Frank Cavaluzzi stands up for what he believes, especially when he's bicycling.
While riding in a group charity bicycle ride is enough for most people, Cavaluzzi rides to raise money or awareness on a bicycle with no saddle.
Cavaluzzi discovered a few years ago that bicycling out of the saddle helps open up his diaphragm for breathing to combat the asthma he was suffering. It also allows him to make a statement.
You can imagine that a fully loaded bicyclist pedaling into town on a bike with no saddle can spark some conversations.
Meso Challenge
Most recently Cavaluzzi completed a fully loaded bicycle tour from Pittsburgh to Washington DC on the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Towpath on his fixed-gear standing bicycle. He finished the 320-mile tour in 7 days.
The ride was the Meso Challenge Bike Tour. He was riding to raise awareness about mesothelioma cancer and raise funds for research, as well as support a ban on the use and import of asbestos, which causes the disease.
Asthma
Always an active bicyclist, the Pennsylvania man was grounded a few years ago when he developed allergic asthma. After living a sedentary life, he says that he started tinkering around to find a bicycle position that helped him breathe.
At his Standing Cyclist website, Cavaluzzi says that the standing position helped the most.
“Eventually standing (along with diet modification, improved conditioning, mind/body training, and careful avoidance of allergy triggers) was allowing me to get back out there on the bike and live again, without relying upon a daily asthma med. My rescue inhaler continues to provide the safety net I need when out on the road or in the woods.
“As you could imagine, riding standing up the entire time was difficult, both mentally and physically, but I soon realized that I could pace myself using my heart rate monitor and train my mind and body to avoid lactic acid burn and fight off fatigue.”
Bike tours
His first major “standing” bike tour was Ireland in 2006 and later Iceland. Next he bicycled completely around Lake Champlain on a touring bicycle fully loaded for camping to raise money for his Stand Up To Cancer bike tour. He rode the 400 miles in 8 days.
Then this year he tackled the off-road GAP and C&O Canal on a fixed-gear bicycle. He explains:
“Cycling is my thing and having overcome the asthma and riding standing and bringing attention to myself that way, I'm able to bring attention to other causes.”
I'd say that he's been successful. Newspapers and TV stations have reported on his tours and his causes. His fund-raising efforts also have been successful.
Standing Cyclist also is on Facebook. More about the Action Against Asbestos.
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