Lisa Mayo bought her first road bike during the pandemic after her husband, who’d been an avid cyclist for nine years, insisted she would love it.
“I bought a bike because everything was closed,” Mayo says. “I couldn’t go to the gym, and I had to come up with some way to be active.”
Six months later she was in love with cycling — not only the sport itself, but the strong cycling community she discovered.
She was asked to join She to Sea, an annual women’s 500-mile charity bike ride over five days from Memphis to Seagrove Beach, Florida. The ride honors those affected by cancer and raises funds for West Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit that provides free cancer services to those in need and funds treatment research.
Mayo says she was shocked when asked to be a part of the team: “I was honored to be in the same company as those women and couldn’t believe I was going to be one of them.”
While exciting, the thought of riding 500 miles was also overwhelming. Mayo says her body went through several phases of exhaustion throughout the ride, but she was committed to pushing through. She thought of all the people West Cancer had helped, including her husband, who had previously battled cancer.
“I wanted to be a part of something that had helped my husband and our family,” Mayo says. “I truly didn’t know what was going to happen to me — that I would be in the same boat and that they’d soon be riding for me.”
When she reached mile 500, she pedaled up to the beach with tears in her eyes, full of exhilaration and pride.
“I always said it’s so much more than riding our bikes to the beach,” Mayo says. “There’s this strong sisterhood. The support that you get and the connections you make are just amazing.”
Mayo couldn’t wait to do it again, and the next year she was back for round two. But then in September 2024, Mayo was diagnosed with breast cancer. Cycling had to take a back seat as Mayo focused on her health.
“After having a good cry or two,” she says, “I knew it was time to begin the fight and get this behind me.”
Mayo was treated with chemotherapy, followed by radiation, and then a double mastectomy a month before the 2025 annual ride.
That year she could only see the team off from the starting line. She then made it her goal to build her body back up and to be ready for the next year. Mayo hired a coach and dedicated many hours to training.
“I had to build my body back up after it was at its absolute lowest,” Mayo says. “I knew what was involved, and I knew I would have to push past some new physical barriers.”
In March 2026, Mayo completed all 500 miles to the beach, with no fear, only determination.
“I did it all, even the parts that scared me before,” she says. “Breast cancer tried to take a lot of me, and it did, but I took it back.”
Mayo encourages women to get routine mammograms and do self-checks regularly.
“Don’t be afraid,” Mayo says. “Too many people think that a mammogram is scary, so they won’t go. Cancer is scary. A mammogram is not.”
Visit westcancerfoundation.org/she-to-sea/ to learn more about She to Sea, to donate, or to get involved. You can also follow She to Sea on Facebook at facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100066356905295 and learn about their monthly rides, which are open to anyone interested in joining the cause.
Photo by Josh Clark
