Biking to benefit her brother and others

Cruising down the same driveway in Glen Ellyn, Ill., where she first learned to ride a bike, Michelle Thompson began a 2,400-mile bicycle journey to Costa Mesa for one simple reason: Her brother, John Thompson, has oral cancer, and she hopes to raise awareness and money to help him fight it.

“He is in the battle of his life, and I want to get in this battle with him,” she said. “I wanted to help other families so they wouldn’t have to go through what my brother is going through.”

Inspired by her brother’s daily walks, the initial idea for a community walk-a-thon quickly transformed itself into a solo bike-a-thon, a fitting tribute for the brother who purchased and taught Michelle how to ride her first bike.

Following a surgery over the summer in which doctors removed portions of John’s tongue and jaw bone, leaving him temporarily unable to speak, his 35-year-old sister knew she had to do something truly substantial.

Leaving her job as a quality consultant for the duration of the trip, Michelle set out on a grass-roots campaign to raise awareness of oral cancer, which claims more than 8,000 lives per year nationwide, according to The Oral Cancer Foundation. She also hopes to offset her brother’s mounting medical bills with the goal of raising $50,000 — a figure show knows to be “extremely ambitious.”

Before setting off, the inexperienced cyclist spent a week surveying the inventory of bike shops throughout Chicago. Though the bike her brother taught her to ride on remains in her parents’ basement, Michelle opted for an adult-sized touring bike, fully equipped with a trailer and head-to-toe cycling gear.

Michelle left Illinois on Oct. 21 hoping to make it to her brother’s home in Costa Mesa in time for Christmas. Saturday marked her ninth week on the road, though she didn’t ride for at least seven days due to extreme weather, including a blizzard in New Mexico, various wind storms and downpours of freezing rain.

No matter the challenges she faced along the way — whether it be lugging a trailer full of camping gear and other essentials, biting winds or numerous flat tires — Michelle’s resolve never waned.

“In light of what my brother’s going through, it’s hard for me to complain about anything,” she said. “I just think of what he’s going through, and the rest seems insignificant.”

Being 13 years younger than John, Michelle said her older brother was always there for her as a child and into adulthood. In addition to being mechanically inclined, he had a knack for making things fun and was always up for an adventure.

“To spend 10 minutes with my brother, you would know why I’m out here,” Michelle said. “He would give you the shirt off his back.”

When she was 17, John towed a white 1965 Ford Mustang, which he had recently restored, from his home in California to his sister in Kentucky just to surprise her — a story Michelle recalled as emblematic of her brother.

Though she lamented not having gifts to bestow upon her arrival, she said she will be bringing a hearty dose of Christmas spirit.

“I get to spend every single day doing something I really believe in, when normally I would be running around buying gifts,” said the bicyclist. “It is just such a great gift.”

Interrupting her journey for only a single day, Michelle momentarily ditched her bike in Amarillo, Texas, to fly home for Thanksgiving. That day, she walked 10 miles to the airport, cashed in $525 worth of vouchers for Southwest Airlines and hopped on a plane headed for Southern California. The very next day, she was back in Texas and on her bike heading westward, from whence she came.

Along the route, which has taken her through eight states, she has been collecting various bric-a-brac and sending it off to John. Her brother is now the proud owner of an obscenely large cowboy hat, a string of lights representing each state along Route 66, and hillbilly chopsticks — essentially an oversized clothespin.

Besides getting random tidbits of Route 66’s extensive history, Michelle’s favorite aspect of the journey was the helpful people she met at gas stations, motels and elsewhere. These “road angels” shared food, shelter and support along the way, many calling in or e-mailing to check on her progress, or offering advice.

“People I didn’t know anything about nine weeks ago have become lifelong friends,” Michelle said. “They have definitely stayed with me.”

Though she’s climbed as high as 7,300 feet and the odometer on her bicycle read 2,105 miles last week, Michelle didn’t want to get overconfident about her cycling abilities, fearing she may jinx herself. She still found the riding difficult after nine weeks on the road, but hopes to maintain it as a hobby now that it is all over.

“I have really found the cycling world and the people in it to be really wonderful,” she said.

REACHING THE FINISH LINE

At about 5 p.m. on Monday, Michelle finished her long trek to Costa Mesa in front of her brother’s driveway, riding through a paper banner her family had made as they waved flags and cheered.

With 2,441 miles on her bike’s odometer, Michelle didn’t even dismount her bicycle before giving her brother John a hug.

“I feel great now that I’m here,” Michelle said to the small crowd of family and neighbors who had gathered for her arrival. “I’m a little late because I had to stop and look at the ocean.”

John, who assured the crowd he would win his battle against cancer, was speechless at his sister’s feat.

“We’re so ecstatic!” said Tracy Thompson, John’s wife. “We’ve been worried about her every step of the way.”

Without nonprofit status, Michelle has been unable to attract major sponsorship. Instead, she is relying on what she calls “everyday people” who still believe that one person can make a difference in the world.

So far, Michelle’s Route 2 Outsmart Cancer campaign, www.route2outsmartcancer.com, has raised close to $10,000 toward her goal. She is still looking for ways to up the ante.

“Excited as I am to finally get there, I feel like there is so much more that I want to do,” she said Wednesday, just after crossing the border into California. “I was thinking maybe I could turn around and ride back.”