Putting Mettle to the peddle
Amy Rosenberg woke up thinking about her dad on April 29—it would’ve been his 83rd birthday, if not for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma—and then she hopped on a bike to ride across the country in his honor.
“I rode in memory of loved ones who lost their battle with cancer,” says Rosenberg, an employee at The Cliffs who participated in the Challenge to Conquer Cancer coast-to-coast ride from San Diego, California, to Charleston, South Carolina, “and I rode in honor of loved ones who are still fighting.”
Challenge to Conquer Cancer, commonly called C3, is an Upstate South Carolina cycling-centered nonprofit that raises money for cancer research and survivorship. The organization launched in 2008 with an annual relay-style bicycle ride from Greenville, South Carolina, to the LiveStrong Challenge in Austin, Texas; in 2012, the destination changed to the Dempsey Challenge in Lewiston, Maine. To date, C3 has donated $1.9 million to charity.
This spring’s coast-to-coast ride was a one-and-done extra fundraising event. Cyclists conquered the grueling, 2,608-mile route by dividing into five groups and riding six-hour shifts in a 24/7 relay.
“It was hard, but when we got tired, we remembered how hard it is for cancer patients—that’s how we persevered,” says Rosenberg.
A trainer at The Cliffs at Keowee Falls, Rosenberg is no stranger to cancer. She has survived her own bouts with thyroid and bile duct cancer and, in addition to her father, she’s lost a cousin and two grandparents to the disease; her mother is currently being treated for lung cancer.
“It’s everywhere,” Rosenberg says sadly. “Everyone, it seems, has been touched by cancer—if not themselves, then a loved one.”
The Cliffs generously sponsored Rosenberg’s commitment to cycle cross-country to help conquer cancer. Training included lots of time in the saddle, putting in plenty of miles across various terrain and practicing riding at night.
“It was worth every bit of effort and of course I’m just so lucky to be healthy enough to get out and ride,” she says. “Being active is important for everyone, especially cancer patients and survivors, and I don’t take riding my bike for granted.”
In fact, Rosenberg is already training for C3’s 1,300-mile ride to Maine in September 2021.
This story was featured in Cliffs Living magazine. To read more stories like this one and learn more about The Cliffs, subscribe here.
