Ainsley Buholz uses cycling hobby to raise money for young cancer patients
When Ainsley Buholz joined the Great Cycle Challenge USA in 2020, she was looking for an outlet from boredom brought on by the pandemic lockdown.
However, what started as a way to pass time, became a mission to connect to a cause bigger than herself.
With the Northaven Trail near her home, cycling became one of the few ways Ainsley could spend time outdoors during the COVID-19 outbreak. And when her mom, Stephanie, showed her a flyer for the Challenge, the young cyclist discovered how her pastime could raise money to to support the fight against childhood cancer.
“Because of COVID, that was our outlet,” Stephanie said. “You could go on the trail and not have to wear a mask and still feel safe and exercise.”
Ainsley’s first ride for the Great Cyle Challenge was a modest six miles. But soon after, at age 9, she told her mom that her goal was to ride 100 miles in a year.
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Stephanie admitted she wasn’t sure what to expect.
“A hundred miles for a 9-year-old felt like a lot,” she said. Still, the mom supported the goal, confident that the journey would be empowering for her daughter.
Ainsley met her goal and kept riding until high school, when she took a pause to adjust to a busy schedule as a freshman at The Hockaday School.
She returned the next fall, recalling that the athletic challenge and the mission behind it pulled her back in.
Though she doesn’t personally know anyone affected by childhood cancer, Ainsley remains deeply connected to the cause.
“I’m a kid myself … and the kids that do have cancer, they’re not able to ride their bike,” she said. “I can use my body in a way that helps them be able to use their body.”
Her commitment has inspired others to join the challenge. In 2023, she and three school friends rode a collective 204 miles and raised more than $3,500.
For Ainsley, a 17-mile ride to White Rock Lake with her dad — the farthest she’d ever gone — stands out.
“Him getting to push me to go my absolute furthest with him was just really special,” she said.
Over the years, to meet her goals, Ainsley’s fundraising has spanned lemonade stands and homemade cupcake deliveries. To date, the cyclist has raised $5,000.
“I’m just proud of myself because it’s just insane that I can raise that amount of money for other people through something that I do myself,” she said.
Ainsley’s journey hasn’t gone unnoticed. After the Buholz family uploaded a photo of her holding her bike, the Great Cycle Challenge USA organization reached out with a request to use the image that later appeared on national posters.
Through her five years of riding, Ainsley has stayed committed to the cause.
Her advice to anyone feeling inspired to help others doesn’t apply to cycling only.
“Just set a goal that you think you can accomplish,” she said, “but go a little further.”
