3781 article

http://chieftain.com/news/local/article_98e87424-8b3d-11df-9596-001cc4c002e0.html

Click to view an article the Pueblo newspaper ran on the ride...

Three years ago, Kevin Johnson borrowed his older brother's bicycle to try cross-training cycling.

"I hopped on it, got a flat tire and said I'd never do this again. Now look at me," the 25-year-old Californian said Thursday in Pueblo, resting during his cross-country journey to raise breast cancer awareness.

Johnson's cycling concerns are long behind.

In early June he sat out on a tour to help raise at least $10,000 to find a cure for breast cancer. His journey is called 3,781 Miles for a Cure, which stands for the distance he'll travel to help the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Beginning at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Johnson should finish his trip in about a month at the Victory Tower in Yorktown, Va.

A 2008 graduate of Adams State College in Alamosa where he played basketball and majored in business marketing, Johnson, like many, has witnessed the cancer do its worst.

It took the life of his mother, Rosemary, when he was 14.

His aunt, Mo Polland, fought the cancer twice and his best friend's mother, Jackie Laskey — "She's like my second mom" — is a survivor.

"It's never-ending," Johnson said of the disease. "Before the bike ride I had this vision. I wanted to get 100 names (of breast cancer victims/survivors) to put on the back of this jersey. I got the names in three hours."

Speaking from outside of Vance's Bicycle World, 2200 S. Prairie Ave., where his bike was getting a tuneup, Johnson showed off his pink-and-white jersey with the names.

"It's not just me; everyone's battling the same thing together," he said, pointing to the names on his back.

Johnson, who rode over Monarch Pass on Wednesday, will rest in Pueblo for three days. Then it's off to Kansas and eventually Yorktown.

The middle of three children and the son of a retired truck driver, Johnson said his journey has thus far been rewarding and challenging.

The first day was rough. His equipment bags fell and a tire went flat, but Johnson said he managed to fix both and kept riding.

"Thank God for duct tape," he said.

He's seen beautiful countryside, met new people and rode challenging roadways.

Johnson never forgets the names on his back.

"You look at the jersey and the pain these people have gone through and my pain's only temporary. If I'm feeling pain or sluggish, I just think about all that they've been through."

Johnson has a website — www.3781miles.org — where he blogs and writes trip updates. Information about cancer and how to donate to Johnson's cause can also be found on the site.