Local Cyclist Takes Part in Pelotonia

The Pelotonia Bike Tour for Cancer Research may be over, but one local rider is still bringing in money for the event.

Fieldhouse Cyclist Instructor, Stephen Hennessy, road 180 miles this weekend. It was a two-day event that took Hennessy and the other two thousand riders from Columbus to Athens.

Hennessy says he’s taken part in a number of bike tours, but this one meant something special to him.

“I had a brother that I lost with cancer, and he was an older fellow, but he encouraged me to get back on the bike because we always had this connection on the bikes. A year to the day I lost him, my other biggest supporter, my mother-in-law, a year to the day-April 28th-I lost my mother-in-law to the same thing, ” says Hennessy.

While riding, Hennessy was able to look at orange ribbons he had wrapped around his bike, with the names of friends and family who have battled cancer. He says he enjoyed the ride, but it was difficult.

“At one point, I had to get off my bike, and I was lying in some guy’s front yard. I was thinking, I am hurting, and you see the tags, and that’s the first thing you think. I’m lying there, and I’m looking. I think, you know what, it’s nothing…cramp in the leg. You know, let’s get going and finish this thing, ” says Hennessy.

Hennessy now has until October 31st to raise his two thousand dollars for the event. He says 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the James Center.

He and his wife will be holding a fundraiser at Pizza Hut on September 15th.

If you would like to help contribute to Hennessy’s goal, contact the Fieldhouse at 740-454-2224, and ask for Stephen Hennessy.