From 'She' to Sea: Women bicycle 500 miles to raise money for cancer care in Memphis

Twenty women. Four states. Five hundred miles.

For cancer patients in the Mid-South in 2024, those numbers add up to an impressive sum: $122,000.

But according to the members of the She to Sea bicycle team, they also equal something incalculable — something that can't be quantified, because the equation isn't complete without words like "team" and "love."

"All of us have loved ones that either have cancer or have been affected by cancer, so we all do it to honor people in our lives," said Shelby Tucker, 30, a founding member of the She to Sea bicycle team. "A lot of the time, thinking of those people is where we're able to pull our strength from, spiritually and physically."

Launched as an all-woman counterpart to Ride 2 Rosemary, a men's bicycling team that makes an annual fundraising trek from Memphis to Rosemary Beach, Florida, She to Sea is a group of bicyclists that since 2022 has peddled each year from the parking lot of the West Cancer Clinic in Germantown to Seagrove Beach, Florida, a journey of about 500 miles that ends at the Gulf of Mexico with cheers, tired muscles and the satisfaction that accompanies the accomplishment of a challenging mission for a worthy cause.

She to Sea — the name is a bit of a tongue-twister as well as a pun — began with 10 bicycling enthusiasts. This year, 20 women — ranging in age from the late 20s to the mid-50s — made the five-day journey, passing through Tupelo and Tuscaloosa and Selma and Andalusia, Alabama, before reaching Seagrove Beach on March 20. The bicyclists aren't alone: They are accompanied by a small convoy of vehicles (mostly driven by friends and significant others), equipped with tools and other possible necessities.

The women are all regular riders, and they train intensely as the She to Sea peddling date approaches. In addition, they recruit sponsors, with the money going to support the programs of the nonprofit West Cancer Foundation (which is *not* affiliated with the West clinic). This year's presenting sponsor was Pinnacle Financial Partners, and the ride raised $122,000.

"This effort helps to build the women's cycling community," Tucker said. "It's really wonderful to break down the barriers of competition and comparison and just ride alongside each other and celebrate each other."

INSPIRING STORIES: How catching COVID saved Memphis East girls basketball star's life

Leighanne Hart Soden, president of the West Cancer Foundation, said such volunteer fundraising efforts as She to Sea and the upcoming Sept. 7 "West Fight On" event at Shelby Farms are crucial to assisting the foundation in its mission to provide free services and resources for cancer patients and people with cancer concerns.

For example, the foundation provides rides to and from healthcare facilities for people with cancer needs who don't have what Soden called "safe and reliable" transportation. In fact, since 2021, Soden said, "We have provided over 100,000 miles of rides to patients. That is four times around the Earth."

Or, roughly, 200 She to Sea treks to Florida.

For more information, visit shetosea.org and westcancerfoundation.org.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Women's cycling team raises funds for cancer care in Memphis