On the corner of the T-shirts given to each of the 225 riders at the Pedal the Petrified sponsored by Northland Pioneer College (NPC) Friends and Family on Sept. 15 were the initials “JG” in honor of a longstanding silent partner of the event, Jon Graff of San Jose, California.
Every September, Graff has come to Petrified Forest National Park to ride his bike and volunteer in the paleontology program. Since 2014 he has ridden the full circuit of 62 miles on the Pedal the Petrified.
This year, with the reoccurrence of cancer that has gone into stage four, Graff wasn’t sure he would be able to participate. But with the encouragement of his oncologist and friends along with the trusty wheels of “The Green Flash”, a bike he designed and built himself, Graff not only made it to the halfway point at the Rainbow Forest, he completed the return trip as well, inspiring everyone that no matter how tough the journey, it’s worth the completion.
It was 3 p.m. that afternoon when Graff reached the final stop, Tiponi Point. Most of the riders and volunteers, who had started the day at 3 a.m. had packed up and headed home. But the crew that knew his story, stayed behind to see him through to the finish line. Cheers erupted as his bike crested the final turn into the parking area. With a big smile, Graff said, “No one is more surprised that I finished than I am!”
As Betsyann Wilson, executive director of NPC Friends and Family, later shared, “Yesterday afternoon, seeing Jon conquer the entire Pedal the Petrified is something that will live with me forever. It is no understatement to say that Jon’s enduring sponsorship of Pedal the Petrified has directly resulted in scholarships that have literally changed the lives of dozens of NPC students. He has made a remarkable and lasting difference to them and his establishment of the Jon Graff Fund assures that his work continues. Jon’s cancer may have no cure, but he soundly and regularly continues to kick the hell out of it.”
Since learning that his prognosis was terminal, Graff has been “bucket listing” his life, creating a lifetime of adventures in whatever time he has left. From riding the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park in Montana and exploring Ireland to dancing in Luckenbach, Texas, Graff has ridden thousands of miles on his bike. This might be his last time at Pedal the Petrified, but his memory, his stories and his giving heart will live on in the initials “JG” which will be a part of the event for years to come.
