An annual local bike ride that raises funds for sarcoma cancer research recently presented a check from this summer’s event.

More than 500 bicyclists pedaled in the 17th annual Courage Ride on August 14th with routes traveling through Washington and Johnson counties and utilizing the Washington County Fairgrounds and the Kewash Nature Trail. It was also their first in-person event since 2019, and on October 21st a check for $65,000 was presented to the University of Iowa’s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center sarcoma research program. The Courage Ride was founded in 2005 by Jackie and Tom Bailey of Riverside to honor their son Seth who passed away at the age of 25 years old after battling sarcoma for eight years. It has since raised over $725,000 for sarcoma research. The ride’s donations make up 85% of the University of Iowa’s sarcoma seed grant funding, which have seeded numerous research grants, several that have developed into larger, more extensive studies and support one of the largest sarcoma tissue banks in the Midwest.