Aria. Danny. Cynthia. Nonnie. George. Sydney. Judy. Trent. Tommy. Marilyn. Melissa. Lilly. Uncle Tony. Big Daddy.
These are just a few names of loved ones lost to cancer and some still fighting it. Names that 11 cyclists will wear on their sleeves to honor those they’re riding for while they pedal across the country to raise money for Greenville’s Challenge to Conquer Cancer.
“I’m doing this for my friend’s granddaughter, who just had a bone marrow transplant to save her life, and she’s 3 years old,” says Ron Jerina, 52.
Jerina, a co-founder of the charity commonly known as C3, saddles up on April 28 with 10 other cyclists and 10 support-and-gear (SAG) crew for the organization’s one-time, transcontinental ride from San Diego, California to Charleston, South Carolina.
Google Maps shows a bicycle route across eight states that spans 2,608 miles and takes 210 hours—roughly 8¾ days. Turns out that’s how long it will take C3’s four teams, too, with each pedaling through grueling, six-hour shifts in a 24/7 relay.
“I’m riding for these people who have lost their battle, I’m riding for these people that are still fighting and just the fact I can still get out and ride,” says Amy Rosenberg, 56, a fitness trainer at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls, her employer of three years that also contributed toward her ride.
Since 2011, she has battled—and survived—thyroid and bile duct cancer. She lost her father to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a cousin and both grandmothers to cancer. Her mother is undergoing treatment for lung cancer. Several friends have breast cancer.
Another rider, Eduardo Hernando, has participated in every C3 ride since its inception in 2008, even after he moved back to his native Miami where he’s an entrepreneur and filmmaker.
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Hernando learned about C3 from a publication his daughter picked up when she was ice skating at the Pavilion during the seven years the Hernandos lived in Greenville. He, too, has lost friends and family members to cancer.
“The energy, the excitement you get. Oh, my gosh, now I can actually do this adventure and make a difference,” he says.
Will Yancey, 49, is in his fifth year as C3’s director. Yancey has lost nine family members to cancer.
A veteran cyclist, he’s unstoppable – even after dislocating his hip on the first day of C3’s Maine ride in 2017.
He says of his teammates’ motivations, “Theirs are very, very close and personal, mine’s a little less intense.”
And of the 900-some people on the organization’s email list—the group doesn’t have a formal membership—he adds, “I would say a lot of riders joined C3 for the bicycling challenge and then over time they morph to the cause.”
The Riders & Crew
Cyclists:
Andrea Beaver
Kristine Braswell-Amin
Eduardo Hernando
Ron Jerina
Trace Johnson
John McDermott
Amy Rosenberg
Brian Severa
Dr. John Siddens
Kevin Totherow
Will Yancey
SAG team
Dave Amin
Tyler Barker
Jerry Buccilla
Jamie Cole
Shannon Howard
Johnny Howard
Lesley Kleinhen
Tricia Severa
Emily Yancey
Keith Swayngham
Source: Will Yancey, director, Challenge to Conquer Cancer
C3’s Spin on the Cross-Country Ride
Challenge to Conquer Cancer (C3) began riding from Greenville to Austin, Texas in 2008. That first ride drew 23 cyclists and 31 SAG crew for a four-day, 1,100-mile relay. In 2012, the organization changed the destination to Maine, a 1,300-mile haul.
Cancer was the second leading cause of death in the U.S. behind heart disease —until COVID-19 became the nation’s No. 1 killer. Despite the coronavirus, C3 in 2020 donated $130,000. This year, the charity will surpass the $2 million mark in money raised since 2008 with about $80,000 coming from the cross-country trip.
Source: Challenge to Conquer Cancer and Will Yancey, director
C3 FAQs
Fundraising: C3 raises money through donations. Each participant pays a $250 registration fee. Each rider must raise $5,000 and each support crew member must raise $2,500.
How to donate: Contribute through the C3 website. Cash gifts are tax-deductible.
Beneficiaries: Prisma Health Cancer Institute, Cancer Association of Anderson and the Dempsey Center. Patrick Dempsey, an avid cyclist and TV and film actor best known as “McDreamy,” founded the center in Maine. Its two facilities provide a broad range of services such as nutrition and exercise counseling and grief and bereavement support.
Expenses: C3 covers participants’ transportation, hotel, food and other expenses. Each rider also receives two jerseys, one set of arm warmers and a vest.
Requirements: Cyclists should be able to ride at least six hours over varying terrain. C3 riders have ranged in age from 18 to 70-plus. “Remember, this is not a race,” the website says. “The only other requirement is to raise the required funds.”
Source: C3 Coast to Coast, Challenge to Conquer Cancer
