'Virtual riders' raising cancer research funds

BEECH ISLAND — Misfit is well beyond 130 miles on her ride, while Blue is only around 65 miles in, but somehow they are pedaling side by side, slowly churning their legs as Blue's cornerman looks on from the side.

Both are battling Parkinson's disease, but that's not why they ride. They are hoping to help people with cancer by raising money for the Georgia Cancer Center as they work on stationary bikes at Day One Fitness.

The two are part of a group of 21 "virtual riders" helping to raise money for the Paceline cycling charity event, whose proceeds will support cancer research in Augusta.

Day One, which has a boxing program that helps Parkinson's patients stay active and moving, has been looking to add activities that help them and the community, founder Tambra Wilkerson said. Manual dexterity – the ability to do fine movements with the hands and fingers – is something those patients can lose over time, and it becomes difficult to do tasks such as buttoning a shirt, she said.

To help with that, some of the Day One participants are making wigs for pediatric cancer patients in Augusta out of very soft yarn. Wilkerson showed off one based on Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" and gnarly dreadlocks based on Jack Sparrow from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies.

The Paceline virtual riders are pledging to ride 100 miles and raise at least $100 each, she said. The event is "something fun and another way to give back to the community," Wilkerson said.

The group is the only one doing an organized virtual ride to support the charity event May 10-11, which will feature riders cycling 20, 45 and 100 miles to raise money for cancer research, said Ellice Whatley Bowman, who handles event operations for Paceline. She said the first-year event hopes to catch on.

"Day One Fitness is the shining example of what a virtual rider for Paceline should be," Bowman said. "They are really leading the pack with this, and we definitely see a lot of people following in their steps come year two. We just really appreciate all of the work that they are doing and putting in for Paceline."

One of the downsides to being diagnosed with a chronic disease like Parkinson's is that patients tend to "lose a lot of self-worth," Wilkerson said. Doing these kinds of activities to support others is "something that helps anybody feel good about themselves," she said.

Misfit is the boxer name of Lynn Skeen, 65, of Waynesboro, and riding the bike as a virtual rider has given her an added bonus.

"Stamina is a real issue for me," she said. "It's really improved my stamina."

Blue is John Trulock, 73, of Augusta, with his cornerman, wife Barbara. They rode the bikes between classes at Day One. Trulock helped his wife after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, and their roles were reversed after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2017.

"He helped me and I'm helping him," Barbara Trulock said. "That's what it is all about."

The classes and the charity activities have definitely helped him, she said.

"He worried about being a burden," she said.

Relying on each other helps, Skeen said.

"We support each other," she said. "We all have our issues."

Seeing someone else do it and having someone by your side makes a difference, John Trulock said.

"It's easier when you are working together," he said.

"It's definitely more fun," his wife said.

The first-year Paceline charity ride event will be held May 10-11, and all proceeds will go to research at the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University. There is still time to register and support the event as a "virtual rider" or volunteer. For more information, go to www.pacelineride.org.

You can also help patients with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease through Day One Fitness' charity golf fundraiser "Birdies for Brain Health" on May 20 at Woodside Plantation in Aiken. For more information, go to www.adpdbirdiesforbrainhealth.com.

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