It all started for me back in early 2008. I decided that year that I was going to take a stab at a 24hr solo bike race. My first solo effort came at the Coolest 24hr Race Against Cancer. A solid 2nd place finish confirmed not only my desire but also my place in the strong field of solo competitors. I knew right away that this event was going to be a priority for my ’09 campaign. The winter training was on par until mid January when we found out that my dad had lung cancer. His prognosis was grim from the start and it was an uphill battle. My dad lost his fight with cancer on February 25th, 2009. Now up until that time I really had no relationship with cancer. I just knew it was a potentially fatal disease. I had read Lance Armstrong’s book, "It’s Not About The Bike” many years prior, but the significance of his achievement didn’t really hit home until the disease attacked my family. It wasn’t until the passing of my dad that I fully realized how deadly and fierce cancer is. Consequently, it became vividly clear that the 2009 24hr Race Against Cancer was going to have a whole new meaning.
I decided that shortly after my dad’s passing that I was going to dedicate the 24hr R.A.C to him and I was going to let nothing get in my way. While driving up to the venue on Friday, I knew that it was going to be more than just a physical battle. The weather and trail conditions were worsening with each passing minute as the largest storm of the season was bearing down on the race venue. However for me, it didn’t matter one bit. I knew that no matter what, I was going to finish that race even if it meant I had to walk. It was the fact that I was racing for my dad and not for me that kept me going.
The field was dropping like flies as the course was pummeled by the storm. Consequently, I broke my full suspension carbon frame at 2:00AM and finished the race on my spare bike; a steel framed singlespeed. The magnitude of my effort was not clear to me until I went through the pits on one of my laps and was told that the pit crew for the cycling legend, Tinker Juarez, was inquiring if I was planning on finishing the race. My twin brother John, who was and has been my lead pit manger boldly told them that I was “without question” going to finish. My dad was with me on that cold, wet muddy course and I will never forget that experience.
Fast forward to now as I look forward to next year’s events; I am placing the 2010 24hr Race Against Cancer at the top. The first time I raced for myself. The second year was clearly for my dad. In 2010, I am going to race against cancer. With my eyes now fully open to the realization of how prolific cancer is in our society, I have decided that I want to make difference in effecting a change. I am a fulltime professional firefighter and we respond to cancer patients frequently. With that said, I now can offer empathy and compassion to those patients in a way that I once wasn’t able to. Now as far as making a lasting impact on fighting cancer head on, the only way I know how is by raising money to fund research in an effort to find a cure. I am going to take that rage that I have towards cancer and fight it. I have no doubt that my family and especially my dad is going to be with me. The question is, who else wants to join me?
With the economy in such chaos, I understand that it’s a tough time for everyone and that asking for money is going to be a challenge. For those that aren’t aware, 24hr solo bike racing is not only physically demanding but it’s much more of a mental contest. Therefore let me offer up this challenge; you can donate a lump sum of ANY amount or chose to give a certain amount for every lap that I complete. I would prefer the later as that would help push me to keep riding strong throughout the night. Depending on the conditions come race day it might be anywhere from 10 to 20 laps. This year the Coolest 24hr Race Against Cancer has teamed up with the Lance Armstrong Foundation for 2010 which should make for an exciting event. I hope that you can join my brother and me as we team up in honor of our dad and fight cancer head on!
All donations are tax deductible. Visit http://www.globalbiorhythmevents.com/ for more information.
Email me and we can go from there: mike_bikeracer@yahoo.com
Also, if you would like to join me in this endeavor, I would like a picture of someone close to you who has lost their battle or is currently fighting the disease. I will be putting together a collage that will be positioned in the pit area for me to see on every lap.
