Youth to cycle across US for cancer awareness

A city-based youth, Shubham Butra, is part of this year’s Illini 4000, an American non-profit which conducts annual cross-country bike rides to raise funds for cancer research.

A student of St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, Butra is presently pursuing a degree in Actuarial Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. “This summer, I will be riding my bicycle from New York City to San Francisco for a distance of around 4,600 miles over 71 days as part of the Illini 4000-2016 Trek Bike America team for the organisation Illini 4000. I take a lot of pride in representing this organisation as I believe that cancer affects everybody. Regardless of the outcome, a cancer diagnosis is a nightmare that affects everyone directly or indirectly. Giving a voice to the people affected by cancer is something I am really looking forward to do as part of this organisation,” he said.

Illini 4000 has been working towards documenting the American cancer experience and is also involved in raising funds for cancer research and patient support services. As part of these efforts, the organisation spreads awareness about the fight against cancer through annual cross-country bike rides. “Every year, a team of 20-25 riders is selected after a round of interviews. The team selected is also required to go through a vigorous training routine for about nine months to prepare for the journey,” Butra said.