The James recently hosted two big events - the annual Cancer Survivors' Day and the inaugural Pelotonia.
Hi! You may wonder why I have this helmet on today and why I’m wearing this shirt that says “rider” – no, I didn’t ride to work – although I know many of you do.
I wore this helmet a little over a week ago when The James hosted two big events – the annual Cancer Survivors’ Day and the inaugural Pelotonia.
The opening night ceremony for Pelotonia included the annual Cancer Survivors Day celebration. It was a great way for riders and 3,000 survivors and their families to join together and show their support for one cause – curing cancer!
Seven- time Tour De France winner and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong as well as Governor Strickland, Mayor Coleman, and President Gee addressed the crowd of more than 7,000 on Friday night, and then on Saturday Lance rode 100 miles to Athens to show his support for cancer research funding.
More than 2,200 Pelotonia riders participated raising an estimated $4 million. This money will go toward cancer research here at the James Cancer Hospital and Richard Solove Research Institute and will ultimately benefit our cancer patients through the discovery of more innovative ways to diagnose and treat them.
You may not know this, but Pat and I rode a tandem bike for the 50-mile tour … now that takes some teamwork to accomplish! We had a great time. As folks passed us, they’d shout, “Hey! She’s not pedaling,” and Pat would reassure me that she was.
The ride could not have been better organized. Our congratulations and our thanks to Tom Lennox and Dr. Mike Caligiuri and their team. The weather was perfect. Supporters lined the road with signs remembering family members and thanking our physicians and nurses. They cheered us on.
As we approached the 50th mile, we were a little sad that our ride was ending.
As a Pelotonia rider, it was uplifting to be among a large team of people – some of whom were cancer survivors, others still on their journey to beating cancer, and those who knew someone with cancer.
It was truly an honor for Pat and for me to be a part of this amazing event.
In closing, I’d like to leave you with some interviews we captured during Friday’s events. And, if you rode this year, thank you, and if you didn’t, please join us in 2010.
As always, please feel free to send me your feedback on my blog by typing in your comments or questions below.
Well, have a great week and keep riding!