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PELOTONIA BIKE EVENT TO RAISE FUNDS FOR OSU CANCER RESEARCH

When Cory Lunger was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic lymphoma at the age of 26, his older brother Adam provided the bone marrow Cory needed for his treatment and recovery. Now, just more than a year later, Cory is in remission and both brothers are planning to ride in the inaugural Pelotonia bike tour this August to raise money for research at Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center-James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC-James).

"The James saved my life," says Cory. "So I want to support them and help myself feel normal again. For so long, everything in my life was about the cancer. Now that I'm healthy again, I want to set goals for myself and start enjoying the things I used to enjoy—like biking."

The Spark
Pelotonia is a bike tour with one goal—to fund cancer research at the OSUCCC-James. Michael Caligiuri, MD, director of the OSUCCC and CEO of the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, first considered the idea when a colleague told him about a similar event that had raised millions of dollars for cancer research, the Pan-Mass Challenge in Boston.

"With the dramatic decrease in national funding for cancer research, we needed to find a way to raise those funds ourselves. We started to think how we could create an event similar to the Pan-Mass Challenge to support research at the OSUCCC-James," says Dr. Caligiuri. Together with James Foundation Board members, he took the idea to Dan Rosenthal at NetJets, a central Ohio private aircraft company and strong supporter of The James. NetJets enthusiastically embraced the concept and signed on as the founding corporate sponsor, committing $12.5 million to cover all the administrative costs of the event for the first five years.

"This is a long-term investment in one of the world's leading comprehensive cancer centers," comments Rosenthal, Office of the Chairman with NetJets. "Our intent is to invest in a new experience that can attract additional funding far above and beyond the initial investment."

Because of the generous NetJets support, 100 percent of all money raised by Pelotonia riders will directly fund research at the OSUCCC-James. "It's an amazing gift, one that we hope to turn into $40 million over the first five years of Pelotonia," says Tom Lennox, executive director of Pelotonia.

"Currently, a large fundraiser such as this that brings in around $2 million is considered a huge success," says Dr. Caligiuri. "So, raising $40 million over five years is a tremendous boost to our nationally recognized cancer research programs."

The Ride
While the Lunger brothers are biking enthusiasts, one need not be Lance Armstrong to participate in Pelotonia, which is taking place August 28 to 30. Nonetheless, Lance is participating in Pelotonia—he's registered to ride to Athens on August 29.

Planners stress this is a bike ride, not a bike race. Dr. Caligiuri and Lennox both participated in the Pan-Mass Challenge in August 2008 and they encourage even the casual bike rider to consider participating in Pelotonia. "I bought my bike in April 2008 and started training for the ride. In early August, I was ready to ride the two-day, 160-mile route," says Dr. Caligiuri. (See the "Let's Ride" sidebar for tips and a link to online training programs.)

Pelotonia participants have three ride choices—a one-day, 50-mile ride; a one-day, 100-mile ride; or a two-day, 180-mile ride. Participants in the two-day ride will spend the night on the campus of Ohio University in Athens, where they'll enjoy an evening of food, fun and entertainment. Along all the routes, riders will be supported by hundreds of volunteers.

"OSU's Sports Medicine Center will have plenty of staff on hand to provide medical support before, during and after the ride. We'll have water stops and the routes will be monitored by staff in 'SAG wagons' helping with bike repairs," says Lennox.

The Money
Riders will find resources on the Pelotonia Web site (www.pelotonia.org) to help them solicit donations. Each rider can set up a personal page to communicate with friends, family and other potential donors. Once linked to a rider's page, donors can make donations online. The site can also be used to form teams.

The money raised will plug a hole in cancer research funding. Because funding from the National Cancer Institute has failed to keep up with inflation over the past four years, researchers have essentially seen a 21 percent decrease in available dollars. "The lack of funding has derailed many research projects, delaying treatment developments and resulting in talented researchers leaving the field to pursue other careers," says Dr. Caligiuri.

All of the money raised by Pelotonia will go to support cancer research at Ohio State.

"Together, as a community focused on health and wellness, we can put cancer behind us," says Dr. Caligiuri. "Joining Pelotonia as a rider, volunteer or donor is one truly valuable way we can join together in this effort."

Ask Your Advocate

HOW DO I GET STARTED ON A TRAINING REGIMEN?

When starting a cycling training program, the first and most important thing to do is to make sure your bicycle is fit to you. Ask a local cycling store to go over pedal, saddle and handlebar positioning with you on your bike. This will go a long way in preventing overuse injuries.

While designing your cycling training, remember to continue other activities, such as walking/running and weight training. As you build cycling strength and stamina, cross-training will help you decrease your risk for injuries and make you stronger overall.