WATERLOO, WI - A soggy stormy Saturday morning did not deter bicyclists from taking part in the 28th Annual Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer (MACC) Fund Trek 100. It's the organization's biggest fundraising event of the year.
Among those riding this year were former baseball and football star, Bo Jackson, and Packers great, Brett Favre.
"[I'm] happy to be a part of it," Favre said. "[And] I'm happy [to be] back."
The ride draws hundreds of cyclist each year from near and far all in the name of fighting childhood cancer.
“He couldn’t stop," Tom Klink said. "So, I can’t."
Klink is a cyclist in this year's trek riding with his team, Sam Says Sarcoma Sucks. Sam is Klink's son. He was diagnosed with a form of sarcoma when he was only 15-years-old. He's now 22-years-old, and after a number of surgeries, he's doing much better than ever before.
“[Cancer] affects everybody," Klink said. "It affects the kid, the most, but it also affects the parents, family, grandparents, [and] friends because it takes a village," he continued.
That village of supporters can also be found at the Trek 100 Ride for Hope. Each rider is obligated to raise at least $2 per mile for a cause MACC Fund co-founder and president, Jon McGlocklin, says directly impacts childhood cancer research.
“We let these people know [you're riding] to help us defeat childhood cancer," McGlocklin said.
Childhood cancer is the disease that almost cost Tom Klink's son, Sam, his life. That’s why Klink said this ride is so important to him and something he's committed to doing for years to come.
“He could be gone," Klink said. "Nobody wants to outlive their kid."
To date, the MACC Fund has raised nearly 14 million dollars as a result of the Trek 100 alone.
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