Peter Chiu ’03 , a cyclist at Andover and now a student and cyclist at Yale University, is organizing a charity bike ride to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Chiu expects to ride more than 500 miles non-stop from Hanover, NH to Washington, DC this summer to benefit the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The Foundation works to “promote the optimal physical, psychological, social recovery, and care of cancer survivors and their loved ones.” Chiu hopes to bring awareness to those who have lived through cancer. “I want to raise awareness about cancer survivorship, because it seems to be a part of cancer that is neglected,” Chiu wrote in an e-mail interview with The Phillipian. “The cure is important, but people have to live beyond cancer, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation helps people with that.” He hopes people will learn of his ride and make donations to the foundation. Chiu’s inspiration came from reading about Lance Armstrong’s successful battle with cancer and his ability to recover and prepare for the Tour de France. Armstrong, who won the Tour de France a record 5 times, wrote a book several years ago about his battle with testicular cancer. “Since Lance is all about cycling, and the foundation is about enduring cancer, I decided to put the two together and make my charity event a feat of endurance cycling,” Chiu wrote. Chiu will be supported on his ride by four Andover friends, Rashid Galadanci, Piotr Brzezinski, Peter Stetson, and Terry Lang, all members of Andover ’03.“They will provide encouragement, hand off food and drink, navigate, keep me awake, and make sure that cars don’t run me off the road.” Racing on his Specialized LLA Alez Pro bike, Chiu is prepared to test his physical ability. After loading up on carbohydrate-rich foods like pasta, power bars, and fruit, Chiu plans to keep his glycogen stores up for up to 36 hours. Chiu’s cycling interest began here at Phillips Academy. He decided to join the Andover cycling team his senior year, having previously been a long jumper. “My cycling career started inauspiciously. I couldn’t keep up when the roads got steep, and I didn’t’ have enough stamina to hold a very fast pace when the roads were flat,” he said. Despite his early struggle, Chiu was persistent with the sport, determined to achieve his future goal of competing in an Ironman triathlon. Chiu’s resolve paid off; not only was cycling his strongest leg in the triathlon, he discovered his passion for cycling. Chiu first became interested in charity events when he learned about The Breast Cancer 3 Day, a 60-mile long walk in three days to bring awareness to breast cancer survivors. “ I decided to apply the same principle to something I did have a connection to, such as the Lance Armstrong Foundation.”
