Ryan Dummett FCA aims to clock up 200 kilometres a week on his bicycle, or 10,000 kilometres each year.

While his original passion for cycling was based around fitness and socialising with friends, he has also racked up thousands of kilometres riding in charity cycling events, raising funds largely for causes promoting improved mental health.

Combining work and purpose

Based on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, Dummett is an audit director and partner at Ashfords Accountants & Advisory. He says many of his charity rides have come about through work connections.

While he has raised more than A$30,000 in the saddle himself, Dummett’s firm has also made a commitment to the charity rides, which he estimates at about another A$20,000.

“Most of the early charity rides that I did were because I was supporting a client or someone that we work with who has a connection with a charity,” he says. 

“The first two charity rides I did were with Ray Chamberlain, the former AFL umpire who had a connection to our firm through his mortgage broking business.

“He and his brothers created the Razor Ride, to raise funds through the Chamberlain Foundation to support people with mental illness and at risk of suicide, and I did two of those rides with him.”

A win-win in giving back

While some of Dummett’s rides have been bucket-list experiences, such as riding part of four stages of the Tour de France and Victoria’s Around the Bay, the commitment to cycling has increasingly overlapped with his charity fundraising.

CA ANZ recognised his contribution last year, awarding him a fellowship both for his charity fundraising and decade-long leadership of the Victoria Contemporary Accounting Problems Discussion Group.

While Dummett jokes that he is “just another middle-aged man dressed in Lycra riding a bike on a Sunday”, he says the “riding and fundraising are about equal in importance to me”.

“Last year I was signed up for a charity ride that was cancelled due to lack of riders, so I was riding for no real purpose all through last summer and that felt a bit weird, and I missed the charity commitment,” he says.

“When you’re involved in the lead-up to the events and the actual rides, and you hear people’s stories about how they are doing it tough or how their families have been touched by mental health issues, it really focuses you and gives you some pride that what you are doing is for a great cause.”

Like-minded network

The experience also helps foster relationships and the development of networks, not only professionally but also from a wider community perspective.

“When you ride side by side with someone for 150 kilometres a day for six days, you get a lot of time to talk to different people from different walks of life,” says Dummett. “You get to understand their motivations, why they are on the ride, something of their life history.

“It has been really positive to meet all these people, because it is people of a high calibre who gravitate to these events and commit to raising money for charity and doing it for a cause.”

The next challenge

Dummett is now working up to another charity ride in February 2026, from Adelaide to Melbourne.

Organised by Pedal for Purpose, the ride will aim to raise funds for the charity It’s Okay, not to be Okay, whose goal is to create change in mental health, grief and suicide prevention.

“Part of the ride will be to provide mental health workshops and pass out educational backpacks to grade five and six kids [aged between 10 and 12] to help them with their resilience as they prepare to enter high school,” says Dummett.

“It is quite a big shock for kids to transition to high school, and they have a lot of challenges. So, the organisation has developed the program but needs funding and that’s why I’m getting on the bike for the next big ride.”

He also hopes to inspire one of his young adult children to come along for the event, as a volunteer.

“In some ways they’ve had a sheltered life, so to be able to spend a week with people committed to this cause and to hear their stories and motivation, I think it could be really positive and an eye opener,” says Dummett.

“We have some great presenters and also people freely share their experiences about why they are there on the ride.

“I think it would be great for anyone to come along and hear those stories and to see the passion people have about making a difference.”

On your bike!

If you’re a keen cyclist, are passionate about supporting a great cause and would like to join Pedal for Purpose from 15–21 February 2026, riding from Adelaide to Melbourne, please visit https://www.mycause.com.au/events/pedalforpurpose for more information or to register.