Don Belisle fights cancer on two wheels.
“I’m not a doctor or a researcher. I can’t develop a cure for cancer, but I can help,” said the 69-year-old Evans resident.
Belisle tested his physical limitations over the past two years participating in extreme bicycle rides to raise money for Paceline. Supported by the Medical College of Georgia Foundation, Paceline raises money for cancer research at the Georgia Cancer Center. Its signature event, called “Pace Day,” is a bicycle ride each October. Since 2019, Paceline has generated $1.5 million.
Belisle, a retiree, not only rides on the annual Pace Day, which was canceled this year due to Hurricane Helene, but he cycles extra miles on his own to raise funds and awareness. He’s raised nearly $25,000 in five years in honor of loved ones affected by cancer, including his dad who died of stomach cancer and a friend and colleague who died of brain cancer.
Credit: Charmain Brackett
Credit: Charmain Brackett
His first year, he rode 100 miles on Pace Day. COVID-19 interfered with the ride for a couple of years, but he still solicited donations.
In 2023, Belisle participated in the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia, a 400-mile trek across the state from Columbus to Brunswick, tacking on another 200 or so miles to his ride to finish at the Georgia Cancer Center.
This year, he wanted to outdo the previous effort, so he set out for a 24-hour ride.
“Most people rolled their eyes and thought I was a little deranged,” he said.
Instead of riding the open roads in the heat of July, Belisle mounted a bike in his living room. He made one modification to the bike, adding a comfort seat. He completed the 24-hour ride over the course of 25 hours and five minutes, accounting for the breaks throughout the event, the longest of which was 15 minutes. It was broadcast via livestream so that donors and friends could chart his progress.
Belisle started at 1 p.m. July 19, and a steady stream of visitors kept his spirits up until about midnight. He admits the wee morning hours were tough to get through. His wife, Sharon, dozed nearby on the couch, and there was only so much TV he could binge on.
“It seemed like time stood still,” he said. “When I started to see daylight, it reinvigorated me.”
That was the only bump in the road. Everything else went off without a problem. To prepare for the event, Belisle had trained riding seven or eight hours a day. The evening after the ride, he slept for about 13 hours and got up the next morning refreshed and pain-free.
Belisle is still trying to figure out how to top this year’s effort.
“I just want to help doctors working to find a cure,” he said.
HOW TO HELP
If you’re interested in donating to Don Belisle, go to paceline.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=2750.
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