Coach charlie LIvermore on Mobility The Empire State Ride is lucky to have the support of professional cycling coach Charlie Livermore as an advisor and friend. Charlie is not only a coach at Carmichael Training Systems, but also serves as a training consultant on our adventure across New York State. He offers his expertise and tips to all ESR riders and joins us on the road each July to ride 500+ miles.   All blogs by Charlie Are narrow bike tires really better? This is a question that comes up a lot from ESR participants and it’s a good one. The answer is wider is better f ..read more

Fred's Why for Riding There are moments in life when you look back and realize how all your life experiences connect — whether it’s destiny, divinity or mere coincidence. First-time Empire State Rider Fred McKenna reflects on this idea as he sits down at his computer in his home office in Oakdale, NY. Donning black-rimmed glasses and a blue-and-white polo, he shares his why for participating in Empire State Ride and fundraising for cancer research — something Fred says is akin to common sense. “It’s just the right thing to do if you have the means and the opportunity, and you can do it,” Fr ..read more

Each year, Excelsior riders who raised $20,000 or more fund one unique project approved by the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) for its high potential. Here’s a look at the most recent SAC grant designation.  Fueling Triple Negative Breast Cancer Research At Roswell Park, our researchers are constantly asking the next question and working toward new discoveries. Many times, those groundbreaking findings begin with a simple question or a small data set. Major national funding for cancer research doesn’t come into play until a scientist can prove they have a solid foundation an ..read more

Empire State Ride has grown immensely over the last decade. Here’s a look at the event’s early years.  2015 → 2023 If you’ve hit the road with us before or follow Empire State Ride (ESR) on social media, you’ve likely heard about ESR Founder Terry Bourgeois’s first solo ride across New York State. In 2014, Terry set out to test his vision of a cross-state cancer fundraiser that started in New York City and ended in Niagara Falls. But what about the first official Empire State Ride back in 2015 or the second ride in 2016? How did those rides differ from the ESR we know and love? Empi ..read more

2024 marks a milestone in Empire State Ride history: the historic 10th anniversary ride. To mark the occasion, ESR Pro-Level Cycling Coach Charlie Livermore put together a list of his 10 favorite things that he loves about Empire State Ride (ESR). Check it out! 1. The week. I love that this is a weeklong event. It’s hard to describe in words why this is such an amazing week in my life every year, but I can tell you that at the end of seven days, I’m always wishing for seven more. 2. The opportunity to teach and help. I love teaching and helping participants find ways to make the challe ..read more

On Empire State Ride, you’re never alone in the mission to end cancer. That feeling is amplified when you ride with a team. The Long Island Rough Riders have consistently been one of the top fundraising teams at Empire State Ride (ESR). Still, members say they’re defined not solely by the dollars they raise but also by the family they’ve created. “All skill levels are welcome. It’s not a race. We all finish together. We ride together. We look out for each other,” said Steve Mars, co-chair of ESR and longtime member of the Long Island Rough Riders. Fellow rider Steve Wasserman added, “This gr ..read more

Empire State Ride Reflects on 10 Years of SurVaxM on the Event's 10th Anniversary In 10 short years, donor support helped bring a homegrown cancer-fighting discovery to the national stage in the form of a clinical trial. SurVaxM, a therapeutic cancer vaccine developed at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, has the potential to drastically extend the lives of patients living with brain cancer. You and your donors are part of that. SurVaxM was created in a lab at Roswell Park by Robert Fenstermaker, MD, Chair of Neurosurgery and Michael Ciesielski, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neur ..read more

When you sign up for Empire State Ride, you’re committing to raising critical funds for lifesaving cancer research. You can learn our tips and tools to kickstart your fundraising, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box! Get creative with your interests and talents and let this part of the journey be just as fun and fulfilling as your adventure on the road. Curious about what’s working for road warriors? Check it out!  Melissa Melissa relies on data as a talking point while fundraising. “The thing that impresses me most is for every dollar that’s donated, it’s $23 worth of rese ..read more

Meet the Regulators "Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." - Disney’s Lilo and Stitch, 2002 Each Empire State Ride road warrior who tackles the adventure in July hopes to glean something different from riding their bike 500+ miles across New York State. For those on Team Regulators, it comes down to raising funds for cancer research and having fun while doing it. “We’re just a band of misfits,” said Josh Lundquist, a founding member of the Regulators. “We’re all the non-super-serious cyclists who go to have a good time. We goof around; we pick on eac ..read more

Fundraising $3,500 is a challenge, but when armed with the right tools and attitude, it’s easier than you think. Social media can be a great way to spread the word about your efforts, and integrating your online fundraising dashboard with your personal Facebook page can be extremely effective. Read more about that here.   When it comes to using Instagram, however, fundraising gets more complicated. Here’s what you need to know.  Donations from Instagram don't display on your dashboard Facebook recently made it much easier to share your Facebook fundraiser on Instagram ..read more