You never know when you’re going to need some help. Whether it’s something simple like changing the tire on your bike, or something complicated like navigating a health issue with your child, it’s great to have someone you can depend on. That is why the Riedel family rides the courage classic every year to help fund raise for Children’s Hospital Colorado.

As most of you know, the Riedel family lost our Martha, daughter and sister, after a nearly seven-year battle with cancer. Children’s was there for Martha and the Riedel family from the very beginning to the very end. Martha never let statistics affect her ability to stay hopeful that there was a path to a cure, and the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s in Aurora was there throughout the battle providing options and supporting Martha’s desire to live. For that, the Riedel family is eternally grateful.

Despite being in treatment much of the 7 years after her initial diagnosis, and going in and out of remission multiple times, Martha had a good life. Being told she had cancer at age 13 Martha essentially grew up overnight, and as result she had an agenda: getting shit done. For example, Martha enjoyed being outside as much as possible and at an early age fell in love with snowboarding and cycling. She raced mountain bikes for the Boulder high mountain bike team for all four years she was there, racing numerous times while receiving chemotherapy. Martha grew as an artist as well, taking 4 years of ceramics classes at BHS and becoming an exceptional potter. She honed her artistic skills in numerous other mediums like watercolor, stamp carving and hand sketches. It did not stop there, thanks to the pandemic, when she became an exceptional foodie who cooked her parents healthy meals after all her siblings had gone away to college. Martha was always scheming on the next thing she was going to create, and you name it, if Martha could find a video on YouTube about some cool craft or project, she would do it.

Without the help of Children’s Hospital of Colorado, she couldn’t have done all that. And without that help, our family wouldn’t have witnessed Martha grow from a 13-year-old girl into a 20 year old, “say it like it is” woman. Again, we are very grateful.

So, please help us thank Children’s Hospital Colorado for everything they do to help kids stay healthy, recover from an illness, or in Martha’s case fight for their lives. Please donate to Martha’s memorial fundraiser by clicking the pink "Donate Now" button at the top of this page.

I am once again riding in the Children’s Hospital Courage Classic to raise money for the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders where my daughter, Martha, was treated for 7 years. Martha died after a nearly seven-year battle with cancer. Children’s Hospital was there for Martha, and our family, from the very beginning to the very end. Martha never let statistics affect her ability to stay hopeful that there was a path to a cure, and the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Hospital was there throughout, providing options and supporting Martha’s desire to live. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Despite being in treatment much of the 7 years after her initial diagnosis, and going in and out of remission multiple times, Martha had a good life. When Martha was told she had cancer at age 13, she essentially grew up overnight, and as result she had an agenda: getting shit done. And did Martha get shit done. Martha enjoyed being outside as much as possible and at an early age fell in love with snowboarding and cycling. She raced mountain bikes for the Boulder High mountain bike team all four years of high school, racing numerous times while in the middle of treatment (chemotherapy). Martha rode in five Courage Classics (again, while in treatment). Martha grew as an artist as well, she took ceramics classes at BHS all four years and became an exceptional potter. She honed her artistic skills in numerous other mediums like watercolor, stamp carving and hand sketches. It did not stop there, thanks to the pandemic, when she became a fantastic foodie who cooked her parents healthy meals after her siblings had gone away to college. Martha was always scheming on the next thing she was going to create, and you name it, if she could find a video on YouTube about some cool craft or project,  Martha would make it. 

Without the help of Children’s Hospital of Colorado, Martha couldn’t have done all that. So, please help our family thank Children’s Hospital Colorado for everything they do to help kids stay healthy, recover from an illness, or in Martha’s case, fight for her life, by donating to my fundraiser.

Thank you in advance for your donation. 

Much love, peace and understanding,

Margaret/Martha's mom 

Here we are, seven years into my journey as a rider and ten years of involvement with the Courage Classic. This year has been monumental in our lives, as we celebrate Daniel's health, which ultimately brought us into the Wheels of Justice family. Daniel marked his 10-year "rebirth" on November 12th since his Bone Marrow Transplant in 2014 and today is thankfully thriving.  Not a day passes that I am not grateful for how that experience shaped my life, leading me down a path and bringing me to where I am today, filling it with incredible people and allowing me to achieve goals I could have never imagined for myself. It has given me a deeper understanding of life as a precious gift—how easily it can be lost and how hard it is to fight for.

 When I think about why I ride, so many reasons come to mind. Above all, it’s Daniel. He motivates me every day to do better, to raise more funds, and to push myself further when I feel like I can’t go on. Whenever I feel like I can’t take pedal another foot, I think about what Daniel endured, and my thoughts shift to others—those who have faced their own battles with pediatric cancer particularly, those still in the fight, those who’ve run out of options, and the parents and siblings mourning the loss of their own. I circle back to the survivors. Those facing persisting side effects, and the survivors' guilt that many of us carry. I see my friends bury their children, and let’s not forget the PTSD that lingers from that whole experience. All of this happens in my mind in a flash, still playing on repeat, even ten years later.

Nothing brings people together like a cause. Every year, over 2,500 riders unite, not including the volunteers and supporters, all gathered for the same purpose: to lift each other up in spirit. We’re all there for the same reason—raising money for Children's Hospital Colorado and the families who need it. What makes the Wheels of Justice team stand out is our specific focus on raising funds for the 7th floor and the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (CCBD)—the very floor that saved Daniel’s life. All the money we raise goes directly to finding better treatments, potential cures, and supporting the vital wellness programs that I truly believe were crucial to Daniel’s recovery.

Now, let me tell you a little about Martha, whom we honor this year. Ten years ago, I met Margaret, Martha’s mom—a force to be reckoned with, even before meeting the famous Martha, I had heard about this young woman who refused to take no for an answer and wouldn’t slow down. They would explore every possible treatment option. When I met Margaret, Martha was in another state for treatment, but that didn’t stop her mom from connecting me for resources and just some mom bonding.  No one understands quite like two moms of teenagers with Cancer.  And also Margaret and I can match each other swear for swear, and I truly appreciate this gift. I felt as if these two teenagers had us running non-stop, trying to keep them engaged in normal life while battling their illness. There is nothing normal about being a teenager with life threating Cancer. 

 And then I met Martha. Martha was someone who truly didn’t let any time slip away. It was clear she knew she had a lot of life to live in a short time and had a rare understanding of that. After just a few meetings, Martha seemed to understand a direction for my life that I hadn’t even yet realized. In the photo above, Martha is putting on henna tattoos the night before the Courage Classic ride. She asked me what I wanted. I didn’t know. We talked a bit about life, and then she came up with a design that she thought represented where I had grown in my life. She said I was a lotus flower.   Two years later to the day,  I got that tattooed permanently to honor Martha, as she had made such a profound impact on my life. I'm still growing Martha.  

 The memories I’ve made over the past 10 years since Daniel’s diagnosis will never fade, but few have left a mark as lasting as Martha’s. She leaves a powerful legacy through the Martha Strong Foundation, and I am proud to ride for her this year.

This year, we are privileged to honor Martha Riedel. Martha was an avid mountain biker and Wheels cyclist, an artist of every medium she could find, and a loving sister and daughter. Martha will forever be 20 years old, dying from Ewings Sarcoma on April 15, 2022. 

Martha rode with Wheels in some capacity every year after her diagnosis at 13, she went through many many therapies, multiple relapses, multiple trials, and never stopped searching for the next plan to attack and destroy her cancer. She was an immovable advocate for herself in her treatment and we will try our best to honor her as we commit to finding treatments and cures.

This year I will remember that Martha did this ride with a hemoglobin of 6.2 and when I am struggling just thinking about that and the tenacity she had to just keep going! 

In support of Children's Hospital of Colorado, I have taken on the challenge of training for the Courage Classic in the mountains of Colorado on July 19-20, 2025 in order to raise (hopefully over) $5,000 for Children's Hospital of Colorado. This year I will be doing two separate rides, mileage and elevation gain TBD as I will be doing it with my family! It takes more than one person to make up a team and that's why I'm asking you to donate to my fundraising efforts! Last year I made it into the top 100 again with your help, and would love to do it again to help the children :)

MY WHY

I ride to give hope to Children's Hospital of Colorado patients like Martha, Will, Trevor, Cooper, Koby, Nathan, Flynn, Jared, Delaney, and Hazel.

These are all children who were diagnosed with cancer and have been remembered and honored through a group I have previously rode the Courage Classic with for the past two years, Wheels of Justice. My goal is to raise money to help support patients and their families through this diagnosis and treatment, as well as further childhood cancer research.

October 5, 2021 was my day that I felt the same heart wrenching words no one wants to hear, you have a brain tumor. My "Ralphie" as I named it, was found incidentally during a workup for dizziness and perceived hearing loss with my ENT. Ralphie was evicted on March 30, 2022 when I underwent my craniotomy and found out it was an astrocytoma, grade II. Thankfully it was fully resected with wide clear margins, so I have been able to defer chemo and radiation at this point. Additionally, I was very fortunate in that surgery went well without any complications. I was able to return to work as an orthopedic PA and resume living my life again; however, I have struggled to return back to working out and cycling due to headaches. Ralphie then returned late 2024 again and I underwent another crani April 11, 2025. This ride once again is my mountain to overcome and prove that I can still do hard things in honor of those who no longer can, with my family by my side.

Please read more about these incredibly brave children and help those who are being diagnosed right now. It is heavy enough experiencing this as an adult, and I cannot imaging navigating it as a child.  

Envision a world without pediatric cancer. The Courage Classic is an opportunity to support healthier futures for kids like Will, who lost her fight too soon. This year we ride for Martha Riedel. #marthastrong

Arrrgh! I love and hate my job so much. Every year for our hospital's fundraiser, we honor a patient who has passed.  The girl who we're honoring this year is such an inspiration, and I see a lot of myself in who she was: creative, driven, sweet, sassy, optimistic. We had our fundraiser kick off party tonight and her family all spoke and kept it light because Martha wouldn't have wanted people to remember her cancer, but instead, the beautiful person she was. She did this bike ride and fundraiser for 7 years even while she was getting chemo therapy. She even did it when she was super anemic (not that I would recommend that). A true badass. Not only that, she was a top fund raiser while going through high school, getting chemo, and creating beautiful art. I want to be like her when I grow up. Geez. I always leave these events bawling. 

"It's not about the number of years in your life, but about the life in those years." 

Please help us honor Martha Riedel, a beautiful young woman who gave Children's Hospital of Colorado so much of her time, energy, love, and light by donating.