CLEVELAND — We are closing in on one of our favorite weekends of the year at WKYC Studios as we get set for VeloSano 'Bike to Cure' 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic means thousands of riders can't come together. So VeloSano organizers completely retooled the event with this year's ride, now virtual.
“Bike to Cure” weekend started with a virtual kick-off party featuring live-streamed interviews with teams/participants, cancer survivors, researchers, physicians and sponsors during the evening of Friday, July 17. You can watch the entire special again in the player below:
Virtual VeloSano “Day” on Saturday, July 18, will feature a simulated starting line to kick off the day, virtual group photos, and will engage participants across the globe riding or working toward their activity goals, in part by using #VirtualVeloSano on social media to share their stories.
In addition to providing unique and meaningful ways for everyone to get involved virtually, VeloSano has removed the obligation in 2020 to meet fundraising minimums. Participants can start or join an existing team and register as either a “Rider” or a Virtual Fundraiser. If registering as a “Rider”, participants will select a distance, similar to how they would register for the traditional ride.
If registering as a Virtual Fundraiser, participants can choose their own activity other than biking (for example, running a 5K or walking a certain number of miles a week with their family) and set their own goal to show their involvement in VeloSano. All participants have until October 1 to complete their activity and fundraising.
And to keep track of their activity? There's an app for that.
The app is called “Strava.” When you sign in, it logs your activity and you can even check out the leaderboard to see how others are performing virtually.
VeloSano, which is Latin for “swift cure”, is the year-round fundraising initiative that has raised more than $21 million for cancer research at Cleveland Clinic since its inception in 2014.
100 percent of the money raised from 'Bike to Cure' goes to research, clinical trials and cancer treatments.
Our 3News investigative reporter Rachel Polansky had never ridden a bike until three months ago. She'll be one of the members of Team WKYC this year.
If you would like to donate to Team WKYC in this year's VeloSano race, click here.
