2013 LIVESTRONG Texas 4000 Rolls into Springville
as Part of 4,000
Mile Cycling Trek
Students Embark on 70-Day Ride Raising Funds to Fight Cancer
(I received his message and asked what Springville they were talking about, couldn't believe they would be coming to Springville, but they assured me they are and asked me to put it on my blog--so here is the information.)
AUSTIN, TEXAS (June 14, 2013) — The longest annual charity
bicycle ride in the world, the LIVESTRONG Texas 4000 team, will be
rolling through Springville on June 14, 2013 just 14 days after departing from Austin,
Texas on to their final destination of Anchorage, Alaska. While in Springville,
the 2013 LIVESTRONG Texas 4000 Team will celebrate and share Hope,
Knowledge and Charity with friends and family before continuing on their 70-day
journey.
Sixty-nine,
undergraduate and graduate, students from the University of Texas at Austin
brave the rain, sleet, wind, snow, heat and will pedal over 4,500 miles in
support of the fight against cancer. Along their journey, riders will volunteer at community events that contribute in the fight
against cancer and visit with cancer survivors, patients, caregivers,
and family members to make educational presentations
about cancer prevention and early detection. They
also use this time to offer hope, encouragement and share their personal
stories to cancer fighters of all ages and to those who have been affected by
the disease. Every encounter is an inspirational story the riders carry with
them on their journey and quest to fight cancer.
“This ride comes with
some obvious physical demands and perhaps less than obvious emotional demands,”
said Texas 4000 Executive Director, Jen Garza. “It’s incredibly encouraging for
the riders to be supported by the people of Springville, and have the
opportunity to share their stories about how they pursue this ride in hopes of
living in a cancer-free society.”
In its tenth year, 69 student riders began their journey in Austin
on June 1, 2013 with a 70-mile community bike ride called ATLAS. From there,
the riders head north, separating into three routes: Rockies, Sierra, and
Ozarks as they continue on a ride twice as long as the Tour de France.
Previously, riders separated into two routes- Rockies and Sierra-, but a new
route –Ozarks- was created to celebrate the organization’s 10th year
anniversary. The Ozarks route will hit almost double the population than the
Sierra and Rockies routes combined, staying true to Texas 4000’s mission in
spreading hope to as many people as possible. Major cities on the route include
College Station, Houston, Little Rock, St. Louis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison,
Minneapolis, Winnipeg, and Edmonton.
“The ride itself serves as a metaphor for the
difficult battle cancer patients wage each day: A long and difficult road, with
hard days and easier ones, good days, and not so good days. This is a difficult
trip for me on many levels,” says Bucky Ribbeck director of the Sierra route.
“But I have known so many people with cancer who bravely, fiercely, and
with determination, fought this dreadful disease. I ride for those people.”
Texas 4000 began 10
years ago when, Chris Condit a University of Texas student and cancer
survivor, sought a way to share a message of hope, knowledge and charity to
those with cancer. Since then, Texas 4000 has sent over 350 riders on their
bicycles, traveling more than 1.9 million miles to honor those affected by
cancer. Collectively, these riders have raised more than $4 million for the
fight against cancer, funding cancer research projects at MD Anderson Cancer
Center, The University of Texas Biomedical Engineering Department, and
survivorship programs such as the LIVESTRONG Navigational Services
Center.
If any message should be endorsed, it is that
the fight against cancer cannot be won alone. A disease this broad that spans
so many lives and all ages, ethnicities, races, and genders requires the
persistent strength, support, and knowledge of the entire community to
overcome.
To learn more about the
incredible people that make up the LIVESTRONG Texas 4000 team, to make a
donation or read the riders’ blogs, visit www.texas4000.org .
About Texas 4000 For
Cancer:
Texas 4000 is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to preventing and fighting cancer. Each year a team of
dedicated University of Texas students brave the elements to complete a more
than 4,000-mile bike ride from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska sharing Hope,
Knowledge and Charity along the way. As their flagship event of the year, the
LIVESTRONG Texas 4000 ride is the longest annual charity event bike ride
in the world. Texas 4000 riders train, fundraise and develop as leaders and
servants in the community and to date have contributed more than $4 million to
the fight against cancer. Cultivating the leaders of tomorrow, Texas 4000
organizes and performs numerous charity events including the Texas 4000 Tribute
gala and the ATLAS Ride send-off throughout the year. To learn how you can join
the cancer-fighting journey, visit: www.texas4000.org
14 | 06/14 | Kernville, CA to Springville, CA |
15 | 06/15 | Springville, CA to Kings Canyon National Park, CA |
(Those are really long rides. At least the Kernville to Springville is downhill all the way.)
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