Friday, July 11, 2008

Article in the Moab Times-Independent

Bicyclists ride cross-country to help fight cancer
by Ron Georg
contributing writer


As the 25 riders on the Hopkins 4k for Cancer bicycle tour across the United States gathered into a circle in the Moab Baptist Church parking lot on Tuesday morning, their friendly banter stopped abruptly. They were getting ready to ride, and it was time to focus on their purpose.

Holding hands and facing each other across the big circle, they shared stories about the people they’re riding for. After each story, they fell silent. Without any cues, another rider would break the quiet, offering another testimony in soft, reverent tones.

The ride has a three-pronged mission – to spread awareness, raise funds, and foster hope. The morning dedication helps the riders maintain their own sense hope, according to rider and spokesman Daniel Ingram.

“When we dedicate our rides, it’s very important to us,” Ingram said. “On a hard day, biking up a mountain, if you keep in the back of your mind that you’ve dedicated your ride to someone back home, or someone you met along the way that’s battling cancer, it helps get up that mountain.”

Before the mood in the circle grew too somber, Ingram steered the riders back toward their purpose, announcing it was time to hit the road. He broke the spell with a quick call-and-response: “Where are we from?”

“Baltimore!”

“Where are we going?”

“San Francisco!”

The riders unclasped their hands to clap, and with a quick cheer they gathered their bikes and rode off in small groups. Out on the road, they spread out to avoid impeding traffic. In clusters of three or four, without any banners to announce their purpose, they become anonymous cyclists on the road.

Even in a group, riding a bike over distance is an individual challenge. “Every day biking 80 to 100 miles, it’s hard to do that if you don’t have a real purpose,” Ingram said. “Biking for a reason really helps, it’s powerful.”

The reasons to ride were powerful enough to inspire Yogeeta Manglani to overcome a major obstacle to participate. “When I signed up for it I didn’t know how to ride a bike,” Manglani said. “I mean, I did, but on a smaller bike, and it had been a long time. When we got these bikes, I was like, uh-oh, I think I’m in trouble. I went on a training ride, and I went straight into traffic.”

Manglani has since become comfortable enough on the road to appreciate that traffic isn’t all the same. “We’ve gone through some cities, like Moab, that are so bike friendly,” she said. “You do go through cities where people seem to just want you off the road.”

Cancer hasn’t impacted Manglani personally. She said communicable diseases were bigger issues when she was growing up in Dubai. However, she has been impressed by cancer’s prevalence in this country, especially because she is a public health major in college.

“The cause is something that’s really close to my heart. Once I got here, everyone knows someone who’s got cancer,” she said. The ride, she explained, provides her with an opportunity to help address a gap she sees in cancer care. “I feel like prevention isn’t stressed enough in the U.S. health system. The amount of money they spend on research is enormous compared to the amount they spend on prevention.”

Throughout the ride, the cyclists will spread their message, which includes information on prevention. “Most of the places we stay are at a church or community center,” Ingram said. “That’s our time to share our stories, and allow them to share their stories with us.”

While they didn’t have a chance to give a presentation in Moab, they still didn’t let an opportunity slip past. As they’re getting ready to leave, rider Jessica Arms handed Moab Baptist Church Pastor Cole Howe a handful of pamphlets, and she asked if he can work their message into his own.

The church hosted the riders from their two-night stay in Moab, as well as their one-day rest. “We can’t give them money, but we what they really need is a place to stay, and we can offer that,” Howe said. He added that while the church isn’t fully equipped as a hostel – it doesn’t have a shower – he can point them to all the resources they need.

Ingram said that sort of hospitality is the norm. From free burgers to bike service to lodging, the riders have enjoyed the kindness of strangers. Manglani even told of a woman who gave them the run of her house, and then handed her a set of car keys with no instructions beyond “enjoy yourselves.”

By the end of the ride, Ingram expects to bring in $100,000. That includes the $4,000 each rider is required to raise before the event. While that amount is up from last year’s $3,500, it didn’t dissuade Greg Gotimer from signing up for a second trip.

“You start sending letters out, thinking, $4,000, this is going to be tough,” he said. “It’s amazing how many people will donate $100.”

This is the seventh year the Hopkins 4K has come through Moab. While Moab isn’t on most cross-county routes, Ingram said his group seeks a more scenic route, which is how they rack up 4,000 miles between Baltimore and San Francisco. They’ll reach the West Coast on July 26.

Most of the riders on the trip range in age from 18 to 26 and are students at Johns Hopkins University. More information about the ride, the riders and the cause is available at the ride website, www.hopkins4k.org.

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