Just over two years ago, on August 4, 2010, two financial planning industry stalwarts set off on the first leg of a fundraising venture that they hoped would heighten public awareness of the good things financial planners do – and raise $100,000 for the financial planning industry’s foundation, Future2.
Peter Bobbin and Ray Griffin, and their mate Roger Simionato, left Bourke on a 1250-kilometre ride to Sydney. They repeated the feat in 2011 and on September 15 this year will go for a third time. However, this time the route has been altered to link Sydney and Melbourne.
At the time of the inaugural event, Professional Planner wrote that the ride had been “cunningly timed to start just after the Tour de France has finished, thus avoiding any embarrassing direct comparisons”. But with 40 riders registered this year, such a comparison is today less far-fetched. A bit.
“It’s a mini-tour,” Griffin says. “It’s 10 times what we had last year. It creates a new issue for us around logistics and that sort of thing.
“It’s great for the individuals involved, in terms of the challenge and what they achieve. It’s great for Future2, and it’s great for financial planning.”
A total of 16 riders have signed up to complete the entire 1200km-plus journey from Sydney to Melbourne, with the remainder signed up to ride one or more of the route’s legs.
Bernie Ripoll, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, former chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services and the driving force behind the Future of Financial Advice (FoFA) reforms, will join the group in Collector and ride with them into Canberra. (So if nothing else, the Future2 Wheel Classic represents a rare opportunity to see a key policymaker in lycra – a real “leveller” if there ever was one.)
In 2010 the Future2 Wheel Classic raised more than $88,000. In 2011 the figure was $73,000. With luck and a bit of industry support, the event will reach its target of $100,000 in 2012.
The Future2 Wheel Classic has already raised about $40,000 through sponsorships and about $20,000 through rider-registration fees, which will cover much of the cost – such as jerseys, meals, insurance and accommodation – that had previously been paid out of funds raised. Each rider is engaged in his or her own fundraising activities and, to date, have collectively raised $48,000. Future2 is hoping to receive further support from the broader planning community as the ride progresses.
Matrix Planning Solutions is again a sponsor in 2012 and is the only entity to have been involved with the ride every year. The Wheel Classic’s major sponsor in 2012 is AMP, replacing BT, while Magellan and Macquarie are also involved, sponsoring the seminars that Bobbin will stage along the route.
In previous events the riders have overcome physical injuries, the mental issues that go with such a marathon event and – in Bobbin’s case, at least – a worrying lack of fitness and familiarity with cycling.
When Bobbin, Griffin, Simionato and the rest of the peloton roll into Melbourne on September 23, their efforts will have established the Future2 Wheel Classic as a fixture on the foundation’s fundraising calendar.
Click here to read more about the 2012 Future2 Wheel Classic and to make a donation to support the riders.
