BIKE TO BEAT BREAST CANCER
EXERT & EXHALE
IN THIS SECTION
Bike to Beat Cancer
On The Road with Kevin Kernen
The Final Say
PEDDLING FOR
A PURPOSE
10th Annual Bike to
Beat Cancer benefits
Norton Cancer Institute
BY ANGIE FENTON
PHOTOS BY JAMIE RHODES COURTESY
OF NORTON HEALTHCARE
Jeremy Sprecher’s bike isn’t exactly a sleek,
aerodynamic vehicle that’s going to win any
awards for its design or efficiency, but the $100 he
dropped for it nearly a decade ago is paying off.
In that span of time, the New Albany resident
– and his trusty two-wheeler – has raised “a little
more than $68,000” as a participant in Bike to
Beat Cancer, benefiting Norton Cancer Institute.
The annual event, which celebrates its 10th
anniversary on Sept. 8, draws hundreds of people
who choose from 15-, 35-, 65- or 100-mile rides,
a 5-mile family ride, an hour-long spin ride and
even a virtual ride for those who can’t or don’t
want to peddle for a purpose but still feel called
to support the endeavor to beat cancer.
Sprecher, who serves as facility vice president
of finance and operations for Norton Women’s
& Children’s Hospital, learned about Bike to
Beat Cancer at work and decided to sign up,
thinking it would make a good athletic challenge
and “maybe it will make a difference someday.”
That first year, he committed to raising $2,500
but knew he couldn’t afford to pay out of pocket.
After all, he and his wife Kirsten had two children
and one on the way. “That’s when I came up with
the idea for a golf scramble.”
The initial Sprecher Outing, as it’s called, was
held at Doe Valley in Brandenburg, Kentucky.
Thanks to his supporters and fellow golf
enthusiasts, nearly $6,000 was raised for Bike
to Beat Cancer. The annual affair is now held at
30 EXTOL : AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018
Valley View Golf Club in Floyds Knobs on the
last Saturday in July.
Last year’s tournament raised $11,000 for
Norton Cancer Institute, which means Sprecher’s
total donations could reach or exceed nearly
$80,000 (Editor’s Note: Extol Magazine went to
press prior to the 2018 scramble).
Bike to Beat Cancer has now become a family
endeavor, with Sprecher’s wife and children –
Isabel, 14; Gretchen, 12; and Mitchell, 9 – all
taking part in the 35-mile ride. “The older the
kids get, the more interested they are, and they’ve
willingly participated in the efforts,” he said. “We
do this together.”
And that includes Sprecher’s Schwinn. “It’s
something that probably came out when I was
10 to 15 years old, and I’m 41 now,” Sprecher
laughed. “They call me cheap and a tightwad
for not buying a new bike, but it works great.”
Sprecher’s enthusiasm about the mission of
Bike to Beat Cancer works just as well and has
led to numerous friends and family members
signing on to ride, assist with the scramble and
support the cause.
“At the end of the day, what I try to tell myself
is to think about the amount of effort folks
with cancer have to put forth to fight through
a treatment plan” compared to what it takes to
train and complete Bike to Beat Cancer, Sprecher
said. “Put yourself in someone else’s shoes and
just do it for them.”