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From left Kayla Leonard, Elizabeth Knoble, Kyle Campbell and Khoi Le were all smiles as they rode into Snyder on College Ave. Tuesday. The group of 24 University of Texas students are traveling to Alaska by bicycle to raise money and awareness for cancer prevention. -
Elizabeth Knoble (left) and Shantanu Banerjee ate breakfast at East Side Church of Christ today.
Twenty-four students from the University of Texas stopped in Snyder on their cross-country bicycle ride to raise awareness and money for cancer research and prevention.
Created in 2004, Texas 4000 was started as a way to share their message of “hope, charity and knowledge” and to pursue a world without cancer. Each year, students are selected to make the 4,500-plus-mile bike ride from Austin to Anchorage, Alaska.
On Tuesday, the 24 riders on the Sierra route rode about 85 miles from Abilene to Snyder, where they ate, shared their message and enjoyed a brief rest after the fourth day of the 70-day ride.
The group arrived at Western Texas College at 4:30 p.m. and were treated to dinner at First Presbyterian Church, where they gave their first public presentation. Earlier today, they ate breakfast at East Side Church of Christ before hitting the road for an 87-mile ride to Lubbock.
The selection process for Texas 4000 begins more than year in advance. Once selected, each student must raise at least $4,500 and log a minimum of 2,000 training miles on a bike.
Josh Bower, a junior from Denton, said the 18 months were grueling, but said he could not think of a better way to spend his time.
“Even though this year and a half of training was rigorous, it’s still been the best time I could ask for,” Bower said. “Doing the trip is the reward. It’s the people you’re with and the message you’re spreading, that’s what makes it great.”
Each rider rides for a different cause or purpose. For some, cancer has taken a loved one. Recent graduate Shantanu Banerjee learned about the severity of cancer when he was in first grade.
“My best friend’s mom, she kind of helped take care of me growing up, and she was diagnosed with cancer,” Banerjee said. “A couple of years later, she passed away. Since then, I’ve had friends upon friends who have lost loved ones to cancer. That’s why I ride. You hear some of these incredible stories and realize we all have loved ones who have faced cancer.”
Similar stories inspired other students to join the cause.
Junior Elizabeth Knoble decided to ride in honor of the late son of her mother’s friend. He died of cancer in January, and his parents will be in Anchorage in July to welcome Knoble and the other riders at the finish line.
For others, cancer has hit closer to home. Junior Christy Goldberg lost her father to cancer in 2009 and said it was a strange time for her family.
“He was always the strongest man I knew and as a kid, I just knew he would get through it,” Goldberg said. “He stayed positive through the whole process, even when his body wasn’t responding to the chemotherapy. It was strange for my family to have our first Christmas without him, to not see his big truck in the driveway.”
Some of the riders have even faced cancer themselves. Sophomore Michael Tatalovich was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer three years ago. It required a partial hip replacement at the top of his left femur.
Senior Nathaniel Barley was diagnosed with cancer when he was 16. After the cancer was removed and Barley was cleared, he began getting into cycling. When he found out about the Texas 4000, he felt it was important for him to get involved.
“I already had a cycling background, so I felt this was kind of my calling,” Barley said. “Every ride makes a difference.”