Happy October! As the temperatures start to get cooler I am grateful for such an awesome summer of riding. Since the ‘shelter at home’ orders began in March for Colorado the team has ridden Palmer Lake, Squaw Pass, Kerr Gulch, Witter Gulch, Shadow Mountain, Dillon to Vail, Deer Creek, Lookout Mountain, Loveland Pass, The Copper Triangle, High Grade Road, Trail Ridge Road, Jamestown and the Elephant Rock, just to name a few! Thanks for signing up with Team Survivor to Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Fundraising Thank You!

In case you missed it, there was a thank you letter and video message from Dr. Lou sent to all TNT participants who were signed up to ride America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride last June. The email included recognition to the top fundraising teams in each category and Team Survivor was on that list as a Top Community Team. On behalf of TNT and Team Survivor, thanks for your relentless and dedicated fundraising efforts supporting vital research for blood cancer patients. If you missed it, Dr. Lou’s video is attached below!

Video Message from Dr. Louis J. DeGennaro, President and CEO of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)

Meet Yana Anderson!

As LLS continues to evolve I wanted to introduce Yana Anderson, Vice President of the Athletics Initiative. You all remember Ryan Hatcher from the Team Survivor Kickoff back in January. Yana will fill Ryan’s role in this new position that includes additional responsibilities. Congratulations to Yana in this exciting new role – we look forward to seeing you soon! Yana’s comments for Team Survivor are below.

Hello, my name is Yana Anderson and I’m the new Vice President of the Athletics Initiative, which in addition to Team In Training, encompasses the LLS sports focused peer to peer fundraising events, including: Leukemia Cup Regatta, Golf, Shred for Red (Ski event), Bowling, BMX, and Kickball (just to name a few!) I began my LLS journey as a volunteer but officially joined LLS staff almost 10 years ago in our Washington, DC area, working on LLS’s Man & Woman of the Year campaign, leading the first ever $1 Million+ event. Prior to joining the national team in 2013, I led the Team In Training Corporate and Community Development team in the chapter. I should also add, that I also became a Teammate at the Nike Women’s marathon in 2012! In 2015, I helped pilot the first stand-alone Students of the Year (SoY) campaign in the DC market. From there, I developed the strategic vision and resources to add the SoY program as one of LLS’ core portfolio programs. Since its inception as a national campaign in 2017, SoY has raised more than $70MM for the LLS mission, while reaching a whole new generation of young LLS philanthropists. And now, I’m thrilled to be back with Team In Training! There is no community that is more passionate, more supportive and more energized than those that don the Purple jersey. Thank you to each member of Team Survivor for joining the journey. Your commitment is truly relentless. During these unprecedented times, our patients, their families, and our researchers need us more than ever. LLS, along with Team Survivor, is here for them. I look forward to the day I can cheer you on at the finish line, and in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out! My email: Yana.Anderson@lls.org.

WHY I RIDE

Stephanie “Five” Grover has been riding with Team Survivor since 2018 participating with the team in America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride, Tour of the Moon, Bike MS and the Triple Bypass. She is a regular for Saturday Espress(o) Rides and can always be counted on for a big smile and the need for a cheeseburger!

In 2014 I joined Team in Training with Stacey Simms to ride in honor of her father and in memory of mine. We tackled my first century together and did it with pride, joy and a sense of connection to our fathers.
In 2016 I quit drinking alcohol and needed to shift my focus and energy elsewhere. I started doing Tri-events and became an Ironman in 2018. But, through it all, cycling has remained my first love.
When I tackle events such as the Triple Bypass ride, Iron Horse, Tahoe Century, MS 150, Seattle to Portland ride, and climbing elevations of thousand of feet up the sides of mountains, I feel a sense of accomplishment, energy and empowerment.
All in all, the main reason why I ride is that my mental health is my priority and cycling is the key to my overall peace and happiness.
“A smile will get you pretty far, but a smile and a bicycle will get you even further.”

September Rides

September is done but we had another month of great rides and lots of fun with the group. We’ll continue to ride in October and beyond so let me know if you ever want to join and I’ll make sure you get an invitation! And thanks to those who joined this month!