Locals Support Cyclists Amidst Their 4,000-Mile Ride

The annual MS-150 bikeathon that usually goes through La Grange was cancelled because of bad weather earlier this year.

But last week, a group of cyclists rolled through La Grange who made the 150-mile course of the MS-150 look like a mere warm-up.

Twenty-two riders that are part of the Texas 4000 stayed overnight in La Grange last Monday on just the third day of a 70-day 4,000-mile ride around the nation raising money and awareness for cancer prevention.

Usually the riders, who are all University of Texas students, ride from Austin to Alaska. This year, because of COVID, they are making a massive circle around the U.S. and ending their ride back in Austin.

A number of local folks opened up their hearts and homes to the riders, who spent the night in La Grange after riding in from Taylor.

Coco and Vince Bush, Bryan and Brittany Kerr and Marti Goode all allowed riders to spend the night in their homes.

Another local, Tommy Nau-mann, paid for food for the riders.

It seemed every rider had their own powerful reason for committing to this massive undertaking.

Wade Smith of Austin said he was riding to honor a childhood friend of his who was fighting leukemia.

“A lot of my friends, their parents have struggled with cancer,” said rider Rebecca Choi. “When I heard about the Texas 4,000 I didn’t have enough courage to sign up. After my grandfather passed away from cancer, I signed up.”

Yash Desai of Houston said he had worked as a camp counselor for kids whose parents were fighting cancer, and that’s what inspired him to ride.

“It’s been really hard but really rewarding so far. It’s been emotionally challenging just three days in,” Desai said. “It’s an enormous undertaking ... but if I’m being totally honest, I think my biggest fear is not that I won’t make it, but that I’ll love my experience so much that I won’t want it to end.”

For more information about the Texas 4000 visit www.tex as4000.org