Sherri and I have officially signed up to ride Pelotonia, 2010. By doing so, we will help raise money for one of the leading cancer hospitals and research centers in the world.

Cancer continues to disrupt, disable, and dispatch more than half a million Americans every year. People like my grandma, who never smoked a single cigarette, as far as I know, but who I watched die a painful death in her 80s of  lung cancer. People like our church friend Marjorie, who battled cancer for 30 years before it finally killed her.

Neither Sherri nor I are seasoned riders; Sherri will be riding on a mid- ’90s Giant hybrid; I will be riding on a Trek 660 that I bought from a friend for $300. I love being on that bike, which was a pretty fair machine in 1988. It’s far from high tech now, but it has quality parts, gives a smooth ride and makes me feel faster than I really am. As a longtime runner, I took slowly to the bike. But as I ride more, it’s starting to feel more like part of me.

But, to paraphrase Lance Armstrong, who spoke and rode at last year’s event, it’s not about the bikes.

It’s about raising money to fight cancer. And, unlike many fundraisers around the country, all the money the riders raise goes 100 percent for research.

Now comes the hard part. Raising $1,000 each. Sherri’s employer, American Electric Power Company will help us get the word out, but I fear it won’t be enough. As someone who couldn’t even sell Christmas cards as a kid — and who struggles to promote my own professional skills — I worry that I won’t live up to my commitment.

Here’s the commitment and here’s the cause:  The James Cancer Hospital and the Solove Research Institute here in Columbus, Ohio. If there are any readers out there who have been touched by cancer, I ask you to help by going here.

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