Man With One Lung Bikes 150 Miles

The Ride Was Part of "Bike for Hope Minnesota"

A group of 28 bikers made a 150 mile journey this weekend.

They started in White Bear Lake and ended in Duluth in a two-day trip.

It would be a physical challenge for anybody, but it’s got a special meaning for the man who started the ride three years ago all with a hope to change the stigma that only smokers get lung cancer.

As dozens of tires rolled in to Duluth Sunday it was a bittersweet feeling for many of these bikers.

“We’re riding in memory of several people we know personally that we’ve lost,” said Gary Brausen.

A good friend of Gary Brausen got the devastating diagnosis in 2011 and passed away.
Now, Gary rides for him, a miracle he thought never would be possible.

“If I had two lungs I would be in front,” said Brausen. “We were diagnosed the same month, his trajectory went one way. Mine went the other way.”

Brausen survived cancer after having one of his lungs surgically removed.

“We were prepared for the fact that he was going to die,” said close friend, Scott Murray. “It wasn’t a question of if, it was a question of when.”

Beating the odds, now biking 150 miles each year to Duluth is his way of healing.
“So many people that even if they walk away from lung cancer, they don’t get this opportunity,” said Brausen. “Lung cancer is everybody’s disease; we want a cure and better outcomes for patients. We want this eradicated.”

For more information the fundraising team or future events, click here.