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On Aug. 13, Boulder will be the site of the first ever LIVESTRONG bike-a-thon. LIVESTRONG, established by Lance Armstrong in 1997, is a national cancer support, advocacy and fundraising institution.
The money raised from the event, called BStrong, is earmarked for the cancer center being built at Boulder Community Hospital’s Foothill Campus, specifically for quality of life enhancements for cancer patients. This would include outdoor gardens and walkways, sleeping arrangements for loved ones, communication improvements like Skype, and exercise equipment.
This bike-a-thon is the brainchild of Niwot resident Kevin Mulshine, a cancer survivor himself. Planning for BStrong began over six months ago. Paul Balaguer, Director of Ride the Rockies, organized the event with the help of an unpaid board of about 15 members.
In April, 2008, Mulshine was diagnosed with an aggressive stage four unspecified lymphoma and was given a low chance of survival. In the course of the next eight months, he spent 124 days in the hospital and had 12 surgeries.
During his treatment, Mulshine, an avid cyclist, was encouraged by his doctors to ride his bike up to Ward – an elevation of 9,000 feet. He was given a special jersey from LIVESTRONG signed by the treating medical professionals.
“On Sept. 5, 2009, I reached the one-year remission mark,” Mulshine said. “My doctors took me on a celebratory ride up Left Hand Canyon to Ward, They literally had to push me the last mile. In return, that challenged me to give back to the cancer community. From that, the BStrong ride was born.”
The day’s events will take place at Celestial Seasonings’ headquarters in Gunbarrel and is billed as a family-friendly affair for cyclists of all ages and abilities.
There will be three different bike rides: the 70-mile mountain loop will go out first leaving at 7:30 a.m., followed by the countryside loop with a distance of 25 miles at 9:30 a.m. At 10:30 a.m. there will be a family ride of one mile.
Many businesses have sponsored the event and there are incentives for raising money for Bstrong, including a Verge Elite commemorative cycling jersey and trips to Austin for the Ride for the Roses weekend.
After the race, food and drink will be served free to race participants, and the public will be able to purchase meals and beverages. Local bands including Chris Daniels & the Kings, Jeff Brinkman and Wendy Woo will perform at the event.
“At first, we thought a first-year event would be rather small.” Mulshine said. “The local community has responded incredibly. Now we are anticipating 500 riders, over 1,000 attending.” As a result, the fundraising goal has been raised to $200k.
For more information, see bstrong.com and livestrong.org.
