UB cyclists gearing up for Empire State Ride

Intrepid UB cyclists will be among more than 140 riders getting an up-close view of New York State as they journey from Staten Island to Niagara Falls on the 2018 Empire State Ride to End Cancer.

This year’s event, the fourth official Empire State Ride, begins Saturday, July 28, at Wagner College, and finishes near the Niagara Falls Convention Center the following Saturday, Aug. 4. The seven-day trek is open to riders of all experience levels.

Arlene Kaukus, UB’s director of career services, says she first learned about the Empire State Ride last year while she was taking a spinning class.

“I was having a conversation with another member of the class, who started telling me all about this event, the Empire State Ride, how it is growing every year, raising money for cutting-edge cancer research at Roswell Park,” Kaukus says. “He turned out to be Terry Bourgeois, the founder of the event.”

After Bourgeois explained that riders do not need to be experienced cyclists to participate in the Empire State Ride, Kaukus says she responded, “It really sounds like an incredible experience. But I am not quite ready to do this just yet.”

Earlier this year, Kaukus was approached again about taking part in the Empire State Ride, this time by someone she knows.

“I met a woman who has battled cancer multiple times and is a survivor,” says Kaukus, who is also a cancer survivor. “She is a retired teacher who told me she is not a cyclist, and said, ‘but I am going to do this.’ I was inspired by her determination and thought, I will join her.

“So, I went out and bought a bike that same day and registered and have been re-acquainting myself with riding and training for this event,” she says.

David Brown, director of admissions for the School of Dental Medicine and a teaching clinical assistant professor, is also among UB cyclists participating in this year’s Empire State Ride.

“This event has definitely grown. The first year, when I wasn’t able to go, there were 10 people who did the ride,” says Brown, who is also a cancer survivor. “When I did my first ride two years ago, 10 riders had become 50, and last year, 50 became 101.

“Now, in my third year, we are closing in on 150 riders,” he says.

Kaukus says she’s both excited and a bit nervous about bicycling such a long distance. “But the event provides so much support — emotional, mechanical and just being with the other 140-plus riders, all doing this for a common cause — that I want to take the opportunity to give back after all of the support and assistance I received during my experience with cancer in 2015 and 2016.”

Kaukus says she’s in for the full ride. The Empire State Ride sets fundraising minimums on multiple levels for cyclists, ranging from $400 for riding for the first day up to $3,500 to complete the entire trip.     

“One of the things Terry said to all of us last August at the finish line in Niagara Falls,” Brown says, “is that the ride is continuing to grow and he was so proud to have raised a half-million dollars for cancer research.”

Brown says Bourgeois asked if the group could raise its sights and increase the number of participants to 200 and the amount of funds raised to $1 million for this year’s ride.

“Everyone wants this event to reach greater goals every year, and we are back this year, giving our full support,” says Brown. “So far, we have surpassed last year’s rider total by 50 percent. We want to keep the number rising.

“We have a challenge to meet — as individuals and as a team. There is a strong sense of camaraderie that develops early on. Everyone encourages everyone else.”

“In every challenge, there are going to be difficulties and blessings that come along with it,” Kaukus notes. “Throughout my cancer treatment I was amazed by the compassion that was provided by caregivers.

“When any one of us who were undergoing chemo completed our entire cycle, there was always a big celebration. Huge. You were so happy for every one of the individuals who completed their cycle and admired their strength and courage. Compassion and mutual support existed between all of us.”

Now, having gone back for a cancer checkup every six months since 2016 and come out each time hearing, ‘Everything looks good,’ Kaukus has developed a sharpened appreciation for life.

“I have a much clearer sense of priority and I am more deeply committed to things and people who are really important to me,” she says. “It eliminates the excess and allows you to see things in a very clear way.”

“Cancer can be a fairly debilitating disease, as far as what medical teams need to do to save your life,” says Brown, who in 1986 was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a form of oral cancer. Over the next 18 years, he underwent multiple surgeries, in addition to radiation therapy.

“The final surgery was in February 2004. Following the completion of radiation therapy in April and May of that year, I am fortunate that there has been no recurrence, and very grateful for the care that I received.

“It has helped me realize what’s really important in one’s life, and led me to look at things in a different light.”

Brown says that’s one of the things that led him to the Ride for Roswell, and through that experience, to the Empire State Ride, “and all of the wonderful people that I have met along the way.”

Information on the Empire State Ride to End Cancer, including how to donate to a specific rider, can be found online.