His play for pity about the “little bump” he was due to cycle over, otherwise known as the Clyde Mountain, drew no violins but plenty of laughs from kids, parents and teachers on Monday.

“You keep laughing,” he said darkly.

They did ... on national television.

But the Network Seven sports commentator did find plenty of sympathy for his cause, the fifth annual Tour de Cure, a 10-day cycling fundraiser for childhood cancer.

Mr Beretta has joined more than 80 cyclists and support crew travelling 1400km from Sydney to Melbourne to raise $400,000 for research, making live reports to Sunrise on the way.

“Riding is a great love of mine, but these distances are daunting!” Mr Beretta said.

“However in the bigger scheme of life and what we’re working together to achieve, it’s a tiny bit of suffering to do my bit to help find a cure for cancer. The challenge I face on the Tour is nothing in comparison to the challenge faced by cancer sufferers.”

After breakfast at the school, the team faced an 1500m climb from the coast to Thredbo and Dead Horse Gap, via Canberra.

Funds raised will support the work of scientists at Children’s Cancer Institute Australia and clinicians from Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, in an initiative called Zero Childhood Cancer.

Tour de Cure has already raised more than $3.8 million.

The tour is visiting schools on the way, spreading the word and two books about cancer prevention.

Stickman Rules, Let’s Do Well, by Terry Hawkins discusses healthy lifestyles and cancer prevention.

What I Wish I Knew About Cancer has been written by best-selling authors Marty Wilson and Tour de Cure co-founder Gary Bertwistle.

“The Tour de Cure is a personal journey for many of our team members, some of whom have lost a family member or friend from the disease, while others have triumphed over cancer themselves,” said Mr Bertwistle, whose own father was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in 2009.