Going Back To June
If there ever was a time I would go back to it would be spring of 2016. We had purchased Ava’s bike and she was immediately empowered with a confidence I had never seen. We rode as often as we could the months of May and June, but everything changed the beginning of July when the new tumors were found. The bikes stayed in the garage for the most part until the fall of 2017 after Ava passed away. Going back to June was something Kris and I talked about often during her battle with cancer. Oh, what we wouldn’t do to go back to the happier days.
The few times I have ridden my bike since have been very emotional moments. With the wind in my face, I try to imagine the first time Ava had that feeling in her new found freedom. I try to imagine her with me as we work our way through town or the trails. Today as I traveled through “Bunny Hollow” counting the bunnies as we did many times, I imagined her riding a bunny because with her wings she would be fast enough to catch one. When she was little she was fascinated with bunnies and I made the mistake of saying that if she caught one she could keep it. She was a determined little thing running the yard for hours one night. Suddenly I was so overcome with tears I could hardly make out the trail before me. I found myself saying in my head…
“Fly high little Ava! Ride that blue lightning, then jump on a raindrop and come dance with me. Ride a hopping bunny faster than can be, then come sing a song sweet birdie. Dance on the water oh sparkling sunbeam then come smell the flowers my pretty butterfly.”
In honor of Ava’s love for cycling and her vigilant battles against cancer, I will be riding in the Great Cycle Challenge the month of June.
What is the Great Cycle Challenge?
Great Cycle Challenge started in 2015, and after just 3 years, the event has grown to become one of the biggest cycling events in the United States.
People of all ages, abilities and from every state across the country set themselves a personal riding goal and challenge themselves to pedal throughout June to fight kids’ cancer.
In 3 years, our community of riders from all 50 states have ridden a total of 7,516,295 miles, and together we’ve raised $9,219,511 in support of research to develop better treatments and find a cure for childhood cancer.
Why? Because over 15,700 American children are diagnosed with cancer every year, and sadly, 38 children die every week.
We’re riding to give these kids the brighter futures they deserve, and we believe that any one individual can make their personal impact to fight cancer and save little lives…
How does it work?
Challenge yourself to get on your bike or spin bike this June and ride to fight kids’ cancer!
The concept is simple…
You set yourself a personal ride target to pedal in June and log your miles throughout the month to achieve your goal, tracking your progress online through your personal challenge page.
All ages. All fitness levels. Any location across the United States.
Your goal could be 25 miles, 250 miles or 1,000 miles. There’s no minimum. It’s your challenge, ride it your way.
All you need to do is log your miles throughout June via our FREE GCC app, Strava, MapMyRide, your own personal GPS device or manually through your challenge page. More details on how it works and how to sign up can be found here.
To donate or sign up visit Team Ava’s Way
You can also visit my dashboard to donate.
