Scenic Shore 150 a ride to remember.
STURGEON BAY During the Scenic Shore 150, plenty of cyclists were seen with “Survivor” written on their racing bibs.
It’s a nice way to acknowledge and celebrate life after treatment for those who had lymphoma or leukemia. This nearly 150-mile, two-day bike ride that also serves as a major fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
But it’s not often you’ll see a couple both wearing “Ssurvivor,” the way Timothy and Kristen Kell do.
Ten years ago, they were set up on a blind date while Timothy was going through treatment for cancer and Kristen was studying to be a nurse.
A decade later, they were pedaling up the Lake Michigan shoreline, grinding the gears through beautiful roads from Mequon to Manitowoc on Saturday and Manitowoc to Sturgeon Bay on Sunday. It’s an athletic challenge, for sure.
“Another friend on our team had a good point: This ride is nothing compared to what these patients with leukemia and lymphoma go through,” Kristen said. “When you think of it that way? It’s fine.”
Scenic Shore 150 organizers put on another spectacular weekend in honor of the 25th anniversary of this ride. It was impressive how well organizers moved more than an estimated 1,300 people, not to mention taking care of their broken down bikes, riding accidents, meals and snacks and overnight accommodations.
It’s a massive task and really, the volunteers and sponsor for this event are the true heroes. But the survivors are the rock stars.
Timothy was 25 years old in 2005 when he learned he had nonHodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“I was on top of the world — just had a lump in my neck. It was kind of crazy. I felt healthy otherwise. Didn’t think anything of it,” said Timothy.
“It was just a lump. It didn’t hurt. A friend at the time just kept saying: get the lump checked out.”
He was surprised when the doctors told him he had cancer, but he responded to treatment well.
“I had $13,000 worth of medicine injected in to my arm, every couple of weeks, six times,” said Timothy, of the chemotherapy. He even rode in his first Scenic Shore 150 in 2006.
Kristen had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2001. when she was 20 and studying psychology at UW-Green Bay.
Four months in to chemotherapy, she was struck with another surprise.
“Just as I was due to start radiation, I actually had another lymph node pop up in the back of my neck,” said Kristen. “I was sent to Froedert for a stem cell transplant.”
It was during her month-long stay at Froedert Hospital that Kristen decided she would pursue a career in nursing.
She went to UW-Milwaukee for her nursing degree, and she’s been a nurse for 12 years. She works in oncology — at Froedert.
Kristen and Timothy married in 2012, and on July 5, they celebrated her 16-year anniversary of her stem cell transplant.
“We had a birthday cake and everything,” said Timothy.
But while there is so much to celebrate, there is so much to think about during those 10 to 15 hours on a bike. Tim remembers two friends of his who died this year from leukemia.
“Every day I am reminded how lucky I am,” said Tim.
I’d heard nothing but great things about the ride, and 15 miles in to my first Scenic Shore 150, all of those great reviews were validated when I had a flat tire. Within minutes two support vehicles arrived, and I was back on the course within a half hour.
Riders are treated like royalty. Volunteers carry luggage off to trucks where it’s delivered to Manitowoc and then Sturgeon Bay. They also put your bike on a truck to bring it home, and pads to protect the bikes, for which I’m thankful. My Trek is my baby.
Shuttles take riders to hotels or to open areas along the lake to camp. Some riders stayed overnight in classrooms at UW-Manitowoc.
Scenic Shore 150 had numerous rest stops stocked with every kind of food and beverage and even some supplements .
I breezed through the first day, even after the flat tire, and thought this would be easy. I’m an idiot.
The second 75 miles featured hills and some rough gravel roads, and I was sore and fatigued for the entire 5 hours. But the rewards were scenic vistas all the way up of Lake Michigan.
Also, as someone who drove from Milwaukee to Green Bay two or three times a week for 19 years for work, I can’t believe I actually biked up here. It's a very satisfying finish line.
You can do this. It’s a ride, not a race, and it’s supported every mile of the way.
When you meet someone who does it for reasons beyond the athletic challenge, you'll have goosebumps knowing you helped raise a little money for a great cause.
Alec Granger of Racine was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma 17 years ago at age 30.
He endured three different types of chemotherapy and then had a stem cell transplant at the Mayo Clinic.
He and his girlfriend, Barbara Rowicki, rode the whole way on a tandem bike, with his 18year-old son, Ricky Granger, keeping right on their 14 mph pace.
“I’ve been affected by the disease so I’ve wanted to support others who have been affected by it,” said Granger. “It’s a beautiful ride. It also forces me to train for it and stay in shape for it. There’s a lot of good reasons.”