I'M TACKLING THE BIGGEST SPORTING CHALLENGE OF MY LIFE

From September 7-15 I’m cycling the Ride Across Britain from Land’s End, Cornwall in the far southwest to the John O’Groats, Scotland in the far northeast. “LEJOG” as it’s known, is a daunting 1,000-mile/1,600-kilometre, nine-day ride. That’s an average of 110 miles/175kms per day. It’s a test of endurance, fitness and, well, tenacity/perseverance/resilience.

What was I thinking when I signed up for this? I’ve been a passionate road cyclist for more than a decade, but I didn’t feel I was seeing a lot of improvement for all the hours I’ve put in. I wanted to get myself to the next level of fitness. To do that I needed a goal. While lots of people do LEJOG in small groups, Ride Across Britain is a biannual event with about 900 riders. Several of my cycling pals say this is the most motivating way to tackle the very testing challenge.

THERE'S ANOTHER REASON I'M DOING THIS: MY SISTER

My sister Betsy has been in a seven-year fight for her life against breast cancer. Her journey has been an endurance test of a different kind, requiring tenacity, perseverance and resilience on a completely different level. During a routine mammogram in Toronto in September 2017 the radiologist saw something unusual. A biopsy confirmed she had “triple negative” breast cancer. It’s the most aggressive form of breast cancer and the most difficult to treat.

Since then, she has been through rounds of chemotherapy and a long list of drugs with unspellable names and toxic side effects. It’s been wrenching to watch her journey. Her treatments have been gruelling, every two to three weeks followed by a week of debilitating recovery and then a week or two with some quality of life. That’s the rhythm for a cancer survivor.

GROUNDBREAKING CANCER DRUGS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

For Betsy’s it’s been a roller coaster seven years. Just a few years ago she wouldn’t have survived this long. In December 2020 she was diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal cancer and given 18-24 months. When you read about ground-breaking new cancer drugs, they are the reason my sister is still with us. The problem with these drugs is that while they work for a few months or a year or two, the cancer often finds its way around them. Betsy is on her fifth line of treatment (she’s been on nine different drugs). She’s now the first patient, at Princess Margaret Hospital, in Toronto, (Canada’s leading cancer hospital) in an early, Phase 2, clinical trial of a promising new drug, licensed outside of China, by Merck and being tested at many leading cancer hospitals. She is running out of options, but grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in two clinical trials, and hopeful this current drug will allow her to extend her life while maintaining quality of life.

The drugs have kept Betsy alive, but those who love her know, it’s her resilience that has kept her going. It is hard to fathom where those kinds of reserves come from, but her determination to live and see her family grow is so strong, she hasn’t given up.

That’s why I’m doing this ride for breast cancer research. I’m raising money for charities in Canada, the UK and the US. Please give generously. It really does make a difference.

Betsy, your photo is on my handlebars. When I hit the wall on the toughest day, your determination will inspire me to keep going.

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Jeff Kofman is CEO and Founder of Trint. He is an Emmy-winning foreign correspondent and war correspondent, reporting for ABC, CBS and CBC News for more than 30 years. He cycles with two clubs in London: Islington Cycling Club and LDN Riders.