Hey there!

I'm Dhruva Mateti, a junior neuroscience major at the University of Texas at Austin, and I'm here with Texas 4000 for Cancer, the world's longest annual charity bike ride. 

A few common questions:

Q: What is Texas 4000 for Cancer?
A: We're a student-led bike ride, completing an annual 4,000 mile ride from the traffic-congested highways of Austin, Texas, to the subarctic wilderness of Anchorage, Alaska. Along the way, we spread hope, knowledge, and charity to communities affected by cancer, as well as helping mobilize those ready to fight on behalf of them. We spend the year before training for the ride and the conversations that come with it.

Q: Why should I donate instead of buying myself coffee?
A: Nearly half of us will face cancer in our lifetime. That's not a statistic, that's a family member, friend, or neighbor that we've seen go through it. In fact, seeing my dad fight cancer as a kid is why I even do this to begin with. Cancer awareness and research is for all of us.

Q: Are you actually prepared to bike that far?
A: After my attempt at a 30 mile ride last week, I'd be lying if I said I was. But as with anything in life, things tend to work themselves out, and hopefully the next year of training will change that :)

Q: What happens if you quit halfway?
A: According to my calculations, that puts me somewhere in rural Montana. Well, that wouldn't be very good now would it?

Q: How much should I donate?
A: It's about the principle of it, not the amount. You can donate a dollar, a hundred, or a thousand. But the fact of the matter is that any and every contribution you make goes directly towards funding Texas 4000's mission of spreading hope, knowledge, and charity anywhere and everywhere we go with the mission of working towards a cancer-free future.

Thanks for reading! Let's work together to end the vicious grip that cancer has taken ahold on millions of our fellow humans. 

To Anchorage and back,
Dhruva Mateti