Cyclists gear up for 540-mile ride across New York to combat cancer
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
More than 180 cyclists
will don spandex and hit the
saddle for a daunting sevenday
cycling journey from
Staten Island to Niagara
Falls on July 28, in a race to
fight an even more grueling
challenge — cancer.
The 540-mile annual
Empire State Ride was
conceived in 2014 by Terry
Bourgeois to raise funds for
cancer research — and has
grown exponentially since his
inaugural ride, he said.
“Every year, this ride
brings its participants an
experience that will stay
with them the rest of their
lives,” says Bourgeois. “We
keep saying it’s a ride cyclists
must try once in their lives,
but the impact — on you
and on cancer — increases
exponentially the more you
do it.”
This year, organizers hope
to raise more than $1 million
from riders and sponsors —
which will go to supporting
cutting-edge cancer research at
Roswell Park Comprehensive
Cancer Center in Buffalo,
according to the organization.
Riders push themselves to
the physical limits during the
exhausting cross-state ride,
but find inspiration to keep
pedaling from those who have
conquered cancer, according
to one rider who will make his
second voyage this year.
“The idea of what they’ve
gone through — this ride is
nothing compared to hours
of chemotherapy,” said
Brooklynite Phil Zodda. “I’m
not a cancer survivor, but
when you’re riding side-byside
with someone who has
gone through that, you can’t
feel bad for yourself — those
mountains flatten out.”
After exhaustive days
of non-stop riding, cyclists
will make six overnight
stops along the meticulously
planned route at camp
grounds in the Hudson Valley,
Albany, Utica, Syracuse and
Rochester until they reach
the waterfall wonder of the
world on Aug. 3.
“It’s really more of an
adventure as opposed to a
race,” said Zodda. “It’s long
and difficult, but I found it to
be extremely rewarding.”
Each night features a
Phil Zodda (left) with other cyclists at the halfway mark of the 2018 Empire State Ride.
cancer-surviving guest
speaker who inspires their
fellow riders with their
stories and speaks of the
importance of raising funds
to combat the disease —
which claims the lives of
around 600,000 Americans
each year, according to
government statistics.
“It’s not so much the
illness, as much as it’s about
processing the word ‘cancer.’
Hearing those stories helps,”
said second-year rider Scott
Cohen from Fresh Meadows.
“You make a wonderful bond
with so many people who
are there.”
Cohen says cycling,
and the Empire State Ride
specifically, helped him
Credit:Jackie Slope
through his personal journey
through bouts of health
troubles — including skin
cancer, diabetes, and weaning
himself off opiates.
“The cycling was one of
the key ingredients that’s got
me healthy,” he said. “It’s like
an addiction, but it’s a good
one. It’s amazing for the body
and mind.”
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