COLUMBUS, Ohio—Pelotonia riders start pushing the pedals bright and early Saturday morning.

Some of them will finish Saturday, while others will ride again on Sunday.

Spectrum News 1’s Sophia Constantine sat down with Mike Perry, who is one of the riders and captain of Team COPC (Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians).

When Perry reached middle age, he realized he needed to get fit. So, he, along with a group of his close friends and two partners from his pediatric practice, decided to start riding bikes.

Soon after, he learned that he could actually do something to fight cancer and raise money—by riding in Pelotonia.

For Perry, the cause hits close to home.

“It’s been a huge impact to me, because, first off, we’re doing something to fight cancer,” said Perry. “I lost my mother to cancer and most people had some impact with cancer, so I feel like it’ll be doing some good there.”

When he first started, Perry rode as part of a small group of three, sponsored by a local pizza restaurant.

In 2010, after realizing Central Ohio Primary Care Physicians was a huge medical organization in the community, the group decided to have a team in their name.

Perry’s group has now been riding together for 10 years and raised $1.3 million for cancer research.

“What Pelotonia has done for this whole town and for the Ohio State cancer center has been amazing,” said Perry.

Perry admits his group started with little knowledge and believes it’s important to give back.

“Our whole goal now is to prevent people from worrying about participating in Pelotonia because they worry about the fundraising or they worry about the cycling safety, or how do I ride on a road or I’ve never ridden in a group with so many riders, and so that’s our main mission now.”

The group does 3 training rides a week, which include a hill ride, a ride which is a route for everyone, and, from April to June, a beginner ride group.

The training focuses on rider safety and the rules of the road.

“There’s no one cyclist that can make all cyclists look good. But every cyclist can make all the cyclists look bad to the drivers,” said Perry. “We want to be good citizens. We want to follow all the rules on the road and protect ourselves too.”

The opening ceremonies for Pelotonia begin Friday night.

You can watch it live on Spectrum News 1 beginning at 7 p.m.

For more information on Pelotonia, you can visit their website.