The Less Cancer Bike Ride America Rolls On All Month!

Last weekend rocked. We kicked off the Less Cancer Bike Ride, a full month of pedaling, with our first big group ride in over a year. Toss in some beautiful roads in Leelanau County and some well-earned brownies after a three-hour ride, and you’ve got the perfect way to get the campaign started.

And we’re not done.

This ride never stops. Cancer never sleeps, and our work to keep cancer prevention front and center in the minds of healthcare professionals, legislators, and families won’t take a break either. Our fundraiser rolls through July 5, when we’ll celebrate a full month of miles with a mission: to prevent the 60–70% of cancer diagnoses they never have to happen.

Riding this time of year is an absolute joy. Northern Michigan, as you might expect, offers long, cold, wet spring riding, and there are years where we don’t see bare arms or knees on rides until deep into May. We certainly had one of those lingering springs this year, though we did have one warm snap that raised spirits and hopes; sometimes, that makes the return of the cold and rain even tougher to deal with. So far, however, June has been sunny, dry, and hot, making each and every single mile for Less Cancer more enjoyable.

Because of that long fall, winter, and spring, and because we missed so many of our favorite rides and races in 2020, I’ve got a to-do list when it comes to riding this month. Our peak riding season is incredibly short when you think about it, and it often takes just a little organization and preparation to bust out of a routine and do the rides we dream about all winter long.

There Will Be Light // Speed of Blood. Two of my favorite routes smashed together. Speed of Light is a bi-weekly fake mountain bike race on the Vasa Pathway. People just show up and ride the 11-mile route as fast as they can with a few friends. There Will Be Blood is a gravel route that weaves south of Traverse City and east towards Kalkaska before making a lazy about-face towards home. By riding half of the Blood route and turning onto the Vasa around the half-way mark, it’s a cool way to combine the best of the gravel roads and the hills of the mountain bike route all on a single ride.

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