A charity bicycle ride in memory of a Riverside resident is hosting its biggest ever event next Saturday.

The 17th annual Courage Ride takes place August 14th with several route length options and two start-and-finish locations at the Washington County Fairgrounds and Big Grove Brewery in Iowa City. This event has so far raised over $660,000 for sarcoma cancer research at the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Ben Miller, an orthopedic surgeon and co-leader of the Sarcoma Multidisciplinary Oncology Group, says the ride’s fundraising efforts are greatly appreciated, “The cure rates have kind of stagnated for the last several decades and this is not due to lack of effort. Actually we’re very proactive at trying to figure out new ways to treat sarcoma. Here at the university we have several clinical trials open and we’re always looking for new ones. Our goal is to have a clinical trial available for every patient.”

A co-chair for the event, Dr. Miller says it’s been great to work the last several years with the race organizers who have been there since the beginning, “The other portion of people that make up the Courage Ride are patients that I’ve treated or family, friends, loved ones of patients that I’ve treated. And this to me, the day of the Courage Ride, is one of my favorite days of the year because it allows me to see all of my old friends and connect with people that we’ve really gone through a lot together. So it’s a pretty emotional but also pretty fulfilling and rewarding part for me to be a part of.”

The Courage Ride, which was founded in honor of Seth Bailey who passed away after a battle with sarcoma in 2003, set a record in 2019 with around 550 participants and $100,000 donated. For information on how to participate, visit here.