This Fishtown cyclist is biking 230 miles for cancer research — and for grandma
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Photo: Courtesy of Bristol Myers Squibb
Whenever Denny Lai reaches the punishing Manayunk Wall, he thinks about hopping off his bike — until he remembers why he's training so hard: his grandma Bao Ling.
Why it matters: The Bristol Myers Squibb marketing pro is racking up the miles as he prepares for next month's cross-country charity bike ride to raise $1 million for cancer research.
The big picture: Now entering its 13th year, Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer has raised more than $21 million to date for cancer research, including for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which was founded by the late college basketball coach Jimmy Valvano.
- Lai is one of more than 100 employees from the pharmaceutical giant taking part in the grueling 3,000-mile trek, which kicks off Sept. 10 in Cannon Beach, Oregon, and finishes at the Jersey Shore.
- His team, Tour de Cure, will ride a 230-mile leg from Indiana to Pittsburgh from Oct. 1-3.
State of play: Lai is riding in memory of his grandmother, an anesthesiologist who rationed scarce medical supplies to care for patients during a devastating famine in China in the 1960s.
- She later immigrated to the U.S., where she remained dedicated to her patients.
- She underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2014 and went into remission the following year, before dying of unrelated causes in 2019.
Flashback: As kids, Lai and his brother lived next door to their grandparents in Orange County, California, for seven years.
- They spent most summer days with them while their parents worked. Grandma Bao Ling made sure the brothers got to their summer activities — and had plenty of snacks.
- As a teenager, Lai became his grandmother's caretaker, chauffeuring her to doctor's appointments and the market to pick up groceries and medications after his grandfather could no longer drive.
Driving the news: Lai, a 30-year-old Fishtown resident, has already raised $5,000 himself and is riding on behalf of 57 families who have donated to the cause.
- Their names will be etched across the back of his jersey — and he's still making room for more.
Zoom in: Before deciding to take part in this year's ride, Lai hadn't been on a bike in four years. The early days of training were a grind.
- He struggled to clip in and out of his pedals, sometimes falling off his bike, and riding only a few miles at a time.
- Now he's in his 21st week of training, logging about 200 miles a week.
What they're saying: Bao Ling was a gifted storyteller with an infectious "can-do attitude" who rarely let a setback keep her down, Lai tells Axios.
- Now that she's gone, Lai is reminded of her whenever he spots a butterfly while riding past the Philadelphia Museum of Art or along the Schuylkill River.
"It's like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly," Lai says. "It's like that struggle that you're going through every step along the way."
The bottom line: "Like Jimmy V says, don't give up, don't ever give up," Lai says. "For me, it's like this hill is nothing in comparison to, like, who you're riding for."