4,000 Miles Bike Charity Essay Example

As 85 students attending the University of Texas bike 4,000 miles from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska, the Texas 4,000 summer ride is the longest annual charity bike ride in the world. During the 70-day journey, the bikers will split into three groups, the Sierra Route, the Rockies Route, and the Ozarks Route, to spread their knowledge and hope to have a cancer free future. The Texas 4,000 summer ride ambitions to spread their mission across the United States of America through this charity event. 

However, before the students are capable of taking on the long, hard journey, they must prepare by building up stamina and getting in shape. According to the UT Texas news, the preparation takes about 18 months from start to finish. During those 18 months, the participants need to volunteer at least 50 hours in the community and bike at least 2,000 miles in advance. Furthermore, from the Texas 4,000 homepage, the bikers have to provide their own SAG, Support and Gear, where to rest and how to get food. Additionally, the students participating have set up a donation page to pay for their shelter and food. The students also attend local charity events dedicated to building up physical endurance in order to prepare them for their journey. Many of the cyclists often attend the annual Amplify Austin, Austin Marathon, Day Zero, Tribute, and Hope Day events.  Some of these rides involve overnight camping or biking in extreme heat. To conclude, the students need to prepare for the hardships they may face during the trip.

During the Texas 4000 summer ride, the students have one mission: to fight cancer every mile. According to the Texas 4000 homepage, many of the bikers have been impacted by cancer. From watching their loved ones pass away to experiencing chemotherapy, they hope others will not have to experience the loss or pain that they felt. The cyclists hope to spread awareness throughout their bike ride about how dangerous cancer is and how important it is to have a cancer free future. Moreover, the same website includes many of the riders’ history to show why they each decided to participate in this summer event. Some bikers honor their ride for those who died because of cancer, while others ride for the people they met along the way.

Andrew Hoang from the 2019 Rockies Route stated, “I’m motivated to raise money for cancer so that I can reflect that same kind of generosity with others. In the spirit of him (Our Grandpa), I want to do what I can for those affected by cancer. I ride for a future where cancer will one day be a manageable disease.” (Texas 4000 homepage) Over the years, the Texas 4000 has raised over $8.4 million and biked over 4, 270, 000 miles. Accordingly, the Texas 4000 has donated $4,000 to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the LIVESTRONG Foundation according to EP-trail.

As a result, these bikers have prepared for 18 months by building endurance for the Texas 4000 summer ride. They hope others in the future will not experience the same loss and pain they had to get through. With that being said, they hope to create a cancer free future by “Fighting cancer every mile.”