Texas 4000 Mourns Teammate, Continues to Fight

By Gracie Fraser in Blog on February 29, 2012 at 5:35 pm | No Comments

The Texas 4000 team suffered a tragic loss this past weekend, as their beloved teammate Ruel Bobet passed away after a battle with stomach cancer.

Texas 4000 is a UT student organization dedicated to spreading hope, knowledge, and charity in the fight against cancer as they train to bike 4,500 miles from Austin to Anchorage, Alaska. Their 70-day dual-routed ride has been named the longest charity ride in the world.

“Ruel was truly a light. He brought this team together and ignited a fire within us,” said senior Taylor Foreman, one of the team’s ride directors. “His personality was one that you gravitate toward. He had really big ideas for what this organization could be and stayed involved as long as he was able.”

“It’s like losing a piece of our puzzle,” junior Adriana Oxford said. “Texas 4000 is a family. We train and plan to ride with each other every day, so losing a teammate is like losing a part of you… a brother, a sister, a friend.”

Like the rest of the team, Oxford cherishes the friendship  she shared with Bobet. “Ruel was my first friend on the team. He approached me at the New Rider Picnic and yelled, without hesitation, ‘We are going to be best friends!’”

“He was completely dedicated to the mission of Texas 4000. Ruel believed in a cure and was ready to give all he had to fight for one. That passion is now alive in each member of the 2012 team,” ride director Jillian Domingue, BA ’11, said. Bobet rode in honor of his father, and the team will continue training and riding in honor of them both.

Photo courtesy Texas 4000

Tags: Anchorage, Bike Ride, cancer, Cycling, Ruel Bobet, texas 4000