Family and friends to remember proud husband, friend and cycling enthusiast Tony Gove

TOMORROW (Saturday, October 15), riders from all around the world will unite for a special day of cycling, moving in memory of local Barwon Heads resident and cycling enthusiast Tony Gove, who passed away from prostate cancer earlier this year.

The “Tour de Tony” is a cycling challenge calling on people to push themselves to their limits, cycling between 20 and 200km to raise vital funds for Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Australia, with more than 24,000 men expected to be diagnosed this year alone.

In Australia, one in five men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime.

Tony was a proud husband, dad, grandad, a retired school principal and a passionate and competitive cyclist who conquered physical and mental mountains through 22 rounds of chemotherapy trying to beat the disease.

After succumbing to prostate cancer in January this year, aged 63, his family and friends will get their wheels spinning to do all they can in a bid to fight cancer.

Tony’s son Shannan Gove is one of the driving forces behind the inaugural ride and hopes that the fundraising and awareness venture will help to put prostate cancer in the limelight, all the while ensuring his father’s legacy lives on.

“A beacon of positivity, dad was one of the fittest and healthiest guys you’d ever meet but unfortunately prostate cancer doesn’t discriminate, and he lost his brave battle earlier this year,” Mr Gove said.

“The objective of the event is twofold; one is to raise funds for Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and two is to raise awareness of prostate cancer for all men of all ages.

“We really encourage people to ride as far as they can in a day, and then hopefully we can do it again next year and riders can try beat that number.

“At this stage, we’ve got 70 riders participating around the world, people that are mates with dad or were connected to him.

Tour de Tony has smashed it’s fundraising goal of $20,000, raising $36,483 at the time this publication went to print.

The team is still fundraising. To donate, head to, tour-de-tony.blackbaud-sites.com.