Riding Together to End Cancer
We:so Nya:wëh to the team members who rode in the “Ride For Roswell” last weekend, Saturday, June 24th at University at Buffalo North campus! Team Wheel Strong was lead by Team Captains Eliot Jimerson, Seneca Nation Councillor; Kortney Keyes, Director, Visitor Economy Management Office; and Geneva Locke, Seneca Gaming Corporation Board of Directors.
This is the third year that Team Wheel Strong has particpated in the annual bicycling fundraiser. Kick-off for Ride for Roswell weekend started at Roswell Park Cancer Center. Team Wheel Strong is honored to have had two riders participate in the Peloton send off: Matthew Pagels and Kortney Keyes. Matt and Kortney rode 12 miles in the bicycle procession with a police escort from Roswell Park to University of Buffalo North Campus into the Celebration of Hope. Treasurer Pagels shared “It’s humbling being apart of such a strong, unified, amazingly awesome family. Nya:wëh for setting the example and leading with passion. Keep breaking records and achieving milestones like you do! Thank you all for the support, time, donations and of course raffles.”
Ride for Roswell is one of the nation’s largest charity cycling events that brings a community of people together to celebrate cancer survivors, pay tribute to those we’ve lost and share in the passion that connects us all: finding cures for cancer.
Learn more about Team Wheel Strong in the article below.
Team Wheel Strong’s Mission to Spread Hope Through the Ride
Team Wheel Strong is a fundraising powerhouse for Ride for Roswell. In 2023 alone, the efforts of more than 50 riders helped to surpass the team’s fundraising goal of $45,000.
Reflecting on Wheel Strong’s growth since the team was started only three years ago, co-captain Eliot Jimerson became emotional.
“This was not in my plans,” he said with tears in his eyes. “People suffer, and I don’t like to see that. That’s why we ride.”
How Team Wheel Strong Began
Eliot felt the same helplessness so many of us do when someone close to him lost a loved one to cancer. He explained, “I just didn’t have any words, so I said to my daughter, “It feels like I should do more. What could we do?’”
Geneva Locke, Eliot’s daughter, came up with the idea to register for the Ride.
“We decided together as a father and a daughter that we were going to participate in the Ride, and we never knew at that time the overwhelming amount of hope and support there is around Roswell Park,” said Geneva.
Eliot added, “Everybody kept saying, ‘I want to ride,’ and it turned into a team.” From family, to friends, to community, Team Wheel Strong became a welcome space for anyone motivated to fight back against cancer.
Community at the Center
“Our team is made up largely of our community, and our home base is on the Seneca Nation Territory, but our team also branches out with other Native Nations,” said Geneva.
With riders from several other indigenous communities joining the movement, Team Wheel Strong’s efforts to raise awareness for Roswell Park spread far beyond Ride Weekend.
“It started out as community involvement. We had a lot of pop-up rides that first year because our kids wanted to get on their bikes. We would advertise these pop-up rides and charge a small fee for families,” Geneva explained. “It was more or less to provide a safe place for our community members to ride with their families on territory because we don’t have sidewalks and the roads are very busy. We would use our community center, and everybody was just so supportive.”
The more they got involved, the more they came across other people who had been affected by cancer. Those personal connections are what the team captains believe have helped Wheel Strong gain so much momentum.
“If you count all the support around us, it’s around 65 people. There are people who are involved and don’t ride, but they do a lot of the work and they’re the ones who deserve a lot of recognition,” said Eliot.
The significance of the Wheel Strong logo
It’s easy to spot a Team Wheel Strong rider because their jerseys are so unique and prominent. Coming up with a design was no easy feat.
Geneva, who was the mastermind behind the logo, explained the inspiration. “My grandpa, who suffered from cancer, used to be able to ride a unicycle. He also had a single wheel that he would push around with this wire cord and run behind it, and the kids always thought it was a great time. So, it was important to me to include a wheel,” she exclaimed with a smile. “We knew we wanted to have some sort of cultural touch to it and that’s where we decided to put the Hiawatha Belt, which represents the Haudenosaunee and signifies the unity of our people as well as our team.”
Designating Funds From The Ride
Riders have the option to designate their fundraising dollars to a specific area of need. Several riders on Team Wheel Strong, including Geneva, are choosing to designate their funds to Roswell Park’s Center of Indigenous Cancer Research.
“If you can have something that you can identify with, that warms your heart, feels like home, especially when you’re walking into a scary situation like a cancer diagnosis, that’s what the Indigenous Center can grow to do for many of our community members that have to turn to Roswell Park every year,” said Geneva.
Looking forward to Ride Weekend
Ride Weekend is a multi-generational celebration for Eliot and Geneva’s family. “Crossing the finish line, I think of my team. I think of my grandkids,” said Eliot. “I have my grandson who I ride with. He’s a little guy, but he does 30 miles.”
And despite the heaviness and sadness around cancer, they try to keep the atmosphere for their team one of positivity and unity. “All I ever wanted Wheel Strong to do was provide hope for those who fight the fight. Hopefully one day we’re all just cheering for the end of cancer,” Geneva explained.
Eliot added, “There’s so much hatred in the world it seems sometimes, but when you come together for a cause and put all your differences aside, I believe that’s when miracles can happen. And that’s what I see with the Ride.”
