My Edmond Outlook: Luke Neafus
Name: Luke Neafus, 13 years old
Cyclist and Charity Champion
You’ve been cycling for a few years now. How’d you get started?
My mom had knee surgery and I started riding with her for fun. It was
then I discovered how much I loved it. I asked to quit baseball and focus
only on cycling. My mom started searching around for a juniors team
and was contacted by my coach Rob Green with Team Rad Racing out
of Norman, OK. I was too young to race with them in 2009 so I spent a
year just getting use to my bike and moving into clipless pedals.
Are you involved in competitive racing?
Yes, that is my primary focus. I am a three time Oklahoma State
Champion. I won the 2011 State Time Trial Championship and in
2010 I won both the State Time Trial Championship and the State
Criterium Championship. I have raced in over 22 competitive
races and have not placed out of the top 10 in any of them.
What do you do to train?
I spend anywhere from 6.5 to 8 hours a week training. I do interval
and hill training, and workout on an indoor trainer. My coaches give
me a plan for the week depending on upcoming races.
Do you have any heroes in the biking world?
I have several: Lance Armstrong (cancer survivor & 7x TdF winner),
Fabian Cancellara (great time trialist), George Hincapie (great leader),
Levi Leipheimer (great American cyclist-just won Tour de Suisse),
What made you decide to bike for charity?
I lost my Poppy to prostate cancer in 2007 and I wanted to do my part
to put a stop to cancer. I have been raising money for LIVESTRONG
since last year, and have raised $3,316 to date. My goal initially was
to raise $5,000, but now my goal is to raise $10,000 by September 23.
Why $10,000?
I’m racing in the LIVESTRONG Challenge in Austin, October 15th & 16th
and those who raise $10,000 get a private ride with Lance Armstrong.
A friend of mine has put together a fundraising barbecue in Tulsa on
September 23 with celebrity chef Biju Thomas to honor a friend who
recently passed from pancreatic cancer. We’re selling raffle tickets and
giving away some amazing prizes like an autographed OU jersey signed
by Adrian Peterson, Roy Williams, Mark Clayton and Tommie Harris.
How can people get involved?
To purchase raffle tickets people can email me at bluey19@cox.net or
make donations through my blog www.lukeisthebikeman.blogspot.com
or at http://austin2011.livestrong.org/lukeisthebikeman.
