Huntington native Kane Lewandowski is gearing up to bike over 500 miles from New York City to Niagara Falls in the Empire State Ride to End Cancer beginning on July 27.
Lewandowski, a 23-year-old broker for Air Charter Service who was a competitive swimmer in high school, took on the challenge after seeking more advanced athletic events towards the end of his time as a student at Farmingdale State College. He began by running a 5K before doing two triathlons, two Spartan Races and two Ironman Races. After cycling as a hobby throughout his life and gaining more experience during his two triathlons, he found himself intrigued by the Empire State Ride.
“I said, ‘Alright, what’s next?’” Lewandowski recalled. “And that’s when I saw this Empire State Ride challenge and was like ‘I’ll do it,’ it’s for an amazing cause.”
The ride, happening for the eleventh year, has grown massively since its inception in 2015. That year, the ride raised $55,000 for the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Last year, it raised $2.2 million and eclipsed over $10 million raised over its first 10 years. Each participant in the event is tasked with raising at least $3,500.
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The Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, located in Buffalo, is designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. It is one of only 4% of cancer centers to receive that designation. The money raised by the Empire State Ride helps Roswell Park bolster cancer research and continue to serve as a pioneer in the field of cancer treatment.
The ride takes place over the course of seven days between July 27 and Aug. 2. Cyclists will begin with an orientation at Wagner College in Staten Island on July 26 and then ride between 65 and 100 miles for the next seven days to Niagara Falls. The route roughly follows the Empire State Trail and heads north to Albany before cutting to the west across the state. Each night, cyclists will stay at shared campsites at the various stops along the way.
In addition to serving as an exciting new challenge for Lewandowski, the event’s cause — raising money for Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center — holds special personal meaning. Like so many, Lewandowski has been personally affected by cancer with his grandmother having fought the disease before she died around 10 years ago. He sees his participation as a way to challenge himself for seven days and raise money for those who face a far greater challenge everyday.
“I’m doing it for those who can’t, for the people that cannot do it anymore,” he said. “I’m more than happy to take on a challenge like this for seven days.”
In addition to his excitement about the challenge and cause, Lewandowski is also excited to get to know the other riders and their stories.
“I look forward to hanging out with all the people that are also doing it,” he said. “It’s probably going to be a lot of conversations. They’re probably going to get deep into why someone did it, or the family members or friends that they’re doing it for and all that stuff. So I look forward to that.”
Leading up to the race, Lewandowski is doing long training rides both on his bike outside and on his indoor gym bike. The rides vary in length from 20 or 40 miles to 100 miles over the course of a weekend. Even with the training, he still expects to be challenged.
“I think it’s going to be difficult, I think it’s going to definitely test me,” he said. “But at the same time, I’m confident that I’ll get it done.”
For more information about the Empire State Ride, visit empirestateride.com.
