Cyclist Marks Fifth Fundraiser for BCRF with 5,000-Mile Cross-Country Ride

Al Reszel will once again cycle to honor his wife, Terry, and raise money for breast cancer research

For his fifth Pink Pedals 4 A Cure fundraising ride for BCRF, Al Reszel has set another ambitious goal: to cycle 5,000 miles across the southern U.S. and raise $20,000 for research.

The avid 63-year-old bicyclist and outdoorsman will launch this year’s ride in San Diego on March 5 and travel through 16 states to BCRF’s headquarters in New York City in under 55 days. Al hopes to double the amount he raised in 2020 ($10,430) when he rode 6,000 miles across the country for BCRF.

As with his four other Pink Pedals 4 A Cure rides, Al is not only supporting breast cancer research with this ride. He is once again honoring his beloved wife, Terry, an 11-year breast cancer survivor who credits research for saving her life and giving her more precious time with Al, their two sons and their wives, and their five grandchildren.

“Since our first ride, our goal in working with BCRF has always been to fund research, but we never could have imagined when we had that first ride six years ago that we would be able to help fund nearly 1,000 hours of research to help find the cure,” Terry said. “We are proud to have accomplished that.”

Pink Pedals 4 A Cure started in 2016 when Al set out on his first long-distance fundraising ride from Minnesota to Chicago over five days while Terry accompanied him in a car—handling logistics of the ride, collecting donations, and more. As they met people along the way, the couple raised $4,000 for BCRF, and vowed to do bigger and bigger rides to raise more for research.

“It’s been a wild and unexpected journey as our rides have gone from 517 miles to 1,700 miles, then 3,400 miles, 6,000 miles, and now 5,000 miles,” Al said. “The entire 5,000 miles will be a completely new route.”

As Al and Terry mark their fifth fundraising ride for BCRF and Terry’s continued good health—because of research, she has been able to watch her grandchildren grow up and will celebrate her 12th year of survivorship in September—they’re motivated to help other families have the same.

“Our motivation every year is to keep going as long as I can keep on riding and until we find that cure,” Al said.

Support Pink Pedals 4 a Cure/Terry’s Ride 2022 here and follow their adventures on the road on Instagram or Facebook.