Biking with a Purpose
There is nothing like traveling the world with strangers to all accomplish the same goal. The goal of biking 4000 miles in just 70 days to support the fight against cancer. Not many would hear about the adventure from a friend and take it on so quickly, let alone do it so well. Kaitlyn McCue would not only explore the hard work it would take to finish but would experience some of the most amazing places across the country. Her goal was to, “…bike for the people who could not fight on their own and support it’s purpose for a cure.”
She would start in Baltimore, Massachusetts and begin to learn more about what she is really riding for by time she would arrive at Portland, Oregon. Every day Team San Diego, which was made up of people across the country who rode together, would come together in the morning to choose a new person who they would dedicate their ride of the day to. Each day was a new experience, a different state, different terrain.
She would say it was one of the most difficult things she has ever done. It took strength, endurance and a clear mind. Her fellow rugby teammate Deirdra O’Boyle would say, “She is one of the strongest people I have met, once she broke rib during a game and didn’t even know about it until after.” Many people with a broken rib would not react the same. Another teammate, Emily Stasko, would say “ she is so kind and gives so much effort into everything she does” and this bike ride would be no different.
Every morning the group of people from all over the country would come together and dedicate their biking that day to someone they knew affected by cancer. Kaitlyn would there talk about her personal connections with cancer. It is no secret that cancer affects everyone but, along the way as they traveled across the states Team San Diego would meet people and share their own personal stories on cancer. Kaitlyn would say, “We shared stories of strength and victory. We shared stories of pain and adversity. We shared hugs, and we shared tears. We shared real emotions and real moments. We shared what it means to be human, and within these intimate moments, communities found hope, and we found the inspiration to keep pedaling to unite communities in the fight against cancer.”
Each night they would sleep in new places, from a church floor to the earth floor. People would open up their homes and donate hotels to them in appreciation to their ride. During the ride a van would follow to hold supplies such as water, clothes and snacks. Every 30 or so miles they would stop and enjoy the view as well as recharge for the rest of the ride that day. Kaitlyn would experience some of the most amazing places in the United States that some of us would only dream to do in just 70 days, but add that to riding a bike the whole way there; pure strength.
Kaitlyn did say that after this year she won’t be doing the biking but she still wants to be involved in the fight against cancer and helping people, someway somehow. Her fellow bikers made note on her donation page that the ride would not have been the same without her and her optimism energy. This experience was something that made her a better person and that it opened her eyes that it’s a big world out there. She felt this experience made her feel “present”, something she felt she had never felt before.
On her Instagram page would share with friends and family a day of the trip and the place they experienced.
The Organization she rode for is : 4k for cancer. Here is a little about them and where you can join to!
ABOUT 4K FOR CANCER 2017
2017 marks the 16th year of the 4K for Cancer sending young adults on journeys across the country in an effort to inspire hope and unite communities in the fight against cancer. The 4K for Cancer is a program of The Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults (UCF). Interested in joining the fight? Apply to be a rider or runner at
