The Dirt on The Dirty Project

From ride creator,
Brian Nolan

In 2006 a close friend of mine died of cancer at the age of 38.

Until 6-months before she died, I thought she was the healthiest person on earth. She never drank, never smoked and exercised every day. She had been an All-American D1 collegiate field hockey player for UCONN in the early 1990's.

In February 2006 she thought she had the flu, but it didn't go away.

Two months later she was diagnosed with metastatic gastric cancer. Six months after that, she was gone.

She had three kids aged 3, 6 and 9.

The hardest thing I have been through both as a physician and as a friend is not being able to help someone who is dying.

She and her husband Jeff would call me at least once a week, sometimes every day, with updates, to ask questions, and to get advice.

Initially, I just tried to reassure them that everything was fine. But I soon came the realization that everything wasn't fine.

I have been involved with The Prouty ever since Lee's death.

I was on the Board of Directors for 9 years and I ran the Prouty Ultimate for 7 years. In 2015 we started the Dirty Project, a tough dirt road alternative to the classic Prouty routes, using the Prouty Virtual platform.

The Dirty Project is a dirt road ride of just over 80 miles and 10,000-ft of elevation gain.

Though it’s damn tough, most everyone finishes the Dirty Project. In cancer speak, that's 100% survival; pretty good. Imagine the ride was 300 miles long and even the best gravel cyclists couldn’t finish. That's 0% survival, and that's what some people with cancer are up against.

Join us in putting a stop to cancer.

You can help support The Dirty Project by participating as a rider, a volunteer, or simply by donating. Whatever capacity you choose, please know that I am personally grateful for your contribution.

-Brian Nolan

And with that the Dirty Project was born.

Like Brian, many of us have been directly or indirectly impacted by cancer. This is our way of joining the fight. Spend some time on the site. Read up on the Project, the Route, and the People involved and who participate.

Take a really close look at the complete routes online. Ask us questions. And if you think you want in—mark your calendar in July to raise money with us and ride with us!

Some Things You Should
Know About Cancer

The Bad News:

There will be over 1.7-million new cases of cancer diagnosed in the U.S. this year.
Just over 600,000 people in the U.S. will die of cancer this year.
For perspective: State of VT population: 625,000. State of NH population: 1.3 million. So in the US, the equivalent of the entire state of NH will get cancer, and the equivalent of the entire state of VT will die of cancer. Just this year.
Number of Americans who died in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam combined: 633,000 (about how many people will die of cancer this year alone).
40 out of 100 men will get cancer in their lifetime, and 38 out of 100 women.
None of the 1.3 million people who are going to get cancer this year are expecting it, and for the most part can’t prevent it. Our best chance is to find a cure.

The Good News:

In 1991, 215 per 100,000 people in the U.S died from cancer.
In 2015, 159 per 100,000 people in the U.S. died from cancer. We are making progress. Research matters. Fundraising matters.
Conclusion: the numbers are improving because of efforts like these!