SHAWNEE, KS (KCTV) -
About a dozen bike riders are on a journey from Colorado Springs, CO, to St. Louis, MO, to raise money for cancer.
Shawnee was one of 13 cities in three states to participate in the Tour de Ted, a tribute to Ted Jones who died more than 20 years ago from cancer. Jones was instrumental in opening Edward Jones' first financial services branch office.
The goal of Tour de Ted is to raise $500,000, and organizers raised $20,000 Sunday in Kansas City.
"It is a good opportunity to make a statement that we were committed to the fight against cancer," Kansas City ride coordinator Keith Winterhalter said.
Most of the start-to-finish riders work with Edward Jones. The route traces the path of a telegraph wire that stretched from Colorado to St. Louis in the early days of the firm that was established in 1922.
"I would bet if (Ted was) with us today and was afflicted with the same cancer, he would still be with us, based on the advances in cancer research," cancer survivor and rider Penny Pennington said.
Pennington is riding all 14 days of the Tour de Ted.
"It would be nice to think we would have a world without cancer, so my girls and their children don't have to deal with it," Pennington said.
More than 100 bikers joined the tour for Sunday's ride around Shawnee.
"We have just had great response across the board. We are raising tens of thousands of dollars for cancer research," Winterhalter said.
Almost every rider had a reason for being in charity ride.
"My wife and daughter-in-law are both cancer survivors. I wanted to ride with them. We wanted to raise some money to help people get their treatments and get rid of that 'C' word," rider Dan Timm said.
All the money raised in Kansas City is going to American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.
Click here for more information on Tour de Ted.
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