On May 9, 2026, Adem Karademir and Peter-Jan Simons will set off by bike from Den Bosch to Turkey. Through their journey across Europe, they aim to raise funds for cancer research at Oncode Institute. Supporting research that explores new ways to make cancer treatments more effective and better tolerated by patients, for example by studying how therapies can be timed to the body’s natural biological rhythms to improve outcomes and reduce side effects.
Karademir and Simons know each other through their work at Emixa. What started as a casual conversation between meetings gradually evolved into something much bigger. “Could we actually cycle to Turkey?” they wondered. The idea stayed with them. Over time, talking turned into planning, and planning became reality.
From the beginning, both felt the journey should stand for something beyond the challenge itself. Like many people, they had seen colleagues, friends and family affected by cancer, directly and indirectly. That shared experience led them to support Oncode Institute and contribute to cancer research that could make a meaningful difference for patients.
One research project in particular resonated with them. The project focuses on breast cancer and investigates how the timing of treatment may influence its effectiveness. The human body constantly changes throughout the day and over longer biological cycles. Hormonal fluctuations, immune activity and subtle changes in blood vessels may all affect how treatments such as chemotherapy are processed by the body. By better understanding these biological rhythms, researchers hope to improve the effectiveness of existing therapies and reduce their impact on patients.
Karademir and Simons deliberately chose to support this type of research. While the potential societal impact is significant, studies aimed at optimising existing treatments often receive less attention and funding than the development of new drugs. Through their cycling journey, they hope to raise awareness and support for research that could improve care for many patients using therapies that already exist today.
According to Jacco van Rheenen, who leads this research, this line of research addresses an important gap in healthcare. “The constantly changing female physiology is still insufficiently considered in both fundamental research and clinical treatments,” he explains. “This has major consequences for women’s health. As the father of two daughters, I feel strongly motivated to help reduce this inequality in healthcare.”
Beyond supporting cancer research, the route itself also carries personal meaning. For Karademir, the journey represents a symbolic return to Turkey, the country his parents left in the late 1960s to build a future in the Netherlands. For Simons, the destination is connected to childhood memories of travelling through Turkey with his father, who worked there in trade.
The journey will cover thousands of kilometres across Europe and will be completed on speed pedelecs. “We don’t have months of time, and our bodies are not twenty anymore,” they say with a smile. “That is exactly why this feels like the right moment to do it.”
Travelling together, literally and figuratively
They have launched a GoFundMe page, where donations will support research projects at Oncode Institute.
The journey is expected to take around four weeks. Along the way, Karademir and Simons will share their experiences online.
- Findpenguins: Cycling into the Future - For Smarter Cancer Care | FindPenguins
- Website: https://www.emixa.com/cycling-for-a-better-future
- Adem's personal LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karademir/
- Peter-Jan's personal LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterjansimons/