Bob Wheeler describes himself as a small-town boy from upstate New York in dairy country.  He started working his way westward when he attended college in Rochester and Buffalo before landing in the Midwest when he began working in the RV industry 23 years ago. He, his wife, Kelly, and their three boys, moved to Ohio in 2002 when he joined Airstream.  They started out in Western Ohio and have been in the Columbus area for about three years.

In addition to being a  dedicated member of the Pelotonia community, Bob has helped create a new collaboration between Pelotonia, Airstream and Haydocy Airstream that is available to some of our High Rollers. To learn more about about this partnership, click here.

Why did you decide to be a part of the Pelotonia community? I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in the winter of 2014.  As I was approaching the end of 12 rounds of chemo in the spring of 2015 I really needed a goal to focus on to help shake off the effects of treatment, start to put it behind me, and to help give back to the James where I had received such excellent care.  I had never been a biker, and the 100 mile ride seemed like a solid stretch goal to shoot for.  And I was lucky to join a great Pelotonia team (go Cancer Crushers!), full of wonderful people who taught me a lot about riding and training for the big event.

What was your first experience with Pelotonia like? Any specific stories that stand out?  People talk about the experience, but there is no good way to describe the amazing positive energy before, during, and after the ride.  So many people, many survivors, many not, all dedicated to a common cause, giving their time and tons of effort in the selfless support of something greater.  It was and is totally inspiring.  And my day got off to a great start: as my wife was dropping us off downtown at 6am, I turned around and there was my #1 chemo nurse Bridgette just arriving to volunteer.  Big hugs to a great caregiver who made my treatments a lot better.

What would you tell someone who is nervous about fundraising and thinks they can’t do it? Tell your story!  Relate your personal experience with cancer (sadly nearly everyone has one).  Talk about your motivations and emotions.  Talk about what the James is doing, and that their research will benefit everyone, not just those in central Ohio.  There are plenty of good tools and examples of this on the Pelotonia website.

Why is Pelotonia important to you? Cancer makes you feel so powerless, and supporting the cause was a way for me to take that power back.  And I feel so lucky to live in a city with a world-class treatment and research hospital, something I used to take for granted.  And I take great comfort in knowing that the money raised is so well spent.

 What’s your favorite post-ride meal? Whatever I can get my hands on first.  Usually the kids’ leftovers.

What is one of your favorite perks of being a High Roller? I had the chance to attend one of the grant review meetings, and I was impressed with how stringent the screening process is.  If the research study is not designed well, or if it doesn’t advance the science significantly enough, or if similar research has already been done, it doesn’t get funded.  I was left with the clear impression that the Pelotonia fund money was in good hands.