Setting the wheels in motion again
Springfield woman trains for cross-country bike trek to support cancer research
Rena Odette of Springfield hadn’t ridden a bicycle in more than 20 years. But that didn’t stop her from applying for a spot on Bristol Myers Squibb’s cross-country cycling relay team called Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer. Odette began working at Bristol Myers Squibb a little more than a year ago as the director of U.S. cardiovascular and established brands communications.
Her roots, and her Jewish connections, are deeply local. She grew up in Springfield and was a member of Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael, where she celebrated her bat mitzvah, became president of its USY group, and celebrated her wedding.
“My mom and stepdad are active members of Agudath Israel in Caldwell, my mom is involved in Hadassah there, and my daughter was named there,” she added.
The annual Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer race began in 2014, when a group of BMS employees working in oncology in the United States wanted to do more for people impacted by cancer. The first race, a relay, saw 53 riders cycling across the United States; it’s now global. The race expanded to Europe in 2016, to Japan in 2021, and to Latin America in 2022, and riders now represent more than 30 countries. All volunteer their time to train, fundraise, and participate in the bike rides. Over the years, more than $16 million has been donated to advance cancer research worldwide.
The money Ms. Odette raises will go to the V Foundation for Cancer Research. Founded in 1993 by ESPN and the late Jim Valvano, the legendary North Carolina State University basketball coach and ESPN commentator, the V Foundation has funded more than $353 million in cancer research grants nationwide. There is an endowment to cover the V Foundation’s administrative expenses, so 100% of donations go to cancer research and programs.
Ms. Odette and her 11-member team, “Together 2 Topeka,” will ride from Denver to Topeka, Kansas, starting on September 18 and ending after three full days of riding. The team has raised more than $55,000 so far; its goal is $70,000.
“My Bristol Myers Squibb colleagues and I are relaying across country in nine segments,” she said. “I am riding the fifth segment of the cross-country relay. With my team and coach, I will be riding around 75 miles a day from September 18 through September 20, totaling around 225 miles.”
When Ms. Odette first heard about the annual Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer ride shortly after starting to work at Bristol Myers Squibb in Princeton, she knew she had to apply. As is true for many of the riders, her motivations are deeply personal.
“My life has been impacted by many close family members and friends who have battled cancer,” she said. “I pray for a future where nobody has to go through what my loved ones did and when people aren’t lost to this terrible disease. By participating in this ride and raising funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, an incredible organization funding potentially groundbreaking cancer research, I felt like I could do something to work toward that future I envision.”
While training for the race was far out of her comfort zone, Ms. Odette knew the challenge she would face didn’t come close to the challenges and struggles of those who have fought cancer. She is riding for three special people — her mom, her late father-in-law, and her close friend. All of their lives were affected by cancer.
“My mom, Nancy Ruderman, is my rock,” Ms. Odette said. “She raised me as a divorced mom, devoting her life to me. So when she was diagnosed with breast cancer a number of years back, it shook me. She underwent treatment, which took a lot out of her. But miraculously, due to early detection, treatment, and quick action, she came out on the other side.
“But she still experiences effects that impact her balance and movement, among other things.”
“My father-in-law, Warren Odette, was my husband Jordan’s hero. They had the same profession, tastes, sense of humor, and more. My father-in-law battled prostate cancer for over a decade as we watched his quality of life deteriorate.
“My daughter, Devin, was born during the pandemic, while his health was very frail. We had a trip planned to Florida, where he lived, around Devin’s first birthday, when things started to open up more, but he unfortunately passed away a few weeks before our planned trip. He never got to meet her, his only grandchild, in person.”
There is another cancer diagnosis that is inspiring Ms. Odette’s dedication. One of her best friends since college, Shari Astalos, was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, when she was 39. “Given my friend’s overall good health and young age, the news hit me hard,” she said. “She’s had to balance her treatment while caring for her two young children and maintaining a sense of normalcy through her discomfort.
“I also want to be a role model for my Devin, who is 3 now, and to show her that difficult goals are achievable with hard work and dedication.”
Last fall, Ms. Odette filled out an application for the bike race. She wrote about why she wanted to ride. She had to assure the organizers that she was committed to the physical training and time commitment the ride demanded. Early this year, she received an email saying that she was one of the 1,296 applicants selected to participate in the cross-country relay, and that she would be assigned to a team running one of its nine legs.
“I felt many emotions,” she said. “I was so excited and proud to have been selected to take on this challenge, but nerves and anxiety started to set in.
“Shortly after, I found out I would be on Team Together 2 Topeka, riding from Denver to Topeka with 11 other amazing teammates, who have since become like a little family. Each team was assigned a cycling coach, and before beginning to train, we participated in an all-day safety clinic to cover basic riding skills, how to stay safe when riding on the road, and other important details. The day was supposed to end with a 10-mile ride with my team.
“Having not been on a real bike in over 20 years, despite being a devoted indoor cycling class rider, I wasn’t imagining it would be too challenging, but fear and doubt took over. At the safety clinic, I was struggling with just getting my feet off the ground to get the bike going.”
Ms. Odette couldn’t cycle with her team at first; she had to relearn how to ride a bike. “A coach named Sean was so patient with me and talked me through different exercises for about two hours to get me pedaling, even running alongside me as I eventually got moving slowly and tentatively,” she said. “After that day I had serious doubts about how I’d ever complete the 200-plus miles when I was struggling to go a few hundred feet.”
Ms. Odette’s team coach, Karen Bliss, set the team’s training plan. She’s been very supportive, Ms. Odette said. “Karen talked me through all my training challenges, of which there have been many. In the first few weeks, my riding was limited to taking my bike to my high school parking lot and practicing starting, turning, braking, and stopping. Eventually I built my confidence enough to be able to start riding on the road.
“My stepdad, Marvin Ruderman, is an avid cyclist, and without complaint he jumped into the role of unofficial training partner. He has joined me for almost every training ride as I don’t feel comfortable riding alone on the road.
“I am so thankful to have him as a training partner.”
Ms. Odette has experienced doubts and setbacks as she’s trained, especially since it’s taken so much time away from Devin. “But the most important thing has been always to keep pushing through and keep pedaling, riding more miles each week,” she said. “I have been training since April, and despite this summer’s blistering heat, I rode 142 total miles, exceeding 60 miles in a single day. That’s by far my longest ride to date.
“I could have never imagined during that initial safety clinic that I could have achieved that.”
These are some of the things Ms. Odette has learned throughout this year of training:
“Accomplishing a goal is so much easier when you have people supporting you and riding with you.
“Don’t look up at the hills ahead of you. Just put your head down and conquer them, one pedal stroke and one mile at a time.
“There will be good days and bad days. The bad days make the accomplishments even sweeter, and if you didn’t have tough days, you might not be training hard enough.
“I’ve learned so much about fueling my body with adequate hydration and nutrition. This is still a work in progress and a process of trial and error, but this is one of the most important keys for success and feeling good out there.
“I also never lose sight of why I’m doing this and who I’m riding for, because it keeps me motivated and striving to complete the ride and keep fundraising.”
To donate to the V Foundation for Cancer Research and support Ms. Odette and her team, go to c2c4c.donordrive.com and type “Rena Odette” into the search bar.
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