We’re just a week away from the Less Cancer Bike Ride America launch on June 5!
With small groups and individuals across the country kicking off their month-long effort to support the Less Cancer mission, we’re getting things going in Traverse City with a big day in Leelanau County.
If you’re looking to host your own ride or get involved, make sure you sign up as an individual or create a team here.
One of our goals over the years has been to make Traverse City the center of both the Less Cancer Bike Ride and the cancer prevention mission. We’ve turned Traverse City into the end destination for the ride’s Split the Mitt editions and for big efforts in partnership with the Cowell Family Cancer Center and Munson Healthcare. The challenges of the pandemic have, of course, made organizing rides tough in both 2020 and 2021, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Just like last year, we’re one of many small groups rides popping up across the country, from Utah to Virginia! There is still time to add your ride and your support to the cause.
On Saturday, June 5, we’ll be back on the road. Our small group is busting out from one of of local coffee shops, Brew. Brew has graciously donated gift cards to everyone on our team, a nice little treat that will make getting back after 64 miles even sweeter. That’s because I’m definitely getting lunch and a cookie.
Personally, this is a big one. First, between the pandemic, work, and a new baby, it’s been really tough to make many group rides. Like everyone over the past ten months, it’s been a bit like being on an island. With social media, it’s also like being on an island with cell reception; you can see the world getting back to normal, but you’re just watching. The ride will mark only my second three-hour ride since our baby was born in November last year, and my first group ride in the country since last August. Those are two things that I’d normally do on a weekly basis.
The ride has given all of us a lot to look forward to, and yet another reason to be thankful for our health. My group of friends has, knock on wood, been lucky when it comes to cancer diagnosis. In the US, about 39% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. That’s getting startlingly close to half of us; on a ride with twelve people, four or five of us can expect to face some kind of cancer scare.
Frankly, we have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to ride for, too. Cancer prevention is the most accessible form of healthcare; many of the at-home things we can do to lower our cancer risk are free. Instead, they rely on a currency of knowledge that needs to be invested in, especially when it comes to educating healthcare professionals, legislators, and other decision-makers that can help put families and individuals in a better position to avoid a cancer diagnosis through a healthy and active lifestyle.
We’re in the final push. To make it easy to get involved, here’s how.
To donate to our squad, head here. You can also join our team at the same link, and you should, even if you can’t ride in TC with us!
To learn more about our ride on June 5, see the route, and stay in the loop about ride plans, join the kolo t.c. Cycling Club here.