An estimated 30,000 participants and 155,000 donors are expected to take part in Cycle for Survival’s 2026 events, raising money for rare cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
The indoor cycling event, held March 4–8, brought together patients, survivors, doctors and supporters to raise funds for research into rare cancers diseases that account for roughly half of all cancer diagnoses but often receive limited funding. Now in its 20th year, Cycle for Survival has raised more than $445 million for research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, with 100 percent of every dollar donated going directly to rare cancer studies and clinical trials.
Across the country, thousands of participants ride in teams during high-energy indoor cycling sessions led by Equinox instructors, creating an atmosphere that feels as much like a celebration as it does a fundraiser. Among those riding this year was the Page family of Ridgefield, Connecticut, whose participation carries a deeply personal meaning.
Their daughter Sienna was just three years old when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Wilms tumor, a rare and aggressive kidney cancer that affects fewer than 500 children in the United States each year and had already spread to her lungs and lymph nodes by the time doctors discovered it.
Sienna underwent an eight-hour surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to remove the primary tumor along with her left kidney, adrenal gland and several lymph nodes, followed by 36 weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Despite the grueling process, she completed treatment last August and returned to school, but only months later scans revealed the cancer had returned and she quickly resumed treatment.
Through it all, her family says the Cycle for Survival community has helped them cope.
“It’s therapeutic for us in a difficult time,” said Tara Page, Sienna’s mother. “It’s so powerful. We are Cycle for Survival for life.”
This year marked the first time the family organized their own team, called Sienna Strong, rallying friends and relatives to ride and raise money for research. In 2025 alone, their team raised more than $100,000.
Chris Page, Sienna’s father, said the atmosphere inside the ride is unlike anything else.
“You get here and the energy is crazy,” he said. “Even for the unathletic, 50 minutes just fly by and you get sucked into it – it’s like medicine.”
For the Page family, the event is about more than fundraising. It also provides a sense of community and connection with others who understand the challenges of battling cancer.
“When you go through something like this, people come out of the woodwork to help,” Tara Page said.
Chris Page added that one of the most powerful aspects of the ride is witnessing how many other families share similar struggles.
“Everyone carries their own story,” he said. “Witnessing other families’ fights is one of the most special reasons for attending.”
Participating in the fundraiser also gives families a direct connection to the research being supported.
“We have a say in a part of where the funding goes,” Chris Page said, explaining that the ability to support specific research efforts makes the experience more meaningful for many participants.’
As Cycle for Survival celebrates two decades of fundraising, families like the Pages continue to ride with the hope that the research funded today will lead to lifesaving treatments for rare cancers in the future.