‘We’ll bring it all together’: How Geoff Coombes found his true purpose

Ever since he rode across the US in his 20s, the bike has been a force for good in the life of Geoff Coombes – and now he’s finally found his ‘why’

Ever since he rode across the US in his 20s, the bike has been a force for good in the life of Geoff Coombes – and now he’s finally found his ‘why’.

The Tour de Cure founder has helped raise more than $130m through the charity – and has now founded STRYDE4, a new and innovative approach to fundraising that unites charities and communities alike. Coming together as a collective for good will only amplify their impact.

“I stepped away from Tour de Cure just over two years ago now with the view to build this new venture to collaborate communities,” the Northern Beaches dad of Indi, 16, Jack, 14, and Lily, 12, tells Sydney Weekend.

“Tour de Cure was singularly focused on cancer.

“All those years of starting a cancer charity, it was never personal.

“I’d always get asked, ‘why did you start a cancer charity?’ And I couldn’t answer it, because I started something to give back.

Geoff Coomes co-founded Tour de Cure cancer fundraiser. Picture: David Anthony

“STRYDE4 was the real extension of this, because I want to give back across mental health, cancer, disability, Indigenous families and the environment.

“The Y in STRYDE, represents your why, the people’s why. We want to just amplify the impact you can have and bring all these people together. So often the charity events are only for one cause, but there’s lots of things that the charities have the potential to collaborate on, so we’ll bring it all together.

“I’m so energised and inspired by these foundations and pioneering founders that we’re working with.

“I love helping these organisations to try and create stronger connections to their communities.”

Coombes, who has since been awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his efforts, says he started the legacy of Tour de Cure on a whim. After a childhood spent around the world, he joined Sydney private boys’ school Cranbrook in year 9 – his 13th school from every corner of the globe.

“I went to boarding school from year 9 and loved it,” he explains.

“From the age of four to 14 I was in overseas schools, travelling with Mum and Dad.”

Living in Singapore, England, Malaysia, the US, Germany, Africa and Melbourne before moving back to Sydney, Coombes says it was his youth that shaped who he is.

“Dad was an aircraft engineer for Qantas so we travelled a lot,” he continues.

“We went to Singapore for two years, Malaysia for a year, Singapore, another two years, England for a year, Melbourne for years, Sydney for a year, Africa for three years, Germany and the US.

“From all of it, if I learnt anything, it’s being able to quickly fit in because you had to.

“I grew up feeling like the world was my oyster, which taught me that you could meet people quickly, appreciate the cultures and settle in very quickly.

“But the flip side of that is I left school and didn’t really know what I wanted to do – but what I couldn’t do is I couldn’t sit still, because I had this somewhat transient lifestyle.”

Geoff Coombes lived overseas for much of his youth.

Coombes moved to Melbourne, changed jobs and struggled to settle down, taking years to realise what he wanted to do, and find his purpose.

“It probably took me 10 years after school to actually go ‘right, hold on, you don’t need to be in a different city every 18 months’ – I told myself ‘yes, I like to travel and be active – so what can I do with that?’” he continues.

“Then I thought about the bike ride I did.”

When Coombes was 26 he followed a mate to the US on a whim, which ultimately led him to Tour de Cure.

“Twenty-six was a pretty pivotal time to accept that I wanted to travel,” he admits.

“And prior to that, I’d never really even cycled.

“A mate and I talked about it in class at school that one day we could go and watch the Tour de France or something and he said, ‘hey, I’m gonna go and ride across America’. I said, ‘not without me you’re not’.”

From there, Coombes and his mate quickly sold everything they owned, bought bikes and voyaged to New York.

“We bought a map and rode around Central Park, caught a train up to Vermont and kind of knew that we were going west, and off we went on an adventure,” he says.

“In 1997 the world felt like it was just right to travel, and I loved it.

“I don’t know what it was that made me go, but that beautiful naivety of just going ‘right, we can do it’ changed my life.”

Australian of the Year nominees Geoff Coombes Gary Bertwistle and Samantha Hollier-James.

So after the ride that changed everything, and perhaps feeling uncertain about his next path, it was 2007 that saw the inception of Tour de Cure. It was born out of a desire to combine adventure with a cause, leading to a group of individuals, including Samantha Hollier-James and Gary Bertwistle, forming the team.

“A decade after the bike ride I’d been working in marketing and I found myself not realising it, but I was doing the ‘shave your head’, ‘grow your mo’ initiatives and doing some of the charity walks, and I really enjoyed it,” Coombes says.

“On the back of this, I started thinking that I should be doing something like the bike ride I did for a cause, and then I got together with Samantha and Gary where we kind of threw around the idea of getting a group of people together to try and help a cause.

“Within a couple years we had Mark Beretta from Sunrise, Lexus, Woolworths, CommBank ... so the Tour de Cure, potential to engage people through cycling, was on a really strong trajectory,” he explains.

Fast-forward 17 years and a community that started with just 29 people has grown to more than 15,000 participants annually, with Tour de Cure raising a whopping $135m for the fight against cancer. It currently funds more than 150 major scientific research breakthroughs and supports 979 cancer projects.

Tour de Cure has raised over $130 million since its inception.

Coombes has since done 68 tours. Some 300,000km over nearly 300 days. It’s a life he has chosen and he’d do it all over again.

“Every day is different, and there’s definitely some that absolutely stand out,” he says.

“In 2014 we rode from Sydney to Hobart; we didn’t sail, we actually rode it. And it was huge. It was very iconic, and stunning. The communities through the towns were amazing, we had the chance to talk to the locals and realise what we’re doing is helping them.”

You’ll often find Coombes at Manly Beach or kicking around a soccer pitch. His partner Caroline has three children too, so together with his three they make a modern day Brady Bunch, and take it all in their stride, naturally. But when Coombes walked away from Tour de Cure two years ago, he knew he had more to give. Driven by a desire to support multiple causes beyond cancer – including mental health, disability, Indigenous families and the environment – he founded STRYDE4, which is about to hold its first event.

“I have absolutely found my purpose, there is not a doubt in my mind. I think my purpose is helping other people find their purpose, so being able to kind of create stronger connections to people, the causes, and support them as they try to do more.”

He describes the first STRYDE4Day, on October 24, as a day of purpose. Thousands of ambassadors from some 30 charities will embark on a 10km walk from Bondi to Maroubra, a 21km walk from Bondi to La Perouse, or a 14km paddle from Clovelly to La Perouse. They are hoping to raise $2m.

To take part, visit stryde4.com

Originally published as ‘We’ll bring it all together’: How Geoff Coombes found his true purpose