LIVESTRONG BLOG

Ride for Yellow

Aug 09, 2010 by Nick Denby (LIVESTRONG Staff)

3 Comments

• Tweet

Yesterday, I attended the inaugural Ride for Yellow event in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Dave Nagel, a grassroots fundraiser and the brother of Steve Nagel (an extraordinary fundraiser in his own right), created a grassroots, community-based mountain bike event benefiting LIVESTRONG and Steamboat cancer initiatives.

The event kicked off with a party at the Honey Stinger office in downtown Steamboat. The folks at Honey Stinger did a great job; fantastic BBQ, cold beer and a good band. On Saturday evening, Dave hosted an intimate dinner for his sponsors, family members, and local organizing committee. The Governor of Colorado was there as was Linda and Ed Kelly (Lance?s mom and step-father). Several individuals shared their stories and spoke very specifically about why LIVESTRONG meant so much to them. Truly a wonderful experience.

The ride started at the top of the gondola on the Steamboat Mountain. The morning temperatures were in the low 50?s and overcast as the ride kicked off. Lance spoke briefly to get the participants (240 in all; the maximum allowed by the US Park Service) going on the 26-mile single-track trail. Two hours later Lance and Dave Wiens returned as the clouds began to dissipate and the temperatures got into the low 70?s. Once most of the riders returned, Lance addressed the crowd again and told his story of the obligation of the cure. It was very powerful and you could have heard a pin drop as Lance reinforced why he is so committed to our cause.

A post-ride lunch ensued with Linda Kelly as the key-note speaker. She did a fantastic job giving everyone the story of what transpired when Lance was first diagnosed. She spoke of the good times as well as the really tough times and on several occasions had difficulty continuing as the emotions of it all hit her. It resounded so well with the group as many of them had been or are currently battling cancer. As we all know, cancer affects everyone and one lady standing next to me, tears streaming down her face said to me, ?I thought I was the only one who had to go through that?.

To say that the event was a success would miss the mark completely. It was very clear that the town or Steamboat came out in force behind this event and in support of LIVESTRONG. There is a tremendous pride out there in our organization and in what we do. Those folks worked very hard to pull off a great event, raised over $250,000 and they did so because of what goes on at LIVESTRONG.