On April 10, 2025, Boulder Community Health (BCH) renamed its Center for Integrative Care to the B Strong Center for Integrative Care (BSCIC). This new name honors the B Strong Ride, a volunteer-led, multiyear effort, which has led to more than $1.6 million in funding granted to BCH.

The funds generated by the B Strong Ride have played a crucial role in providing complementary therapies like acupuncture, massage therapy, Reiki, and Healing Touch for cancer patients. These services help to alleviate the challenging side effects of cancer treatment, such as pain, nausea and difficulty sleeping, improving the overall quality of life for those undergoing cancer care.

“B Strong Ride has been a vital force in supporting the Center for Integrative Care, helping us provide compassionate, whole-person care to thousands,” shares Grant Besser, President of the BCH Foundation. The dedication of the B Strong Ride organizers, riders, sponsors and volunteers has made a lasting impact, ensuring cancer patients have access to integrative therapies that enhance healing and quality of life. Renaming our center honors this legacy, ensuring their commitment to healing and hope continues to inspire patients for years to come.”

A Holistic Approach to Cancer Treatment

The B Strong Center for Integrative Care offers services that help cancer patients cope with the stress and challenges of treatment. Cindy McLellan, the center's manager, explained, “Patients who come to see us are in various stages of cancer treatment, from just being diagnosed to having advanced treatment. It’s a vulnerable patient group because of the stress that’s happening in their lives. Services like massage and Reiki are a way they can find some escape.”

Clarissa King is a lymphoma survivor who took advantage of integrative care services at BCH while receiving chemotherapy. “It was a very special environment with therapists who knew how to work with cancer patients,” Clarissa recalls. “It felt like a community that was supporting the traditional medical care I was getting. I know friends from around the country who did not have the opportunity to have integrative care as part of their treatment. It’s really special that we have that.”

These services are available to anyone in the community with a newer cancer diagnosis, further extending BCH’s commitment to supporting all cancer patients. Nanna Bo Christensen, BCH’s Breast Cancer Navigator, emphasized, “It’s a community service available to anyone with a newer cancer diagnosis.”

The Story Behind the B Strong Ride

The motivation for creating the B Strong Ride came from a passionate cyclist who had battled his own cancer into remission. In September of 2009, Kevin Mulshine and a small group of the physicians who had treated him recognized his achievement by setting out on a 34-mile ride from the bottom of Left Hand Canyon to Ward and back.

Near the top of their route, the grade steepened brutally. When Kevin faltered, two of his doctors rode beside him, literally pushing him up the final ascent.

As Kevin’s strength steadily returned over time, he and BCH radiologist Roger Nichols, M.D. celebrated his progress by repeating that taxing ride. On their third ride, they recognized that Kevin’s survival was a mandate to do something to give back to others, Nichols recalled. They decided to create a ride celebrating cancer survivorship.

Nichols and Mulshine reached out to friends and contacts in the Boulder cycling community and eventually connected with Paul Balaguer, a very experienced event coordinator who had been director of the well-known Ride the Rockies event for 22 years. His expertise has been crucial in launching and then steadily growing the B Strong Ride, according to Nichols. 

“Our first year, the concept was we’re going to throw a ride, invite all our friends, have a few beers afterwards and donate a little money,” Nichols said. “We had 500-some people show up and we raised over $250,000! So, we kept doing it, wondering if it would keep going — and it has.”

What started as a small ride with only a handful of participants quickly grew into an annual event, attracting 800-900 riders each year. The event offers several route options for riders of all skill levels:

• Morning Thunder Mountain Loop: A 68-mile ride through the mountains north and west of Boulder.
• Red Zinger Loop: A 38-mile ride through rolling terrain north of Boulder.
• Countryside Peach Passion Loop: A 24-mile ride through rolling terrain north of Boulder.
• Sleepytime Mini B: A one-mile ride for kids 10 and under.

The B Strong Ride has become a staple in the Boulder community, with hundreds of volunteers ensuring the event's success and safety. “It’s hard to walk away from something you know is helping people tremendously,” said event coordinator Paul Balaguer.

Corporate sponsorships, including the unwavering support of Celestial Seasonings, have been instrumental in the ride's continued success, allowing the event to grow and benefit both BCH’s integrative care services and other local cancer charities.

Mark Your Calendar for the 2025 Ride

The next B Strong Ride will take place on Saturday, August 9, 2025, in Boulder. Registration is open, with fees set at $95 for adults $55 for students and riders under age 18, and $10 for children participating in the one-mile Sleepytime Mini B. To register or donate, visit www.bstrongride.com.