Bay Weekly: This Week's Lead Story

Riverkeeper Drew Koslow Trades Boat for Bike
Riding from Columbia to D.C. for 21 cancer victims
by Carrie Steele

As Tour of Hope nears Washington, D.C., South Riverkeeper Drew Koslow trades in his boat for a bike. He’ll pedal 50 miles on the Tour of Hope’s D.C. Ride, which kicks off in Columbia and zig-zags south to D.C. There, D.C. cyclists meet up with the national Tour of Hope ride, a pack of 24 cross-country cyclists led by legendary cancer survivor Lance Armstrong.

“Some friends of mine had done the ride last year. My buddy Chris Millard is doing the ride this year. I was really inspired by Chris’ story,” says Koslow about his first benefit ride. “I lost two grandparents to cancer, so I wanted to raise awareness and hope.”

Like the bigger race, this offshoot ride raises funds and awareness for cancer research. Koslow has been collecting pledges for cancer research since July. At press time he’s 80 percent of the way toward his goal, with $1,605 of $2,000.

“I was amazed. I raised $500 in the first hour,” said Koslow, a regular cyclist whose last major biking trip was a five-day mountain-biking excursion on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia this spring.

That ride was for him. For Tour of Hope, he’s riding for 21 cancer victims whose names he’ll place on his issued race number, for donors who contributed in memory of a loved one.