There were athletes all over Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday.
Okay, that’s nothing new.
But, in this case, they were there 6 a.m. wearing brightly colored Spandex and moving around on two wheels.
It was a special warm-up and send off by the University of Kansas Cancer Center to a team of Bristol-Meyers Squibb Oncology employees, including president Chris Boerner, who are pedaling coast to coast.
They started by wading in the waters off the Oregon coast on September 7 and will end up in on the New Jersey shore by later this month.
This Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer ride benefits Stand Up To Cancer’s innovative research.
Roy Jensen, the director of the KU Cancer Center, says this is a very exciting time in cancer research with so many amazing discoveries coming down the bike…uh, pike.
In addition to the team, Jamey Stonestreet, Eric’s Mom and a 16 year cancer survivor, and Royals Superfan and cancer survivor, Tim Grimes, were there to cheer for the bikers.
Sami Mansfield, who works on the Wellness Programs for cancer patients at the University of Kansas Cancer Center, was ready to help the riders limber up and talk about the positive physical and mental effects exercise provides to those battling the disease.
So, if you see a group of smiling bikers pedaling their way across Missouri, today, know that they are riding for everyone touched by cancer…and, counting family and friends, that’s just about everybody.
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Joel Nichols can be reached at joel.nichols@kclive.tv.
