Episode 163: The Incredible Impact of Pelotonia, with CEO Joe Apgar The James Cancer-Free World Podcast

Pelotonia has changed Joe Apgar’s life. “I’ll never forget how I felt in the moment someone told me I had cancer,” the CEO of Pelotonia said in this episode. “You feel completely lost and by yourself and you don’t have answers to the questions running around through your head.” Apgar was diagnosed with testicular cancer while a student at Penn State. Pelotonia is the fundraising cycling event that has raised more than $285 million for cancer research at the James. Apgar first rode in 2011, soon after he moved to Columbus to work for Rockbridge Capital, a private equity firm that sponsors a Pelotonia team Apgar helped create. “I remember standing at my first opening ceremony [of Pelotonia] and how uplifted and excited and supported I felt … that’s when I could flip the switch on it and feel empowered by my own story and experience,” Apgar said of the start of his first ride and crossing the finish line. Apgar talked about his cancer journey, how he connected with a James physician for his follow-up cancer care, his Pelotonia experiences as a rider and leader, and the future of the event. Apgar also talked about the importance of the Pelotonia “community” and how it has helped connect members of the James team with riders, volunteers and donors. “I think [the Pelotonia founders] hoped that some of this sense of community would happen, but I don’t think anyone could have dreamed it would happen at the scale it has,” he said.