“I would just like to stress how important early screening is for cancer."

Meet BBC participant Shane Stone! 

Shane, of Conshohocken, PA, participated in his first Breakthrough Bike Challenge in 2020 as a cyclist. Seeing a link posted by a friend on Facebook, he felt prompted to participate in the event. The encouragement he received last year through the support of family and friends kept him going. He raised around $500 for the BBC, which was well over his fundraising goal!

The mission of the Breakthrough Bike Challenge is important to Shane because his mother is a breast cancer survivor, and he has been diagnosed with colon cancer.

A patient at Penn, he believes the BBC is a good way to spread awareness. “I would just like to stress how important early screening is for cancer,” he shared.

Shane looks forward to participating in this year’s Breakthrough Bike Challenge. “My training goals for this year are to increase my mileage, and raise more funds than last year,” Shane explained. He was fortunate to have a fantastic support team last year, made up from friends and family spreading the word and having folks give encouragement and kind words along the way. “When I was feeling like I wasn’t doing enough, they told me I’m doing just fine, keep at it. It was also encouraging to have my oncologist ask me how I was coming along with it. Gentle nudges always help.”

To reach his goals for this year, Shane plans to bike three times a week and maintain a better diet. He will track his training through the Strava app, sharing that he is “addicted to the Strava app now!”