CARMEL, Ind. — Every time Kyle Vannoni hopes on his bicycle, he thinks about his mom.
“I lost my mom Peggy when I was just 12 years old,” Kyle explained.
Peggy died from breast cancer. She was only 47.
“I miss her every single day,” Kyle said. “July 20th was her birthday. She would have been 72 years old. So every single day is a grind, but I’ll never give up."
Not even when he hits a rough patch or even a steep hill while he’s riding.
“Especially when I’m starting to get a little cramp. You just shrug that off and keep going,” said Kyle, whose journey led him to start Tour de Komen four years ago.
It’s a 100-mile bike race from Fishers to Terre Haute where he grew up. In 2019, former Pacers star Reggie Miller joined the race.
So far, Tour de Komen has raised a quarter of a million dollars, all of it going to Susan G. Komen Central Indiana.
“This helps breast health services locally, helps national research, helps people with treatment plans and early detection is key, so get your mammogram,” Kyle advised.
This year, he hopes to have 100 cyclists join him in the race which is on Saturday, Sept.25. Registration closes Aug. 20.
“You don’t beat breast cancer by yourself. You beat it with your family, your friends and most importantly, your community,” Kyle explained, saying he’ll be thinking of his mom with each mile he rides.
“She’d probably say it’s pretty wild how I’m able to galvanize a community, not only in her honor, but continue to fight all these years later,” he said.
Kyle’s not just doing this for his mom, but for the baby grandson Giovanni she never got the chance to meet.
“My goal is to make sure he never has to lose his mom to breast cancer,” Kyle said. “So I’m here to fulfill that promise."