American Cancer Society 300-mile Challenge!

Hello, World!  Over the past year, I have been making some life changes for the better.  Diagnosed with needing a knee replacement in the summer of 2025, the first thing my Orthopedic Doctor recommended was for me to lose as much weight possible prior to having the surgery done.  After consulting with him and my primary physician, it was determined that I should be prescribed a GLP-1 medication to assist with losing weight as well as lowering my A1C.  One of the biggest hurdles is trying to find a routine that can hold my interest and that would be low impact on my knees.  The emergence of e-bikes piqued my interest and I spent the next few months researching e-bikes and I ended up purchasing a 2025 Mokwheel Basalt.  I assembled it and started my journey in November 2025.  Between the e-bike riding and the suppression of my appetite by using a GLP-1 medication, I have managed to loose 84 lbs in a year!

I ride as much as I can with my crazy schedule.  In late June or early July I saw advertisements on Facebook for the American Cancer Society's 300-mile challenge during the month of August.  I was intrigued, but I wasn't sure I could fully commit to riding daily for a whole month.   I needed to train and see what I was capable of.  In the month of July, I have ridden 204 miles over 15 bike rides!

After analyzing the numbers and commitment, I decided this morning to sign up for the 300-mile challenge.  My American Cancer Society 300-mile fundraiser can be found here on Facebook.  If you feel compelled to contribute, it is much appreciated as it will go to an awesome organization that help people that are fighting their battle with cancer.  If you can't, I understand as well as times have been tough for folks over the past several years.

If anything, please feel free to follow my journey here and on Facebook and cheer me on.  This is a huge challenge for me - something I would have never imagined doing a year ago!  If you are local and would like to ride with me, that would be awesome as it will keep me motivated!  I've created widgets for this page that track my mileage during the 300-mile challenge as well as the total number of miles I've ridden this year.  If you are on a mobile device, you'll need to tap on the "hamburger" menu button in order to see the sidebar for this blog.

Thank you so much for following me on this journey!  It all begins on Saturday.

-John