Cycle powered cannabis clinical trial starts!

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Cycle powered cannabis clinical trial

We are delighted to share some fantastic news with its roots in the cannabis community. After 10 years, a clinical trial started in Spain this September, which uses cannabis as a potential cancer treatment.

Over the next 18 months, 30 patients with brain cancer will be treated in 8 hospitals across Spain. They will receive a treatment consisting of the cannabinoids THC and CBD in combination with traditional cancer treatments using temozolomide and radiotherapy.

What makes this extra special is that this trial is a special collaboration between the medical cannabis community and the scientific sector, for the benefit of science.  The trial has been funded independently by the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour Foundation charity.

The money used was raised exclusively through sponsorship of five bike tours between 2013 – 2018 (which were documented on YouTube and social media).

So, to all the sponsors, riders, volunteers and supporters who were there through the 5 bike tours, WE SALUTE YOU!

Medical Cannabis Bike Tour clinical trial facts

– The clinical trial started in September 2023 and will last for 18 months at 8 specialized neuro-oncology medical sites (hospitals in Spain) and will involve 30 patients.

– Trial participants will be patients with glioblastoma (a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer).

– The trial will study the promising synergistic antitumor effect of combining ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) with traditional cancer treatments using temozolomide and radiotherapy. 

– The trial is based on the research of the Cannabinoid Signalling Group team at Complutense University Madrid, headed by Dr Manuel Guzmán and Dr Guillermo Velasco. Their research in the lab suggests that cannabinoids (a combination of THC and CBD) may inhibit the growth of (and in some cases even destroy) cancer cells. 

– The trial will be overseen by GEINO (Spanish Group of Neurological Investigation) with EU-GMP certified medical cannabis THC and CBD products for administering to patients provided by Tilray Medical.

– It is important to stress that cannabis is not the ‘silver bullet’, but another weapon in the arsenal of cancer treatment.   

– This first trial will test that the treatment is safe, monitor response and survival rates (compared to traditional treatments), and measure improvements to quality of life.

– After 18 months, data will be collated by clinical research organisation, MFAR and the results will be reported to the wider medical community.

– The MCBT Foundation was founded by Luc Krol (Paradise Seeds) and Matej Munih (Snail Rolling Papers).

– Five tours were held between 2013 and 2017 in Spain (x2), Holland/Germany/Belgium, Slovenia/Italy, Czechia/Austria. 

MCBT 2017 Compilation

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The 2017 Medical Cannabis Bike Tour took place in Czech Republic and Austria in October. Over 3 days, riders travelled 420km by bike and raised 90,000 Euros in the process.

The Medical Cannabis Bike Tour is a journey that began 5 years ago and has so far raised over 400,000 Euros from sponsorship. This will be used to pay for independent clinical trials to test the effectiveness of using cannabinoids (THC and CBD) to treat cancer patients.

The bike tour is the biggest cannabis sporting event in Europe and possibly beyond, attracting riders and volunteers from around the world. Each year it takes the message to a new destination and since its inception the tour has travelled through Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Austria and the Czech Republic.

The 2017 Medical Cannabis Bike Tour began in the picturesque region of southern Bohemia in the Czech Republic and ended at the 10th anniversary Cultiva Expo in Vienna. Follow the tour as it happened with exclusive videos from each day.

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Medical Cannabis Bike Tour 2017 – Day #3

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It is the final day of the bike tour and this is the home run… all the way to Vienna. Leaving Emmersdorf we ride along the river passing the vineyards that this part of the region is famous for.

Despite the aches and pains, expectations are high and spirits are even higher… This tour began with the weather of nightmares, and finishes with the weather of dreams! Perfect cycling conditions today.

The MCBT is all about testing yourself, pushing the boundaries, chasing the challenge… For this reason there are two (and a half!) mountains to climb between lunch and home.

The tribes gather at the final rendezvous – teams from Canada, Holland, France, Slovenia, Germany, UK, Czech Republic and Italy. For the final 10, we ride as one unified peloton, an awesome sight as we cruise our way t the finish line at the 10th anniversary Cultiva expo.

There are medals and cheers for the rIders and then a check presentation for Dr Guillermo Velasco from Complutense University, Madrid, the man running the upcoming clinical trials we are funding.

And so another bike tour is finished, but the adventure continues… 420km, 3 days. Riders, volunteers, sponsors, film crews, we salute you! It’s been a blast 😉

Medical Cannabis Bike Tour 2017 – Day #2

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Day 2 and no rain. It’s a happy bike tour day today! We say goodbye to Linz and pick up the River Donau as we continue our journey through Austria.

From Linz the bike tour follows the river valley before leaving to climb up into the hills of Upper Austria, passing through small villages and farm country where locals stop to wave as the peloton speeds past, the trees displaying their Autumn splendour.

And today the peloton IS speeding! The riding conditions are perfect. Quickly the day forms into two main groups. “Tarmac like glass,” says one rider…

After lunch the route returns to follow the mighty River Donau, riding along the banks of the river valley, through wine country and to our Day 2 destination, the village of Emmersdorf.

Good spirits today and great vibes to take away the fatigue, the aches and pains of two days in the saddle. Team MCBT is ready for Day 3 and the last 130km of this great adventure… Vienna is calling!

Medical Cannabis Bike Tour 2017 – Day #1

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MCBT in Czech and Austria, in October? Hmmmm, people said, the weather could be a factor… And they were right!

Yesterday we arrived at our base camp in Frymburk, in Bohemia, Czech Republic. The sky was blue and the waters of the lake were calm. But in the night, the rain came…. and it didn’t stop.

We have never seen such a wet and cold start to the bike tour. Rain falls hard all morning as we circle the huge Lipno Reservoir, Autumn’s yellow leaves falling on wet roads. At midday,the tour crosses the River Rotbach and into Austria.

As with every first day the ride is a strange mixture of adrenaline and fatigue. But today is something else. In the mountains the wet riders get cold quickly. They must keep moving. Some veterans of 5 bike tours say this is the toughest MCBT day they have ever ridden!
But the bike tour pushes on, eventually breaking through the mountains. At Aschacan an der Donau, we get the first sight of the mighty River Donau and at last the rain stops.
The riders’ best friend now, the river leads the tour all way to our first stop in Linz.

Dr. Velasco explains research with cannabinoids for cancer treatment

Dr Guillermo Velasco from the Complutense University in Madrid talks about the upcoming independent clinical trials that are due to take place in Spain in 2018. The trials are being funded by donations from the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour, a non-profit organization that raises money through sponsorship of its annual bike ride.

Dr Velasco describes how the clinical trials will be conducted (based on a study of 30 patients), using the cannabinoids, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
Dr Velasco will be overseeing the trials that are being conducted with the support of the Spanish Group on Neuro Oncological Investigation, GEINO. Current scientific evidence supports that cannabis derivatives may provide relief to patients suffering from gliomas.

Published studies have demonstrated that the active principles of cannabis promote cancer cell death. Pre-clinical work performed over the past few years by the Complutense University team, has proved that the active principles of cannabis have anticancer activity in animal and cell models of glioma.

MCBT 2017: A Victory for Everybody!

 

Well, what a fantastic Medical Cannabis Bike Tour we had! For three days in October we brought our special brand of MCBT magic to the mountains and valleys of Czech Republic and Austria. We had it all – sunshine, wind, rain, tough times, good times and 3 days of hardcore cycling!

Yet again the atmosphere was fantastic as riders and volunteers from all over the world came together as one to support this great cause. The sense of comradeship was fantastic!

  • You can read the tour diary on our Facebook page
  • You can watch videos from the tour on our Youtube channel

We arrived at in Vienna (at the 10th anniversary Cultiva) after riding 420km. And we arrived bearing gifts! Dr Guillermo Valesco from Madrid’s Complutense University was waiting to receive a check for 95,000 Euros, adding to the already significant funds that his team have avaialable to conduct their independent clinical trials, hopefully beginning early next year.

Dr Velasco (pictured receiving the Check from MCBT co-founder Luc Krol) told the riders gathered at Cultiva; “Thank you very much for your continued support for the cause and specifically for these clinical trials. It is a really excellent achievement and you have made possible something that is very special – to make independent clinical trials.” 

Destination Cultiva – Cannabis Congress

The destination for the 2017 Medical Cannabis Bike Tour is the Austrian capital, Vienna, and specifically the Cultiva Hemp Expo (or Hanfmesse). This event is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2017 and it is a well established expo in Europe.

Cannabis is legal in Austria until the plant begins to flower or so long as it does not produce THC, which makes for a rather unique quasi-legal status. Aside from the creativity of recreational users to work inside the law, cannabis is available in Austria for medical and scientific purposes and the number of medical users, for a range of illnesses and conditions, is steadily increasing.

Cultiva has established a reputation for highlighting the wider benefits of the cannabis plant. At the heart of this ethos is the Cultiva Congress, where international experts take to the stage to share knowledge about research, developments and current trends in the cannabis world. Presentations encompass medicine, politics, law and lifestyle.

This year, as always, a diverse panel will talk on topics including hemp textiles, hemp as a super food and the paradox of prohibition. However the dominant theme at Cultiva 2017 will be cannabis in medicine. The Congress program features talks on many aspects of this – from cannabis in psychiatry to legal aspects on pharma-grade cannabinoid extracts.

Also speaking at the Congress is Dr Guillermo Velasco, who opens the congress program with a presentation on cannabinoids as anti-cancer agents. Dr Velasco is one of the scientists from the University of Complutense in the Spanish capital of Madrid who will be conducting the clinical trials which will be paid for with money raised by the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour.

Representatives of the bike tour will present Dr Velasco with a check on the first day of the expo, funds that will pay the expenses of the independent clinical trial studying the effects of THC and CBD as anti-cancer agents on patients diagnosed with Glioma (brain cancer). 

A Brief History of The Bicycle…

In October, the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour rides again with over 70 riders and volunteers taking to the roads of Czech Republic and Austria to fly the flag for the great cause of medical cannabis research. As with every year, participants will turn up on different types of bicycles. Over the years, in addition to the many super light, super fast road bikes, we have seen participants on mountain bikes, Dutch bikes, a hand powered bike and even a tandem!

There is no doubting the popularity of cycling these days and why not? The bike is a great way to keep fit and get from A to B while being kind to the planet. The first practical bicycle was invented by Baron Karl von Drais in Germany in 1817. It looked very much like the modern bicycle with one (big) difference – it had no pedals! The rider ran to pick up speed before jumping on to ride (like the pedal-less bikes small kids learn on now) – as a result it is said that those pioneering bicycle riders wore out their boots very quickly!

It was in the 1860s that pedals were added (in France) and in the 1870s cycling became faster with the invention of the ‘high cycle’. A pedal-driven large front wheel and a small back wheel offered more opportunities for speed, but also more opportunities for danger! In 1878, the first bicycle touring club was established in Britain and members wore grey uniforms because they showed up less dirt.

By the end of the Nineteenth century, the addition of a chain drive attached to the back wheel (to allow control of steering) revolutionised cycling and made the bicycle a mode of transport for the masses. It gave people a freedom that they had not had before and it is this sense of freedom that still appeals to us today. How easy is it to just jump on a bike and see where it takes you?

Some people think it is strange that the MCBT combines cannabis and cycling, but that is what the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour is all about – challenging preconceptions and provoking thought. For many years, medical cannabis was dismissed by policy makers and also many in the medical profession based on prohibition and lazy stereotypes. However, a huge wealth of anecdotal evidence is now being backed up by scientific research and the more we learn the more we realize that ignoring the benefits of medical cannabis was a mistake.

So here’s to the freedom of the bicycle and the thrill of riding the road with a posse of like minded individuals, working together to bring positive change.  And here’s to the work of the scientists pioneering medical cannabis research, working together to bring positive treatment. The Medical Cannabis Bike Tour 2017 is ready to roll!

 

Go Fund Us!

The days are ticking towards the 2017 Medical Cannabis Bike Tour and yet again we have had a fantastic response from companies that have signed up to sponsor the bike tour. This money will be used to fund scientific research into the benefits of medical cannabis.

We have also had requests from individuals wishing to sponsor the bike tour and we have set up a new fundraising account with Go Fund Me that will allow people to do this. So if you have a friend or family member participating in this year’s bike tour and want to show some support, or if you would just like to support the work of the scientists that we sponsor, then please donate and become part of something special!

Follow the link to the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour Go Fund Me! page