Prairie Grove Graduate Plans Cross-Country Bike Ride

TRIP RAISES MONEY FOR CANCER PATIENTS

SUBMITTED PHOTO Michael Bond, a senior at University of Arkansas and graduate of Prairie Grove High School, trains on the Razorback Greenway and Fayetteville biking trails for a bike ride across the country this summer.
SUBMITTED PHOTO Michael Bond, a senior at University of Arkansas and graduate of Prairie Grove High School, trains on the Razorback Greenway and Fayetteville biking trails for a bike ride across the country this summer.

This summer, Michael Bond, a 2012 Prairie Grove graduate and University of Arkansas senior, will bike more than 4,000 miles across America, with the goal to bring hope to families and individuals dealing with cancer.

The ride is called 4K for Cancer and is part of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. According to its website, the Ulman Cancer Fund is a non-profit organization that changes lives by creating a community of support for young adults and their loved ones impacted by cancer.

Its vision is a "world in which no young adult faces cancer alone."

Bond first heard about 4K for Cancer a few years ago from a random Facebook post and thought it sounded "cool," he said. Then, his Aunt Patty was diagnosed with cancer and later, her granddaughter, Greer, now 2, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.

Bond said he looked into the ride after that, applied to participate in August 2015, and was accepted. All the participants are college students. Bond is the only UA student participating in the 2016 program.

"I felt this was something I could do to show what they mean to me," Bond said. "I'm really riding for Aunt Patty and her granddaughter."

The program has four separate bike routes, each starting in Baltimore, Md., but ending in different cities on the west coast. Bond's ride begins June 5 in Baltimore and finishes 70 days later, on Aug. 13 in Seattle, Wash. Bikers will put the back tire of their bicycles in the Atlantic Ocean and take off from there. They will end the trip with their front tire in the Pacific Ocean.

Bond said his route will have about 30 riders, divided into smaller groups. They will bike an average of 80-90 miles per day, depending on terrain, and stay in different places, sometimes with host families, cancer homes or churches that support cancer homes. Most of the time, the riders will follow county roads or bike trails, he said.

Each participant has to raise a minimum of $4,500 for the ride for the Ulman Cancer Fund. This money, in turn, is given out along the route as scholarships for kids with cancer or to local cancer programs. Participants also will be able to help with service projects, such as visiting cancer patients or giving presentations, and will learn more about cancer treatments.

Bond's goal was to raise $5,000 and he has already surpassed that goal and plans to keep raising money as long as he can. Most of his money has been raised by selling smoked ribs.

"I've sold 225 racks of ribs," Bond said.

The idea to sell ribs started as a way to raise some of his money but the project was so successful, he said, that it has turned into much more than that.

Bond has been riding a bike on the trails in northwest Arkansas for about eight years but is still following a 20-week training guide provided by the program. Riding 4,000 miles will be a lot of work, he said, but believes it will be easier for him because he has been riding for so long.

Other requirements for the ride include being CPR certified, going through a bike safety course and learning road regulations for bikes. Bond also will serve as the bike mechanic for his route and will leave a few days early for additional training to help maintain bikes.

The program has already provided his bike for the ride and he is using a Trek 1.1.

Michael Bond's father is Ron Bond, principal of Prairie Grove High School, and his mother, Carla Bond, is a second-grade teacher at Williams Elementary in Farmington.

Ron Bond said he is excited for the experiences his son will have this summer and at the same time, a little anxious about the trip out on his own.

"As a young man, he will have opportunities to see things and experience things that many people can't or won't," said Ron Bond.

Ron and Carla Bond plan to go to Baltimore for the send-off ceremony.

"From what I've read, the kids are different when they come back," Ron Bond said. "It's a challenge. They really are on their own and have to work together as a team and be self-reliant."

Carla Bond said she has been impressed with her son's passion to help bring awareness to cancer. He was especially affected, she said, when his great-niece Greer was diagnosed with leukemia.

"He kept reading (about the trip) and all of a sudden said, 'I'm going to do it,'" Carla Bond said.

All three family members expressed appreciation for the support Michael has received from family, friends and the community. People have purchased ribs or made donations.

"I'm proud of him," Carla Bond said. "He's an inspiration to all of us."

According to the 4K for Cancer website, this is the 15th year for the program. In 2015, 170 students traveled across the country and raised more than $1 million to support young adults affected by cancer.

When he is not biking, Bond is a cheerleader on the UA spirit squad for football, basketball and gymnastics and is majoring in biomedical engineering. After graduation in May, he plans to attend graduate school at the UA and continue cheering.

General News on 05/04/2016