"It didn't go as smoothly as planned — at all."
Thomas Drayton was staging for a 465-mile "border to border" ride beginning Sept. 12 to raise awareness about the benefits of regular physical exams. Had he had them he might not have been diagnosed with a rare form of thyroid cancer last September that's untreatable.
Sadly, Drayton needed urgent surgery to remove his gallbladder Sept. 4 after two days in the emergency room brought on by gallstones. He suspects one of his cancer-related medications caused the new health challenge.
Drayton had intended to leave Grand Portage on day one of his five-day ride to New Albin, Iowa.
"Unfortunately it didn't come to fruition," he said this week.
After recuperating from surgery, Drayton tried to salvage his adventure Sept. 28 – "to make up for the big ride," he said — with a plan to roll about 100 miles a day over several days, looping on the paved paths of Elm Creek Park Reserve. Even that was cut short. He managed 88 miles before a technical issue with a pedal produced knee pain.
Drayton said he has brighter hopes for 2022 and beyond. Maybe a one- or two-day event that would include participants, and maybe fulfilling a dream of riding across every state.
Still, he managed to raise nearly $5,000 through a GoFundMe for Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association.