East Coast Tour de Pink September 23–25, 2011

[thirdstation]

Three day charity ride to support young women fighting breast cancer. Centered around Princeton, NJ.

http://www.ysctourdepink.org/site/TR...=1170&pg=entry

From the YSC website:

From September 23–25, 2011, over 200 riders will take part in this exclusive event raising funds to ensure no young woman faces breast cancer alone. YSC Tour de Pink is more than just a ride; it’s a rolling community. Are you ready to ride? Support young women? Be inspired? Join us today!

[njlonghorn]

I road in the East Coast TdP the last two years, and plan to participate again this year.

The TdP is not your standard charity bike ride, in which most of the participants are avid cyclists. The YSC benefits women who are diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 35, which is a particularly tough card to be dealt.A large percentage of the riders (I'm guessing 35%) are breast-cancer survivors who took up cycling to help them beat the beast.

Many of these women will open up and share their stories during the ride. The stories are all different, but the common thread is that the bike ride is nowhere near as difficult for them as facing cancer has been. I've cried four times while riding my bike -- all four times during the TdP.

If you do join the ride, I encourage you to spend at least one day hanging out near the back. When you get to a hill, or to the end of a long day, find a survivor who is struggling and settle in at her pace. Encourage her to keep pushing, and be amazed at how much heart she has. You may get to the beer in the hotel lobby a few hours later than you othewise would, but it will be waiting for you.