Coast to Coast for a Cure 2014: 2014-05-04

About Lea's Foundation

In 1998, Lea Michele Economos, a young woman who died of leukemia at the age of 28, made a dying wish to her parents that others would not face the hardships she encountered by finding a cure for this disease. Her family started this charity to carry on that wish. Today, Lea’s Foundation takes an active role in finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and myeloma and to better the lives of people living with these diseases. At the UCONN Health Center, the Lea’s Foundation Center for Hematologic Disorders sponsors research in this field. A new program covers the cost of bone-marrow testing to help recruit life-saving transplants for patients. Also, annual scholarships are given to children with leukemia who are planning to attend nursery school. For more information on other projects carried out by Lea’s Foundation, please visit their website at www.LeasFoundation.org.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Preliminary Route Announcement!

Jonathan, Greg and I sat down today and decided that we would take a bit different approach to crossing the country compared to last year's group. We decided to stick more to the north and see as many National Parks as possible. Below is a list of the major places we'll be visiting on our trip, along with a map displaying the generally route that we will be biking. Overall Google Maps tells us we'll be biking 3,918 miles, which should take a mere 344 hours on our bikes.

San Francisco, CA
Redwoods State/National Parks, CA
Crescent City, CA
Crater Lake National Park, OR
Boise, ID
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, ID
Jackson Hole, WY
Yellowstone National Park (North shore of Yellowstone Lake)
Cody, WY
Bighorn National Forest, WY
Rapid City, SD
Badlands National Park, SD
Madison, WI
Milwaukee, WI
Waukegan, IL
Chicago, IL
South Bend, IN
Cleveland, OH
Erie, PA
Buffalo, NY
Niagara Falls, NY
Rochester, NY
Syracuse, NY
Albany, NY
Westfield, MA
Farmington, CT

Meet the Riders:

Greg Kirby grew up in Madison, CT and graduated from Boston College with a degree in Chemistry and minor in Mathematics. He is now a first year medical student at UConn School of Medicine. Greg is an avid sailor and boater, but is ecstatic to undertake the land-based Coast to Coast ride and discover America in support of Lea’s Foundation.

Gregory Oudheusden grew up in Greenwich, CT and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2013 with a BS in Philosophy. He is now a first year medical student at UConn. Greg enjoys hiking, skiing, and kayaking in his spare time, and holds a private pilot license. He is eager to bike acrossthe country for the Coast to Coast ride this summer to raise money for Lea’s Foundation.

Jonathan Kobles grew up in Farmington,CT and graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2013 with a degree in Molecular Biology. He is currently studying medicine at the UConn Health Center. Jonathan spends his free time engaging in many outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, and kayaking. He looks forward to the opportunity to continue the tradition of Coast to Coast, and dedicate his summer towards raising money for an organization as committed and hard working as Lea’s Foundation.