Why Am I Riding To Austin?

I ask myself that question occasionally (usually while going up a long hill). And the answer is always the same. I am riding because I have been blessed with good health and the energy to stay active. But cancer steals that from its victims. So I am riding to honor those who have fought, are fighting or will fight the battle. People like my Mom and Renee’s Dad, who both died with cancer, like my new friends (and Cancer Warrior teammates) on the Ride To Austin and like friends and neighbors over the years who’s lives were torn apart by cancer. I got tired of writing checks to charities and then settling back in my easy chair to my comfortable life. I decided that I wanted to step out of the boat and become more active in a cause. Do something that required a real commitment. And what better cause to commit to than the Challenge To Conquer Cancer. As Lance and others have said before me, any discomfort I feel while riding those long miles is nothing compared to what cancer patients deal with in their treatment. In the beginning, the riding part scared me a little and the fund-raising part scared me alot but, as the ride gets closer, those fears have been replaced by the excitment of being really involved in something that can make a real difference in so many peoples’ lives.