HUDSON VALLEY – Jason Pompey of Michigan lost his battle to cancer at age 42 on January 31 of this year and since he was an avid long-distance bike rider, it seemed only fitting for his widow, Erika, 43, to pick up his mantle and ride the 558 miles from Staten Island to Niagara Falls in the Empire State Ride.
To date, the 225 cyclists have raised over $1.4 million for the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo.
The bikers rolled into Yorktown Heights on Sunday night and headed north on Monday.
Erika Pompey’s motivation to complete the statewide ride is coming from her late husband.
“I have been wearing his wedding ring around my neck and even brought his ashes so I can put him in certain places that I think he would love,” she said.
The cyclists are pedaling through the Hudson Valley to Albany, Utica, Syracuse, Rochester and end at Niagara Falls on Saturday.
