18 September 2024
Tour de Pancreas 2024 raises €190,475 for pioneering research
More than 100 people travelled to Mont Ventoux with Tour de Pancreas. They included patients, survivors, relatives, friends, clinicians and researchers, each with a personal story or motivation. On Saturday 14 September, they walked, ran or cycled to the summit and raised €190,475 for Support Casper.
A shared experience
Participants arrived at a campsite in Vaison-la-Romaine, at the foot of Mont Ventoux, on Wednesday 11 September. They joined a training ride or walk on Thursday and prepared for the ascent with a pasta meal on Friday evening.
Each day began with breakfast together and ended at Café de Pancreas, where Jan Dirk Stouten hosted the evening programme. Stichting Eck Roosen and Support Casper introduced their work, while participants shared their stories. Time spent getting to know one another created moving moments and a strong sense of community.
Mount Ventoux climb
Saturday 14 September brought the challenge everyone had anticipated: climbing Mont Ventoux. The 1,910-metre mountain has around 100 bends. Strong winds and sub-zero wind chill initially made the summit seem unreachable, but conditions improved during the day and every participant crossed the finish line.
Stichting Eck Roosen and Support Casper
Tour de Pancreas grew from an initiative by Stichting Eck Roosen, whose walkers and cyclists first climbed Mont Ventoux in 2021 to oppose the devastating impact of pancreatic cancer. The foundation and Support Casper have organised the event together since 2022. Around 3,000 people in the Netherlands are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year, and that number is rising. Money raised through the Tour supports Professor Casper van Eijck and his team as they develop innovative treatments.