AJ Forms Denver Community Ride to Accelerate Breakthroughs

As a young professional, AJ Colaizzi turned to cycling to get more active while also enjoying the outdoors. He signed up for a bike ride in Colorado that covers 110 miles in 10,000 feet of elevation. As he began to train, AJ realized that “maybe I should try to fundraise for a cause and put some meaning behind the miles.” Cycling could become a way for AJ to honor loved ones who had passed away from glioblastoma. 

Years prior, as a high school student about to graduate, he received the devastating news that a close family friend, Pete, had been diagnosed with glioblastoma. Pete lived around the corner in AJ’s neighborhood with a son close in age to AJ, who he had befriended. Over the years, Pete became like a second father to AJ and even coached teams AJ and Pete’s son played on. Pete passed away a couple of years after receiving his diagnosis, creating a void in AJ’s life.

“After Pete’s diagnosis, a teammate of mine in college lost his father to glioblastoma,” AJ said. “I met my wife a couple of years ago and learned she also lost her father to glioblastoma.”

AJ’s wife, Kasey, was already connected with the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) through her family’s involvement with the Colorado Brain Tumor Walk & Run. She introduced AJ to NBTS, and he ultimately participated in the cycling event as a Gray Nation Endurance^®️ athlete.

“I rally behind the cause to ride for our family and friends who have lost their loved ones,” AJ shared. “You have moments in training or on the ride when you don’t want to keep moving forward and feel done. When I push through that, it’s a way to remember them and honor what they had to go through.”

AJ Establishes Denver Regional Ride

For 27 years, the Boston Brain Tumor Ride brought the brain tumor community together in Massachusetts, with cyclists riding up to 62 miles to fundraise for NBTS. 

The ongoing pandemic spurred the New England-based ride to expand in 2021, creating an opportunity for supporters around the country to ride a course of their choosing as part of the rebranded National Brain Tumor Ride.

With the event’s shift, AJ invited a small group of friends and families in the Denver area to join him for a 10-20 mile ride on the day of the 2021 event. 

“That small ride was the bigger push for us to start something formally in person and where we are ultimately trying to head with the Denver National Brain Tumor Ride,” AJ said. 

With the encouragement of NBTS, AJ formed the Denver National Brain Tumor Ride — a regional offshoot of the in-person ride in Massachusetts.

Nearly 30 riders biked around Denver as part of the 2022 ride, including 10 cyclists who completed a big climb with 66 miles in total and 4,000 feet in elevation. 

Today, AJ works collaboratively with NBTS as a volunteer to improve the Denver ride and increase its reach to the greater Denver cycling community.

“Bringing people together, seeing people smiling and thinking about the loved ones they lost is what really keeps me going,” AJ said. 

TAGGED WITH: brain tumor, glioblastoma, Event Participant, National Brain Tumor Ride, event fundraising

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