Lake in the Hills woman raises over $4,000 in support of Children’s Cancer Research Fund

Photo submitted

Julie Spielman has raised over $4,000 this year for childhood cancer research by participating in the Great Cycle Challenge USA

HUNTLEY – Julie Spielman never imagined that her love of bike riding would come to impact children battling cancer all across the nation.

In 2017, Spielman participated in her first bike ride fundraiser as a part of what is known as the Great Cycle Challenge USA.

Founded in 2015, the Great Cycle Challenge USA has grown to become one of the biggest cycling events in the country. In just five years, over 230,000 riders from 50 states have ridden 18 million miles, raising more than $24 million for research and the development of better treatments and cures for childhood cancer.

Since her initial fundraiser challenge, Spielman has managed to raise over $17,000 for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) within four years.

This will be Spielman’s fifth year participating in the Great Cycle Challenge USA where she has already beaten her goal of raising $2,500 and riding 250 miles.

“Over 15,000 Americans are diagnosed with cancer every year and, sadly, 38 children die every week,” said John Hallberg, chief executive officer at CCRF. “Thanks to riders like Julie, we’re fueling groundbreaking research to save lives and give kids the brighter future they deserve.”

Spielman is a team captain for a group of cyclists representing a 2-year-old girl from Michigan who is in remission after having been diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma, a pediatric liver cancer, at the age of 9 months.

Spielman says there are no prerequisites or requirements to participate in the Great Cycle Challenge USA, and registration is free.

“The good thing about this [is] I mean, you could pledge to ride 10 miles. You could pledge to ride 1,000 [miles]. You could pledge to raise $5 or $5,000. If you don’t have a road bike, you know to be outside, stationary bikes count,” Spielman said.

“There’s no expectations at all. Nobody counts. You say you’re going to ride 300 miles and you ride 100, nobody cares. It’s about spreading the word and raising the money that you can. You’re not penalized for anything.”

Riders who raise $500 or more receive a Great Cycle Challenge USA biking jersey, though Spielman explained that the most coveted jerseys are the ones given to riders that raise $2,500 or more.

“I got that [jersey] my third year and I got that last year and now I’m getting it this year. So, that’s kind of always my goal…You’ll see a lot of people on the site with their goals at $2,500 and I don’t want to say it’s self-serving to get a jersey, but it’s fun. They’re cute. It’s like one year it was a Batman [jersey]. Last year it was Superman. This year it’s Wonder Woman. Not many people get them so it’s kind of fun,” said Spielman.

Spielman has been riding her bike and raising funds since January, however, the actual challenge starts on Wednesday, Sep. 1, and will go through the end of the month.

While Spielman is part of a cycling team, she states that riders are not required to bike together. On occasion, Spielman will organize group rides through various locations where anyone in those areas is welcomed to join in.

“I just ride whenever I have time or wherever and it’s not like I have to ride 20 miles on this day and 30 miles on this day. You just do what you can. So, usually, I’ll ride either on lunch and then after work or in the morning and after work or I’ll take a half-day off if it’s nice, and just spend a couple of hours out on the trail,” she said.

As of current, a member of Spielman’s team has raised over $22,000 and is ranked as being the number one Great Cycle Challenge USA cyclist nationally and in the state.

To donate to Spielman’s fundraiser, visit greatcyclechallenge.com/riders/juliespielman. For more information on participating in the Great Cycle Challenge USA, visit greatcyclechallenge.com.