Ride For The Cure

Age:22

Home Town: Lytton, Iowa

Major: Ag Education

Why he is Riding: Ben came up with the idea of the bike ride (thanks Ben).  He has the most biking experience in the crew, he once road across Iowa in a week on the annual bike ride RAGBRAI, although that was 6 years ago. Ben has always wanted to do a longer bike ride like this and thought this would be the perfect opportunity. Ben is currently the president of the South Dakota State Delta Chi Fraternity and wanted to make it to international convention and do something memorable with his brothers. He also thinks that raising money for cancer research is a very worthy cause, he has seen it effect many of his close family and friends, including the loss of his grandmother.  

What he Hopes to Gain: Ben thinks that this will be a great experience and knows he will have stories that he will be able to tell for the rest of his life. He wants to gain a better bond with his fraternity brothers, help in the fight against cancer, and also maybe drop a few pounds. He also thinks that if he completes the journey, it will be easier to overcome other obstacles later in life.  Ben thinks he will meet many great people, and hopes that everyone will encourage them and show their support. 

Age: 21

Home Town: Fort Pierre, South Dakota

Major: Political Science/ Business Economics                     Minor: Spanish

 Why he is Riding: Michael jumped on board for the ride at the end of the school year. (which really made Ben happy, because he knew he would have a companion on the road now). He thought that this would be a life changing experience and a great way to spend his summer.  Michael is currently the vice president of the SDSU Delta Chi chapter.

  "I want to make this ride for many reasons, first of all I wanted to make sure that Ben had someone to support him on his adventure. I also thought that a trip like this would give me a great deal of time to find out who I really am and what I is important to me and my future as I enter into my senior year in 2008.  And my highschool friend and my grandmother died from cancer and if we could bring money and awareness to a great organization like the Jimmy "V" Foundation then maybe we can save someone the pain of losing a loved one."

Age: 24

Home Town: Sioux Falls

Degree: Journalism 

Why he is Riding: Troy is an alumnus of the SDSU Delta Chi Fraternity. After he studied abroad in Ecuador his senior year, he decided to move back there to live for a while.  Troy had been working in Ecuador for the past few months and just moved back to the states.  When he heard about Ben and Michael doing this ride, it sounded like something he really wanted to be a part of. Troy made a quick decision, bought a bike, and started training...about a week before the ride.

What he Hopes to Gain: Troy wants to have some cool stories to tell his grandchildren someday. He hopes to learn a lot more about his own country after spending so much time abroad and looks forward to meeting new, and hopefully friendly people along the road. He believes that he is lucky to be able to have such an experience while raising money for a good cause.