Hundreds of bicyclists will be riding around the Iowa Mennonite School area this Saturday for the 14th annual Courage Ride.

Honoring the life of Seth Bailey, Courage Ride is dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by sarcoma. In the last 14 years over $650,000 has been raised for the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. Courage Ride Executive Director Leora Houghton explains how the funds are used, “We provide 85% of the funding for seed grants at Iowa. And the seed grants are what are used to apply for national grants for sarcoma so it’s huge everything that starts right here we’re 85% funding of that.”

This year’s Courage Ride patient honoree is Minde Strief of Sac City. Houghton explains the importance of holding this fundraiser, “Sarcoma is a little known cancer, if you will, but it’s a soft tissue cancer. So it can appear in your jaw, in your brain, in your bone. I mean it affects a lot of people and a lot of people differently and we need more research. So while it seems like a more unusual cancer, a little bit more rare cancer, almost all of us know someone who’s had sarcoma cancer and these people need the same treatment, the same care, the same emphasis, as some of the other cancers that get more attention.”

Bicyclists are invited to ride one of a variety of routes from 12 to 100 miles that all start and end at IMS with rest stops and entertainment throughout the day. Non-riders are also welcome to attend and enjoy the music and food all day long. University of Iowa Dermatologists will be giving free skin cancer screenings from 8-11 a.m. for all ages in the IMS music room. To register for Courage Ride click here.