HAVING helped raise $44,000 for the care of injured family friend Matt Sinclair, Port Adelaide ruckman Jarrad Redden will unlace his footy boots on Saturday and click his cycling shoes on to a bike to tackle a 220km ride in his mate's honour.

The Matt Sinclair Ride will take Redden and several former Port Adelaide players, including Brad Ebert's father Craig, 2004 premiership hero and current club physio Michael Wilson and former ruckman Barnaby French, from Adelaide's Hamstead Rehabilitation Centre to Edithburgh on the Yorke Peninsula.

Redden started the fundraiser after his sister Alycia and Matt were involved in a serious car crash early this year.

Alycia somehow escaped with only minor physical injuries when their ute rolled 50m off a dirt road into a paddock, but Matt wasn't as fortunate. He was left with a severe brain injury and unable to move without the help of others, or even talk.

An unexpected benefit for Redden from the charity ride is that as well as raising much-needed funds for a good mate, the cycling has helped his rehabilitation from knee surgery.

The 205cm ruckman didn't play at all in 2014, having undergone a pre-season operation on his knee only to require another in May.

His ruined season followed a 2013 campaign also restricted by injury, with hip, shoulder and knee issues keeping him to just six games.

Redden told AFL.com.au he didn't want to set a return date but insisted he was tracking well.

"I've been running on the Alter-G treadmill since the finals and I'm hoping it keeps improving over the next few weeks," he said.

"I'll let the docs and physios work out when I can run outside.

"In rehab you have rough days when you get a bit down, but all I have to do is think about how Matty's doing and where he's at and possibly what he has to deal with for the rest of his life.

"It definitely puts it in perspective."

Matt's progress since his crash has stunned family and friends – Redden included.

Amid the possibility of having to be transferred to a centre that offered more intensive care, the 20-year-old mechanic has made rapid improvement.

"He's actually having conversations with people; my brother Daniel was in there the other day and started telling the first part of a movie and Matty finished it off for him," Redden said.

"So memories are coming back from before the crash – stuff that they were a bit worried about early on.

"He also stood up for the first time a couple of days ago so he was pretty excited about that, I think, as was everybody else."

Redden said the exact size of the peloton by the ride's end on Sunday would be a mystery until the cyclists reached the Yorke Peninsula.

While the first leg of the ride is open only to those who have contributed to Matt's fundraising, anyone wanting to join can do so from Ardrossan onwards.

All that's required is a signature on an insurance form.