When it comes to surviving a cancer diagnosis, it takes a team consisting of patients, family, friends, doctors, nurses, and other support staff. And, when it comes to reaching the finish line of a bicycle ride, sometimes it takes riders coming together to form a paceline to make sure each team member makes it to the finish. For the fourth year, a local nonprofit is ready to bring a community together to rally around cancer researchers, cancer patients, and the team doing their work inside the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University.
“A paceline by definition is a way for cyclists to travel collectively with more energy than any individual might,” Paceline founder, Dag Grantham said. “This kind of synergy and energy is what we are building at the Georgia Cancer Center and is what is needed to better understand cancer’s complexities and how to destroy them most effectively.”
Paceline is a nonprofit based in Augusta, Georgia, where 100% of all fundraising goes to fund innovative cancer research at the Georgia Cancer Center. Fundraising is a year-round effort, culminating in a celebration and fun bike ride on October 16, 2022 called “PaceDay” with an Opening Ceremony party on Saturday, October 15th. Since 2018, participants and donors have raised almost $700,000 for the Cancer Center. This money is used to provide funds to laboratory scientists researching innovative new strategies to combat and prevent cancer.
Dr. Huidong Shi (cover), along with Dr. Ravindra Kohle, received a Paceline grant in 2019 for their work with cancer disparities in triple negative breast cancer. Dr. Shi also rides on PaceDay with Team Go GCC! “It’s for a good cause, it’s for good health, and it’s really a fun event everybody will enjoy,” said Dr. Shi. “I think we all should make an effort because cancer research is very competitive. Less than ten percent of grants submitted get funded, so having additional resources and funding would be great for all the researchers and patients who suffer from cancer. A lot of people will be eventually impacted by cancer during their lifetime or have family members suffer from this disease, so it’s a fight that needs everyone’s involvement.”
PaceDay 2022 is Sunday, October 16, 2022 starting at SRP Park in North Augusta and finishing in the historic downtown Augusta Common with a finish-line party to share with loved ones. This year, Paceline is providing a special family-friendly loop in downtown Augusta, called the Cyber City Circuit, as well as three new open road routes that all pass by the Georgia Cancer Center itself. The ride is fully supported with law enforcement presence on route and at intersections for safety, over 10 support and gear vehicles, and 5 rest stops: each with food, beverage, restrooms, and medical and mechanical support. “We are encouraging people from all parts of our community to do something meaningful through being on a bike,” said Paceline president, Martyn Jones. “It’s an awesome way for the community to get together for an activity which is fun, friendly, and very engaging.”
Registration is now open at paceline.org.
