The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

Throughout the month of August, I will be riding in the Great Cycle Challenge to help raise money to fight children’s cancer. The Great Cycle Challenge (GCC) is a national fundraising effort on behalf of the Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF). It began in 2015 and rapidly grew to one of the biggest cycling events in the United States, raising over $39,000,000 in the process. The goal is to fight kids’ cancer and give each child the bright future they deserve. They believe that each individual can make a personal impact in the fight against cancer and help save little lives. Over 15,700 kids are diagnosed with cancer every year and 38 children a week are dying from it.

This will be my fourth year participating in the challenge, which begins with just setting goals for the year. I’m sure that quite a few locals have seen me riding out on the farm roads around town, coasting down Kenilworth, or praying I don’t get run over on Highway 87. Every year, I start with the goal of raising $500 and riding 200 miles. Generally as the weeks roll by, I increase both targets at least once. My first year riding, I found fundraising difficult and wound up trading silly stunts for donations in order to cross the finish line for my fundraising goal. One friend donated in exchange for me agreeing to wear a hot pink cycling jersey for the month, while another donated in exchange for me riding with tassels on my handlebars. The whole thing was really fun, and I appreciated folks contributing to help “kick cancer’s butt.” (One of the mottos of the ride!) As the years and the miles have gone past, the Big Sandy community and my extended friends/family network around the country have generously supported the Great Cycle Challenge by sponsoring my rides. Though my total fundraising has been small compared to some of the national leaders in this area, I am grateful that folks have helped me make a difference. I’m looking forward to donning one of my blue and orange “Great Cycle Challenge” jerseys to join the fight and help fulfill the vision of the GCC: “…a world without cancer where all kids are living life, NOT fighting for it.”

I humbly ask that you consider donating to sponsor my ride next month. Donations can be made through my Great Cycle Challenge page: https://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/ErikSietsema1. You can find a link on my Facebook page. I will also share links on the Big Sandy Needs page as well as the community yard sale site. If you would like to donate, but don’t feel comfortable using the website please come and talk to me about it or call me at 406-399-3803. I have helped arrange donations for folks over the years.

My big goal is to keep riding and helping children. I would love to put a team of riders together to encourage each other and multiply our efforts in raising money. Come talk to me if you’d like to try to sign up this year (though time is short) or if you’d like to ride next year.

The Children’s Cancer Research Fund supports research with emphasis on a few primary objectives. First, they support research to combat hard to treat cancers, like brain cancers, sarcomas, and leukemia. Advances in treatments for these low survival rate cancers have the highest potential for change. Second, they support programs that aid children who survive cancer but face a lifetime of health complications as a result of the treatment. Chemo is extremely hard on children’s bodies and the long term health care is expensive, but crucial. Third, they support efforts and initiatives to make data sharing and analytics better between research groups. Their goal is to make every bit of progress matter as much as possible through collaboration. Finally, they support emerging scientists. Qualified researchers rarely receive grants to fund their work during the early days of their careers. CCRF supports new and innovative research to ensure these areas of study are explored. You can learn more about the Great Cycle Challenge and the Children’s Cancer Research Fund on the GreatCycleChallenge.com.

Thank you to everyone who helps with this effort and who has helped in years past. I hope to keep you updated as to my progress as the weeks go by.