Sweat for a Cure - YYC X Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we are so honored to highlight our long-time Bikergang, Christine Lang’s story to help spread awareness and raise money for the Alberta Cancer Foundation. Christine has been a beloved part of Bikergang in YYC since December of 2015 and inspires and uplifts so many people within our community! We are thankful to get to share her story.
We are so excited to announce that this upcoming Sunday, October 24th, at 2pm, we will be holding a Charity Ride in YYC in partnership with Christine, and will be donating all proceeds to the Alberta Cancer Foundation directly towards Breast Cancer Research and patient support!
Bookings for this ride in both YEG and YYC are now open and we look forward to pumping and dipping with you for an amazing cause. Don’t forget to wear pink!
Christine’s Story:
“I started spinning Christmas 2015 after purchasing an introduction pass. I was hooked – I loved spinning and before long I was spinning 5-6 times a week. One of the spin instructors called it a “bad ass sweaty mediation” and that was absolutely what it was for me: 50 minutes of shutting my brain off and feeling how strong my body was getting was the best part of my day.
Fast forward to October of 2016, I was in the best shape of my life and was suddenly diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a very rare and aggressive non hereditary strain. I was shocked and terrified. With my surgical oncologist's support, I decided to have radical surgery and thought I would be back to work within 8 weeks. While the surgery was successful, they suggested chemotherapy because the form of cancer I had was very aggressive. I was again terrified.
I started chemotherapy on Valentine's Day 2017 and that was the beginning of a year-long intense and painful process.
The one constant for me was spin. I was back on the bike about 3 weeks after my first surgery and every 2ish weeks during chemotherapy. Being in that spin room with so much support from the YYC team and shutting off my brain for 50 minutes was a key component of my recovery. I am convinced that working out, no matter how moderately, had a significant impact on the severity of my side effects and how quickly I recovered. While I wasn’t able to participate the way I used to, I loved focusing on my breath, singing to the music, and sometimes crying in the heavy hard tracks. It was so cathartic and was absolutely my sweaty badass meditation!
I am forever grateful to everyone at YYC who helped me get through the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with.”
We want to say a huge thank you to Christine for allowing us to be a part of her story and for her love and light that she shares with us every single time she walks into our studios. We are so thankful that we were a part of her recovery journey and are so inspired by her, each and every day.
Our YYC Charity Ride will be held Sunday, October 24th, at 2pm at our West Springs studio with Motivator Andrew Obrecht.
Bookings for the rides in both cities are open now! Click here to book in to grab your spot, get all decked out in pink, and we’ll see you there, Bikergang!