Proud Wife

This weekend my husband rode 75 miles on his bicycle as a way to raise money for cancer research. The Ride for Roswell is a yearly event organized to increase awareness and bring in money for the research efforts of Roswell Park Cancer Institute. RCPI is located in downtown Buffalo and has pioneered treatment used all over the world.

Tommy rode in memory of a friend who lost his fight to cancer on Easter. He received treatment at Roswell and was given great care. As of Friday, he'd raised $1,135.00 -- an amount that enables him to ride in a special peloton. That's bike-geek-speak for an elite group that stays at the front of the pack during a race. There were 15o riders out of 6,000 who made the peloton and they rode an extra twelve mile course with a police escort from RPCI downtown up to the University of Buffalo Campus in Amherst.

As a part-time spinning instructor, Tom meets other cycling enthusiasts. As a result, he had friends to ride with -- Melissa and Annie. They took turns leading each other so they could benefit from each other's draft. The tree of them rode at an average of 18 - 20 miles per hour. There were rest stops for refreshments and a nice meal (and massage!) afterward. Their total bike time was a little over three hours.

Our summer camp community donated a good percentage of funds since Paul was an important member of our "family." Saturday night at camp was spent having an ice cream social in honor of the money raised and also to celebrate June birthdays. Tommy's birthday was Sunday -- so it was double special for him.

This was a great event for us -- it was a fitness goal for my hubby, a way to raise money for a good cause, and a fun time too. The entry fee was waived because of his fund-raising status, a local shop gave his bike a free inspection, and he got a free bike shirt and a gift certificate for a bike shop. It was a real win-win situation and one we'll repeat!