On June 15, 2024, 84 riders rolled out of Big Barn Brewery in Mead, Washington, for the first Climb for the Cure. None of us knew whether a gravel race built around our family's loss would draw a crowd. It did.

Riders climbed the gravel roads of Spokane County toward Mt. Spokane, then came back to Big Barn for food, drinks and awards. Registrations alone raised $12,362 for The Wendy Fund in year one, with sponsors and donors adding more on top.

We started Climb for the Cure in honor of Wendy Ramsey, who was lost far too early to Richter's Syndrome, a rare and aggressive transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. A hard day on the bike felt like the right way to remember someone who fought something far harder, and to fund the research that could change the outcome for the next family.

The first year proved the idea: people in the Spokane area would show up, suffer up a mountain and fund cancer research doing it. We started planning 2025 before the last bike left the corral.

Photos from the 2024 race are on the Climb for the Cure website.

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