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Pelotonia Wants You

Posted on | July 15, 2009 | 1,125 views |

by Jeff McCallister

The billboards are everywhere: “Ride with Lance. Help Cure Cancer.”

Both short phrases pack a motivational punch that make people want to get involved with Pelotonia, the grass-roots bike ride Aug. 28-30 that will benefit Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.

Thanks to $12.5 million in transformational support from NetJets, 100 percent of proceeds raised by riders will go directly to cancer research rather than to any administrative costs of the race.

So riders know that every penny they raise will fight cancer, and that’s a strong draw to get people to sign up. You can sign up to ride or donate to Pelotonia here.

“I lost a sister-in-law to breast cancer, so I’m riding in memory of her, as well as in honor of all the people I know who are fighting cancer right now,” said Kris Myers, director of membership sales and service with Ohio State’s Department of Recreational Sports.

“At the same time, it’s also for my kids,” she said. “I’m doing this now in the hope that cancer is never something they’ll ever have to worry about.”

Pelotonia also is a draw for riders who simply want a chance to be in an event with acclaimed cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong, currently seeking his eighth victory in the Tour de France, has strong ties to the Ohio State cancer program. He chose the university as the site of the second LiveStrong Summit last year, and now has lent his name and presence to help attract not only riders, but volunteers and donors to Pelotonia.

Armstrong has committed to ride 100 miles of the 180-mile round trip from Columbus to Athens.

“I’ve been riding for exercise for the last seven years and when I heard Lance Armstrong was going to ride here, I knew right away they were going to make it a first-class event,” said Brendan Flaherty, a construction manager with Facilities Operations and Development.

“The stories you hear from people who have fought cancer are amazing, but I’m not what anyone would really call a cancer crusader,” he said. “I’m doing the ride for the fun and camaraderie of riding with my friends.”

But even with those two strong motivators drawing people in, participants such as Myers and Flaherty know some other riders have been wary of signing up because of the fundraising aspect of the event.

Riders can sign up to participate in Pelotonia at several distances and commit to a certain fundraising goal depending on the distance they’ll ride - including a minimum of $1,000 to ride a short 25-mile sprint or the opening 50-mile leg of the tour from Columbus to Amanda; $1,500 for those riding on to the overnight stop in Athens; and for the entire 180-mile circuit, riders must raise a minimum of $2,000.

Executive Director Tom Lennox had a stated goal of more than 2,000 riders in this, the first year of the event; just more than 1,500 had signed up as of July 10.

“It just sounds like a lot of money and I’ve heard a lot of people say that they don’t want to ride because they don’t think they can raise enough,” said Flaherty, who had raised $1,630 of his $2,000 as of early July. “But I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how easy it’s been. I haven’t run into anyone who’s been rude or mean when I ask them, and when I tell them that any amount is OK, almost everyone comes up with something. They want to support us because it’s such a good cause and it really adds up pretty quick.”

And if the ride itself is daunting, there are several options there as well. Besides the varying distances available, there’s also an option of doing a “virtual ride,” where you commit to raising money and earn the benefits of riding without actually riding.

And Rec Sports also is offering summer quarter memberships at the half-quarter rate, as well as specialized training programs to those wanting to get in shape for a ride in Pelotonia.

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