Fighting cancer by bicycle; 4,300 ride and run at Livestrong as 4 complete TransAmerica

Two extreme examples of how to raise money for cancer research are evident this weekend.

In Austin, 4,300 bicyclists and runners are participating in the Team Livestrong Challenge this weekend. Together, they raised $2.3 million for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Meanwhile, in Roanoke, Virginia, four men rolled into town on their bicycles after completing a 3,467-mile cross country tour called Roll Over Cancer (above right). They raised about $18,000 along the way to give to Stand Up to Cancer.

A tip of my cap to all of them.

Livestrong

The Austin event dates back to 1997, not long after Armstrong returned to pro cycling after treatment for cancer. It was called Race for the Roses then, and featured an evening criterium before the Sunday bike ride.

The event has grown ever since that first “Roses” ride left Zilker Park and has raised more than $70 million over the years.

On Sunday, riders from 48 states and 16 countries participated in the ride in Austin. Earlier in 2011, Livestrong Challenge rides also raised money in Davis, California, and Philadelphia. About 2 dozen other athletic runs, rides and other events also raised money for Livestrong this year.

The money goes to help fund the Livestrong Cancer Navigation Center.

Roll Over

The Roll Over Cancer ride has been in the works for two years by two-time cancer survivor Rob Leonard and his oncologist Dr. Lowell Inhorn. They were joined by friends Maynard Keller and Zac Cates.

The Roanoke Times covered their return home, as they were joined by fellow cyclists on the way into town.

The four, who were accompanied by a sag support, managed about 84 miles a day to complete the trip in 41 days. Wearing their Roll Over Cancer jerseys during the trip, the four said they heard lots of stories of “cancer triumph and tragedy” from people they met.

Asked about the difficulty of the bicycle tour, Dr. Inhorn said it didn't compare to telling cancer patients and their families that a cancer is incurable.

“That's a lot harder than what we did on bicycles,” he told the Roanoke Times.