Cycle into the future - quite literally

On 9 May 2026, we, Adem and Peter Jan, will get on our bikes and ride from the Netherlands to Turkiye.

A long journey. Thousands of kilometres. Plenty of headwinds. This ride is about moving forward. And about contributing to a better future.

Through this ride we are raising funds for a specific research project at the Oncode Institute , a leading Dutch cancer research institute with one clear mission: to outsmart cancer and impacting lives.

By combining world-class science with close collaboration with actual patients, Oncode accelerates discoveries that have the potential to fundamentally improve cancer treatment.

So, while our journey follows roads and mountain passes, the research we support follows something far more complex: the body’s natural cycles and how breast cancer treatment could become more effective by working with them instead of against them.

Almost everyone knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer - directly or indirectly. That is what makes this cause so close to home, and why progress in research matters so deeply.

Why this future matters

For decades, cancer treatment has followed carefully designed protocols. Powerful medicines. Fixed schedules. Standard approaches designed to work for as many people as possible.

But bodies are not standard.

The human body moves in rhythms. Hormones rise and fall. The immune system responds differently from one moment to the next. And yet, for a long time, those natural cycles were treated as background noise in medical research.

Researchers at the Oncode Institute began asking a different question: what if the hormonal cycle isn’t a detail – but part of the success?

In fundamental research, they observed something striking: the very same chemotherapy can have dramatically different effects depending on when it is given within the hormonal cycle. Not because the medicine changed - but because the body did.

Blood vessels subtly open and close. The immune system shifts its response. “Small” biological changes based on where patients are in the cycle, but with potentially large consequences for how well treatment reaches and affects a tumour. Not proven yet in human treatment - but promising enough to take the next step.

That next step is a dedicated clinical study, supported by Oncode Institute, focused on breast cancer in humans. A study that doesn’t look for new medicines, but for better timing. It comes with the potential to make existing treatments more effective, and care more personal.

At the heart of this research is Jacco van Rheenen , an Oncode Investigator who has spent years trying to understand not just how cancer behaves, but how the body responds to treatment. His work is driven by curiosity, but also by a willingness to question assumptions that have long been taken for granted.

When early signals suggested that the timing of chemotherapy might matter - that the same treatment could work differently depending on the body’s natural rhythm - Jacco didn’t dismiss it as coincidence or complexity. He leaned into it. Supported by Oncode Institute, he was able to follow this insight from the lab toward a real clinical study, working closely with clinicians and patient representatives to ensure the research stays grounded in real lives.

It is this combination - deep scientific rigour, openness to new perspectives, and focus on patient impact - that makes this research so powerful. Not a promise of miracles, but a serious step toward care that better understands the people it is meant to help.

Why from the Netherlands to Turkiye?

Just as this research is helping build a better future for patients, this route once shaped our own futures. For both of us, this journey is about honouring the past.

For Adem, this ride is a tribute to his parents.

In the late 1960s, they travelled the same route, from a small village in Turkiye to the Netherlands, leaving everything familiar behind to build a better future for their children. Cycling this route back is a symbolic way of honouring their courage, resilience and perseverance that lead to set better future.

For Peter-Jan, Turkiye is connected to memories of travelling there as a child with his father, who traded in dried fruits and built strong relationships with people and places along the way. His father has since passed away. This journey is a way to follow those memories once more - both literally and figuratively.

Different stories, one shared journey. And one shared belief: that moving forward only really matters if it helps others move forward too.

Why your donation matters

Therefore, even small contributions help accelerate progress where it is urgently needed.

We will be cycling for weeks, with tired legs, changing weather and long days on the road. Knowing that every kilometre also contributes to better, more human cancer treatment gives this journey its true meaning.

How to follow along

If this story resonates, feel free to follow along on Findpenguins, where we will frequently post updates from our adventure and the study.

Thank you for supporting us, for believing in this cause, and for helping us cycle, quite literally, into a better future.

With gratitude,

Adem & Peter Jan