Group cyclng from Austin to Anchorage, raising funds for cancer

One Austin group is traveling thousands of miles to raise money for cancer research and treatments.

It’s going to be more than four thousand miles, from Texas to Alaska and all of them on bicycles.
It’s the 13th year running that Texas 4000 for Cancer bikes to raise funds, hoping to help patients and their families by pedaling for thousands of miles.

“We provide it to cancer therapy organizations, the ronald mcdonalds house is one of them, dallas children’s medical hospital is another, that’s just to name a few of the organizations, we also work a lot with MD Anderson for their cancer research,” said Thomas Chavez, an EL Pasoan and one of the cyclists.

The 70-day ride will start in Austin, going north and west, to Denver, before shooting up to Banff and heading up through Canada, before finally reaching Anchorage, a total of 4,718 miles

For Thomas Chavez, the ride has a personal connection, an extra reason for him to push himself and help others affected by cancer

“My great aunt, Hortensia Ramos, she passed away from glioblastoma, from brain cancer…my aunt told her ‘how do I look? Can I still run with the bulls?’ that alone inspired me…I actually wrote it on a bandana and attached it to my bike, so any time I go up a tough hill, I look down and think about her,” Chavez shared.

As Texas 4000 bikes their nearly five thousand miles and works to improve research, there’s also a message they have to make sure more people can be saved.

“If you have any fear of any benign growth, or any fears at all, please don’t hesitate to go to your doctor and just asked, it’s as simple as asking for a checkup,” Chavez said.

If you would like to make a donation you can follow this link to the Texas 4000 page. The group leaves on their trip June 3rd.