Don Belisle fights cancer on two wheels.
“I’m not a doctor or a researcher. I can’t develop a cure for cancer, but I can help by doing what it is that I do and using these events to raise money to help fund cancer research,” said the 69-year-old Evans, Ga. resident who has tested his physical limitations over the past two years to do extreme bicycle rides to raise money for Paceline.
Supported by the Medical College of Georgia Foundation which covers its administration costs, Paceline raises money for cancer research at the Georgia Cancer Center. Its signature event is a bicycle ride each October. Since 2019, Paceline has generated $1.5 million.
Belisle, a retiree who also works part time for Paceline, not only rides on the annual Pace Day, which was cancelled this year due to Hurricane Helene, but he cycles the extra miles on his own to raise funds and awareness.
He’s raised close to $25,000 in five years to honor loved ones affected by cancer including his dad who died of stomach cancer and a friend and colleague who died of brain cancer as well as several other friends who’ve had the disease.
The first year he rode 100 miles on Pace Day. COVID interfered with the ride for a couple of years, but he still solicited donations.
In 2023, Belisle participated in the Bicycle Ride Across Georgia, a 400-mile trek across the state from Columbus to Brunswick; he tacked on another 200 or so miles to his ride to finish at the Georgia Cancer Center.
This year, he wanted to outdo the previous effort, so he set out for a 24-hour ride.
“Most people rolled their eyes and thought I was a little deranged,” he said.
Instead of riding the open roads in the heat of July, he mounted a bike in his living room. He made one modification to the bike, adding a comfort seat. He completed the 24-hour ride over the course of 25 hours and five minutes, accounting for the breaks throughout the event, the longest of which was 15 minutes. It was broadcast via live stream so that donors and friends could chart his progress.
He started at 1 p.m. July 19, and a steady stream of visitors kept him going until about midnight.
He admits the wee morning hours were tough to get through. His wife, Sharon, dozed nearby on the couch, and there was only so much TV he could binge on.
“It seemed like time stood still,” he said. “When I started to see daylight, it reinvigorated me.”
That was the only bump in the road. Everything else went off without a problem.
To prepare for the event, Belisle had trained by riding seven or eight hours a day.
The evening after the ride, he slept for about 13 hours and got up the next morning refreshed and pain-free.
Belisle doesn’t know what next year will hold. He’s still trying to figure out how to top this year’s effort.
“I just want to help doctors working to find a cure,” he said.
Paceline grants have funded a wide variety of cancer-related topics. Many of the grants fund research to examine cancer tumors at the cellular level while other scientists have looked at the ripple effects of the disease such as the financial burden it often brings to families especially those living in rural parts of the state.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News, has covered Augusta’s news for 35 years. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
