My journey into mountain biking started later in life than most. When my daughter Hannah came home from Canada, she brought her passion for mountain biking with her. She dragged me out, hired me a bike and later admitted she thought she’d nearly destroyed me. But I came back with a huge smile on my face, asking for her to help me buy a bike.
That was the beginning of everything.
Mountain biking has genuinely transformed my life. My health and fitness are better than ever; especially meaningful after a brush with cancer. I love the community of women I ride with and the deep friendships that have grown from it.
This year I completed my second Karri Cup ride (52km on the trails, with a little help from good friends!) and I’ve competed in two WAGE events — something I swore I’d never do but absolutely loved the support and community that carried me through.
If you’d told me a few years ago I’d be doing any of this, I wouldn’t have believed you. Never too old to start.
Who Is the Cambodian Children’s Fund?
When my daughter Kate came home and told me she was going to Cambodia on exchange, I knew nothing about the Cambodian Children’s Fund. But as I learned about how CCF started and the values that drive everything they do, I realised this organisation was genuinely different.
CCF transforms the lives of children and families who are surviving on the city’s trash heaps. Moving them from desperate poverty to children in full-time school and families with housing, clean water and healthcare. It’s not a band-aid. It’s lasting, generational change, and that’s what drew me in.
What makes CCF truly stand apart is the expectation placed on sponsors. You don’t just donate and move on. You commit to writing to your child or young person every single month, building a real relationship over time. And for the children to remain in the program, they must attend school every single day. Connection and accountability, on both sides.
CCF has also expanded their community in a beautiful way. Their Grannies program reconnects children and young people with their history and culture – the very identity that the Pol Pot regime tried to destroy. The Grannies also care for children who are unable to live with their own families. It’s a program that heals not just individuals, but a nation’s soul.
Kate fell in love with the CCF children during her exchange, and so our sponsorship journey began. Over twelve years of monthly letters, I’ve watched our young person grow from a child into a remarkable young woman. She is now in her first year at university, with hopes of returning to CCF one day as a teacher.
My First Miles for Smiles — Vietnam to Phnom Penh, 2025
The fitness and confidence I’d built through mountain biking gave me the courage to take on my first Miles for Smiles ride in 2025. Cycling from Vietnam to Phnom Penh, raising money for a new kindergarten. It was tough but breathtakingly beautiful. And the highlight (one I will never forget) was riding into Phnom Penh to be welcomed by the CCF children at the finish line.
While in Phnom Penh we had the incredible privilege of taking our young person and her sister out for a full day — getting to know them beyond the letters, seeing them laugh, hearing their dreams. Twelve years of words on paper, finally in person. There are no words adequate for that moment.
Miles for Smiles 2027 — Laos to Cambodia, 335km
In January 2027, I’ll be back on the bike for Miles for Smiles — this time a 335km ride from Laos to Cambodia. It will be every bit as challenging as 2025. My legs will ache. There will be hard days on the road. And I cannot wait.
Because every single kilometre I ride will be raising funds for the children and families that CCF supports. This isn’t just a charity ride for me — it’s deeply personal. It’s for the young woman I’ve been writing to for twelve years. It’s for her sister. It’s for the thousands of other children whose stories I’ll never know, but whose lives CCF is quietly and powerfully changing every single day.
How You Can Help — Huck it Socks!
Here at Huck it, we’re rallying behind this ride as a community. We’re selling Huck it socks for $25 a pair, with proceeds going toward my Miles for Smiles fundraiser. Socks are purchased through Huck it — just DM us to grab yours.
Prefer to donate directly to CCF? You can do that too, via the link in our bio.
Every dollar — whether it buys a pair of socks or goes straight to Cambodia — makes a real difference to a real child. Share this post, spread the word, buy a pair of socks. Be part of this story.
Let’s ride for the kids. 
To learn more about the Cambodian Children’s Fund, visit cambodianchildrensfund.org.
To donate directly https://ccf-au.raiselysite.com/p-lane or grab a pair of Huck It socks.
