Kids Ride for a Reason

Trike & Bike, benefiting VeloSano, is a series of youth bike rides held throughout the summer and fall that provides opportunities for young people to give back while having fun. All the money raised directly supports much-needed pediatric cancer research at Cleveland Clinic Children’s. 

Trike & Bike was inspired by “Kids Ride to Fight Cancer,” a children’s ride in Hudson, Ohio, that local philanthropist Michael Coburn started in 2017. This ride around his neighborhood helped pave the way for the entire Trike & Bike program the next year. A father of three himself, Michael knows that children are capable of engaging in this type of generosity. 

“I think getting young people started in philanthropy early is just a great pillar of their character,” says Michael. “We’ve seen lemonade stands around the neighborhood specifically raising money for Trike & Bike. We’ve seen kids doing bake sales. Someone grew herbs and sold them this year. That just kind of warms your heart when you see that.” 

Turning Adversity into Purpose 

Michael’s passion for charitable giving started long ago, but it turned personal when his dad and his wife were diagnosed with cancer around the same timeyears ago. His father has since passed, but his wife, Heidi, is living with neuroendocrine cancer and rides every year in VeloSano Bike to Cure, the flagship event that raises funds to support cancer research at Cleveland Clinic.  “I always say that I don’t like the reason I ever got involved with cancer fundraising,” says Michael, “but you meet some of the greatest people with the most amazing stories.” 

A Well-Oiled Machine 

His club team, Hudson Velo powered by TransDigm, organizes the Trike & Bike ride in Hudson and also plays a huge part in Bike to Cure each year. Since 2018, the Hudson ride has raised nearly $94,000 for Cleveland Clinic Children’s. Hudson Velo has been with VeloSano from the start and has raised more than $650,000 since 2014.  “The best weekend of my life is VeloSano Bike to Cure,” says Michael. “It’s the spirit of the people and the energy. Trike & Bike is just an extension of that. We are always thinking about how we can do more and how can we keep pushing to raise money because there are still a lot of kids and people getting cancer. This helps them fight back.”