The Ride

First, a bit of background...one day early in 2003, I was surfing the web to learn more about melanoma. I came across some information about a man named Steve Farrell, who is a marathon runner and melanoma survivor. In his own words, Steve "needed to do something proactively to make sense of my illness," so in November of 2002, he ran the New York City Marathon, and in the process, started the Miles for Melanoma program in cooperation with the Melanoma Research Foundation. Through this program, Steve has encouraged and made it easier for other athletes to raise funds and awareness for melanoma.

It was not until the fall of 2003 that I came across the Coast-to-Coast Community Challenge. This is an event organized by Cycle America, a bicycle touring company. Through the Coast-to-Coast Community Challenge, Cycle America makes it easier for riders to participate in the cross-country tour while raising money for the charity of their choice. This was the idea I had been looking for.

The ride begins on June 20, 2004 (which, appropriately, is Father's Day) in Everett, Washington, and will end nine weeks later in Gloucester, Massachusetts on August 21, 2004. The route covers over 4200 miles, 14 states, as well as the province of Ontario, Canada. I will ride an average of 75 miles per day, with about one rest day per week.

Click here to see the complete ride and destination schedule

To my knowledge, I am the first person be involved with the Miles for Melanoma program with a cycling, rather than running, event. Likewise, I am the first person to participate in the Coast-to-Coast Community Challenge to choose melanoma research as a cause.