Riding 500+ Miles to End Cancer
Riding 500+ Miles to End Cancer
Local bike enthusiasts prepare to embark on the Empire State Ride/Ride for Roswell
Pictured L-R: Bonnie Koschir, Jane Eshbaugh, Dennis Eshbaugh, Debbie Stein.
For many people, learning to ride a bike is a rite of passage. Young children start out on a tricycle and then move on to a two wheeler with training wheels. Eventually, the training wheels come off and the thrill of riding a bike really begins to set in. When you’re a child, bikes open doors. You can get places faster than you could if you were walking. They give you a sense of freedom that up until that point you have never experienced before. To put it bluntly, a bike makes you feel alive!
But then something happens to far too many of us. As we age, that love of riding a bike starts to wane. The time that we used to spend peddling uphill and then flying back down while you push the limits as far as your comfort level will allow gets replaced by jobs, social obligations, other hobbies and sadly, excuses.
Others however, are able to keep that passion. You’ve seen some of them. You’re pushing the speed limit, driving along some random country road in the middle of nowhere and then you come up on some spandex-clad person, hunched over their bike in an attempt to be as aerodynamic as possible in their hopes of beating the latest Strava record. You drive by them and perhaps judge them because they inadvertently remind you that it’s been 14 weeks since you last used your gym membership. And then just like that, they are just a speck in your rearview mirror and biking is once again just an afterthought to you.
There are plenty of people out there, however, who never lose that love of pushing themselves physically to get from Point A to Point B (while trying to crush that Strava time). And later this month, many of them will come together to participate in the Empire State Ride where they will bike across New York State in an effort to raise money for cancer research.
Western New York has a number of people who will be taking part in the ride July 25th-31st, and EllicottvilleNOW was able to catch up with a few of them to talk about their motivations and how they are preparing for the ride.
Jane Eshbaugh is riding with a team made up of her husband Dennis, nephew Charlie Bailey and friends Bonnie Koschir, Debbie Stein and Sean Crotty. The purpose of the ride is to raise money for Roswell Park Cancer Institute’s Clinical Trials program.
“The ride is a great challenge and is super well run,” said Eshbaugh. “And with the nightly talks about cancer survivors and those who benefit from the fundraising, it feels like we are making a difference in the battle against cancer.”
With an estimated 1.8 million new cancer cases in the United States in 2020 alone, events like the Empire State Ride are more important than ever. That also means that people like Eshbaugh and her team are also more important than ever. The fundraising they do goes beyond just raising money for a cause. They are literally putting blood, sweat and sometimes even tears into the Empire State Ride. People who are willing to ride a bike for a week straight, covering between 55-90+ miles per day, showcase a commitment level that inspires others to help their cause. To date, over $1.2 million has been raised for this year’s ride.
“The Empire State Ride to me is about starting and ending our journey in 2 iconic places, and making monumental strides between,” stated Sean Crotty. “I expect this journey to be one with lots of reflection of the past and making memories in the present. It's about being mindful, focused and determined to ride to end cancer.”
This will be Crotty’s first experience riding in the Empire State Ride, but he is by no means a stranger to the concept. “Last summer during the pandemic, I logged miles in various virtual formats, which the miles I rode last summer added up to me riding from Buffalo to NYC and back 3x,” Crotty said. “And in the fall I logged miles to ride across Pennsylvania. Those rides benefited various charities which provided humanitarian aid like Food Banks and other Medical Support groups. I have done the Ride for Roswell for as many years as I can remember. My Dad died 18 years ago from cancer, and I have participated in his memory. The last few times I did it, I rode the 65-mile route with the National Ski Patrol-Western Region Team. I plan to ride with them again this year, on August 7th.”
In talking with people about the ride, common themes appear. Physical challenge. Mental fortitude. Unique challenge. But what everyone seems to come back to is the sense of riding for a greater good. The money being raised represents hope for the future. And that hope is for a cancer-free future.
Teamwork is a huge part of completing a ride like this. The Eshbaughs, Stein and Koschir ride together all the time. Most weekends throughout the summer you can find them out on the roads of Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties.
“I wanted to jump in with a group that had some veterans of this ride, and hopefully I would know a few people and meet some others ahead of the ride,” said Crotty. “Skiing is a big part of my life in the winter. So it only seemed natural … Dennis and Jane Eshbaugh, Bonnie Koschir from Holiday Valley and Debbie Stein from HoliMont are on that team, so thankfully they welcomed me on their team! I have joined them on a few rides (this summer), and fitting in with them is very easy when you meet a group like they are.”
Teamwork will be instrumental in completing the Empire State Ride. Teams will start in Staten Island on July 25th, ride up through the Catskills and then west to Niagara Falls by July 31st, covering 546 miles with 19,249 feet of elevation over the course of seven days.
After the completion of this ride, many of the riders will then shift their focus to the annual Ride for Roswell, which is taking place the following weekend on Saturday, August 7th. Crotty, who has ridden in the Ride for Roswell for many years, will be doing the 65-mile route with his family this year.
One Ellicottville local who will be taking part in the Ride for Roswell with a new level of motivation is Mila Clauss. She and her cousin, Conor, were both diagnosed with cancer - Conor with glioblastoma and Mila with Hodgkin lymphoma, within one week of each other. Mila will be riding with her sister Brooke and friends and family this year and plans to do the Ride annually from here on out.
“People have this image of cancer and what treatment looks like,” said Clauss. “I have been super fortunate to not have the side effects that we all associate with cancer. Since my first chemo treatment in April, I have continued to feel healthier than I’ve felt in a long time. Someone who had the same cancer as me told me to focus on the 3 A’s - Attitude, Appetite, and Activity. I truly believe staying active and healthy, both physically and mentally, is helping me through my treatments. I have been riding my stationary and road bike regularly to get ready for the ride in August. I am really excited to be participating in the Peloton on Friday, August 6th in addition to the ride on Saturday!”
Events like the Ride for Roswell and the Empire State Ride give survivors and their families the opportunity to find new levels of hope in their ongoing fight against cancer. New friendships are created, lifelong memories are made and optimism is cultivated. So whether or not you take part in rides like this or not, your support helps dictate the success of the rides. Emotional and financial support give the riders the motivation they need to push themselves, one mile at a time, through the challenges these rides present.
Sean Crotty sums his motivation up like this.
I ride:
In honor of those who survived.
In memory of those who have not.
In hope of those who will.
This year it stings a lot more, and has so much more meaning to me, personally.
If you are interested in supporting riders featured in this article, or any riders participating, you can find links to make donations at empirestateride.com and rideforroswell.org. You can find Clauss’ personal Ride for Roswell page at https://facebook.com/donate/499854008105074/, where you can also join her team! For the Empire State Ride, go to the site and search for the Holiday Valley team to make a donation. You can follow the stories of the Empire State Ride on social media by following #ESR21.