bike to ride for transplant research at The Prince Charles Hospital. And thank you to those who supported their incredible efforts by donating to their rides.
If you would like to help us support incredible researchers and clinicians trying to make a difference and help people live healthier for longer, you can make a donation here.
