Hundreds take part in long-distance cycling races to raise money to fight prostate cancer News

With a whoosh and a lot of whirring – and the ringing of cowbells – 350 cyclists set out on Sunday to explore the mountains and raise money for a good cause.

“Have fun out there!” shouted a woman from the crowd as the cyclists set off.

The 2024 Alpine Loop Gran Fondo started at 8 a.m. at Turner Pavilion in Harrisonburg. There are five routes, and some cyclists chose a short route of 36 miles. Others chose the entire 110-mile length, taking it all the way to Franklin, West Virginia, and back.

“It's a great event in a beautiful location, and I think it attracts people from all over the Mid-Atlantic who want to challenge themselves,” said Roland Minez, a cyclist from Alexandria. His family lives in Staunton.

Mike DeWitt of Midlothian was also drawn to the family.

“It’s a beautiful drive and my daughter goes here,” he said.

The race helps raise money to fight and raise awareness of prostate cancer.

Harrisonburg-based professional cyclist Jeremiah Bishop has a popular road training route: the Alpine Route.

“That’s why he founded the event with the Cancer Journeys Foundation and the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition,” said Bishop’s wife, Erin Bishop, as her husband attended the race.

The cycling race has teamed up with the national cycling group Gran Fondo. This gave the event a new competitive feel, she said.

This is the 13th year of the event. Due to the pandemic, the group had a year off work with cyclists participating virtually.

“We offered a challenge and everyone had their sights set on the same date,” she said. “And we competed where we were and we called it 'My Gran Fondo Challenge'.”

Over the past 13 years, the event has raised a total of $150,000 for the prostate cancer awareness project Cancer Journeys and the Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition, Bishop said.

This year the race was limited to 350 participants.

The idea for the event came about because the Gran Fondo movement in Europe began to become popular in America about 15 years ago. At the time, Jeremiah Bishop wanted to get out of professional cycling entirely, and the race was intended to be a way to support local causes.

Bishop described the idea behind Gran Fondo, which roughly translates to “grand challenge.”

“The adventure of this event is more than just the race. That's how we talk about it. We train, prepare for a challenge. We hope people really enjoy the challenge of each of these routes. “It’s not a race from start to finish,” she said. “We’re celebrating an adventure.”

Robert Hess, one of the ride's organizers, took the shortest route – the 36-mile Valley View. He returned later that morning.

His logo is on the back of his cycling jersey. It shows a cyclist and a snake being crushed under the front tire. The message is to conquer your inner demons.

“Our goal is to subtly talk to men about prostate cancer and get them to take their annual PSA test. The rough figure is that 29,009 men lose their lives to prostate cancer,” he said.

Worse, prostate cancer is a silent cancer, a silent killer. When symptoms appear, it is too late. But if you catch the disease early, there are several good treatment options, Hess said.

PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen. Hess advises men to keep an eye on their numbers because a dramatic change in numbers means it's time to talk to a doctor. The change may not be significant or it could be cancer.

His sister, Jody Hess, said her husband helped found the bike race because exercise was recommended for people recovering from prostate cancer. He wanted to raise awareness for prostate cancer and cycling has always been his passion.

“It was one of the ways to get that message across to a large number of men,” she said.

Like her husband, Hess recommended people get a PSA test every year and monitor those numbers.

His daughter Monique Hess said her father described himself as an “accidental survivor.” Doctors diagnosed him with prostate cancer when he was tested for something else at the hospital, she said.

Hess met Bishop through Les Welch, a bicycle mechanic in the area. About 15 years ago, Bishop was looking for a cause to stand behind.

“And I wanted to do something for prostate cancer awareness. And so we came together and he created the Alpine Loop Gran Fondo. And ever since then it has benefited the Prostate Cancer Awareness Project,” Hess said.