Cycling 620km To Fight Childhood Cancer

My name is Martin, I am 16 years old. I am a French 11th grader living in Los Angeles, California and I am planning to ride my bike over 620 kilometers (385 miles) in 5 days to raise money to fight childhood cancer.

Why? A few years ago, I lost my best friend Noé to cancer. He was 10 years old and to die at such a young age is completely unfair. Cancer stole my best friend’s life and is a leading cause of death for children and adolescents around the world (approximately 300,000 children aged 0 to 19 years old are diagnosed with cancer each year). Some may ask, “why 6 years later?” Well, when Noé passed away, I was 10 years old and as a kid you don’t necessarily know what to do, you feel powerless. Now I found what I can do to play my part and help other children. Now I can also do more than when I was 10 years old by setting a bigger challenge and a bigger goal.

What? The cycling journey would take me from the northern border of Oregon to California: 620km spread out over 4 to 5 days. This would be a major performance for any serious cyclist. The challenge in this is that I am pretty new to cycling. I just completed my first century (100km / 60 miles) ride. So thinking that I have to ride a greater distance 5 days in a row still makes me (very) nervous...  I am planning to follow this route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/35321300

For who? The donations will go to the “Guérir le Cancer de l’enfant au 21eme siecle ” campaign ("Find a Cure to Childhood Cancer in the 21st Century") started in 2017 by Noé’s parents, Frédéric and Magali Lemos, and dedicated to support Pediatric Oncology Research in partnership with Institut Gustave Roussy, the leading Oncology Center in Europe.

I am motivated, I am training and with the help of my family and friends, I am convinced that I can make it. And with your help, I will make each kilometer count. The trip is planned for this coming June. Thank you in advance for your support.

Martin Janneau-Houllier
Follow me on Strava at https://www.strava.com/athletes/82106612
And on Instagram @martinjanneau