Iris Klein, the woman who decided to bicycle Route 66 to raise money for a breast cancer research fund, reached the end of the road Tuesday at the Santa Monica Pier, according to the Santa Monica Mirror.
Klein, who is German, set up BIKE4THECURE because she lost a close personal friend to breast cancer in 2009. Soon after her loss she became aware October was breast cancer awareness month while on a visit to the United States.
Klein told the Mirror she chose to ride up to 100 miles per day for 44 days on Route 66 because Route 66 “stands for dreams and missions and doing this project was my mission.” Her street address in her hometown, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany is also 66 and her friend who died from breast cancer lived near Route 66 in Illinois. She also liked the fact that Route 66 has “a lot of history and is well known by people.” Klein’s goal was to raise $10,000, but at the time of the Mirror’s interview she was unsure about how much money had been raised. The money is being donated to the Susan G. Komen For The Cure organization. […]
Klein ended her interview with the Mirror by stating “if I have the money I would do this again in a heartbeat.”
Here’s a video diary of that final day. Klein gets emotional when she realizes the journey is near its end:
She’s from Germany? I hope she leaves some of her “INTEGRITY” here in the USA. God bless her.
Ross Bunch