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Cancer survivors plan bicycle ride from Pittsburgh to Cumberland

Cumberland Times-News - 6/25/2022

Jun. 25—CUMBERLAND — Sixteen years ago this week, Nancy Mizak sat in a doctor's office and learned she had brain cancer.

Friday morning, Mizak was in Cumberland where a crew from 2 Wheel Escapes loaded her bicycle onto a trailer headed to her hometown of Pittsburgh.

She was among a dozen cancer survivors prepared to pedal from Steel City to Queen City over the coming four days.

"This ride ... is a celebration with other (cancer) survivors," Mizak said. "Every day is a good day."

Mizak, a 20-year active duty U.S. Air Force veteran, said she went on to work in psychotherapy to help her fellow military "brothers and sisters" who suffered from conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder and sexual trauma.

While she talked of her past, Mizak was clearly excited for her future.

"This is the start of my retirement," she said of the bike ride.

"I love being outdoors," Mizak said. "It makes me feel alive."

Deanna Grimm, a former Cumberland resident who now lives in Germantown, said the bike ride symbolizes victory and persistence.

"We kicked cancer's butt," Grimm, a breast cancer survivor, said. "And we can do this."

Grimm said plans for the bike trip happened after she approached 2 Wheel Escapes owners Greg Stocksdale and his wife Rhona of Williamsport.

The couple prepared to drive the group, their bicycles, equipment and gear to Pittsburgh, where the ride was set to begin.

"I fell in love with the idea for this," Greg Stocksdale said of the cancer survivor ride, which his wife described as "magical."

Tina Babicz of Alexandria, Virginia, was diagnosed with breast cancer eight years ago.

She said the bike ride offered a new challenge.

It's "out of my comfort zone," Babicz said.

Carolyn Vane of Lewes, Delaware, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and has an implanted chemotherapy port that's scheduled to be removed later this month.

She said she refuses to be defined by the disease and was excited for the bike ride.

Bob Richards of Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, survived prostate and colon cancer.

He began bicycle riding 17 years ago after he suffered a heart attack.

"Now I ride everywhere," Richards said of biking 40 to 60 miles per week. "It just keeps me in shape."

He was on the trip Thursday with his daughter Carrie Richards of Corning, New York.

"(Bicycle riding) is just part of my fitness," she said and added she also competes in marathons and sprint triathlons. "Biking is a fun workout and it gets me out of running."

Cathy Reischl of Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a melanoma and breast cancer survivor who recently completed treatment for the disease.

"I feel really good," she said.

Reischl uses an electric bicycle that provides pedal assistance when she needs it.

"I really haven't ridden since my 40s and I'm 64," she said and added she was "psyched" to be on the ride with other cancer survivors.

When asked whether the upcoming ride from Pittsburgh to Cumberland felt like a big challenge, Reischl laughed.

"Everything is a lot," she said. "We'll figure it out."

Teresa McMinn is the Digital Editor for the Cumberland Times-News. She can be reached at 304-639-2371 or tmcminn@times-news.com.

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