Sophomore psychology major Dale Zhou trains for a 4,400-mile bike ride for the 11th annual 4K for Cancer, set to be held this summer.

For sophomore psychology major Dale Zhou, the last miles can be some of the hardest on his weekly bike rides along the Potomac River.

Zhou spends his weekends riding outdoor bike trails, sometimes traveling more than 40 miles along the Anacostia Tributary Trail System, the Potomac River or Lake Artemesia. And he typically bikes 20 miles, four days a week, on a stationary bike in the Eppley Recreation Center.

While this schedule, in addition to taking 19 credits, might be intense for some, Zhou said it is all worth it. He is one of several students training for the 11th annual 4k for Cancer this summer, a 4,400-mile, cross-country ride from Baltimore to Portland, San Francisco or Seattle.

“It gets easier to push through it knowing I have hundreds of friends who are supporting me,” said Zhou, one of several university students currently training for the event.

Since 2002, teams of bikers aged 18 to 25 have participated in the ride, sponsored by the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults, to inspire others with their personal experiences and raise money to aid families struggling to afford treatment.

Biking across the country is no easy feat, however. Participants must raise a minimum of $4,500 each before departure and put themselves through grueling training regimens to ensure they can keep pace with the group, with typically averages between 70 and 100 miles per day.

“I feel like I will meet that minimum,” said Zhou, who has raised $2,156 to date. “But money is definitely one of the big challenges we’re all facing.”

Sophie Jin, a sophomore letters and sciences major, is participating for the first time as a member of Team Portland. She said asking for large sums of money was awkward even though it is for a good cause.

“I felt weird asking strangers, so I tried to start with my close, personal friends,” said Jin. “College students don’t have a lot of money, though, and now that I have less time to raise money, I have to branch out and try different approaches.”

The 4,000-plus-mile journey comes with other challenges as well. Many of the trip participants, while passionate about the cause, were not experienced bikers.

“What I thought was really scary was biking with cars,” Jin said. “It’s different than training on a stationary bike – the road is intimidating.”

However, Jin and Zhou said they are motivated to overcome the challenges. For both students, the cause is personal.

Jin’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer last fall, and while she successfully completed treatment, the ordeal was frightening and stressful.

“I can only imagine what it would be like for people who are not able to access the care and support they need,” said Jin. “This is important to me and this is what motivates me to stick to my training or refocus when I have doubts and fears.”

Cancer affected Zhou’s family as well. His aunt is fighting ovarian cancer and his father was orphaned at age 10 when complications from cancer killed his only living grandparent, Zhou’s grandfather.

“When tragedy strikes, we share and divide the burden,” said Zhou. “Behind my extreme action are amazing, generous people who support the cause – it’s not just my ride.”

Zhou and Jin said they have found no shortage of support in their cause. As leg leaders for the trip, they were responsible for organizing food and shelter along the trip route for their team and they were surprised by how few people turned down their requests for assistance.

“It was pretty amazing how welcoming people were when I called them,” added Jin. “Both hosts who were welcoming us back and saying how much they loved us and new hosts were really receptive.”

Zhou said he calls schools and churches he finds on Google to find places for his team to stay.

“From big cities to small towns of a few hundred people, people are just overwhelmingly generous,” he said.

blasey@umdbk.com