Austin’s Great 88 is a fundraising bike ride organized in memory of Austin Volkert, a lover of family, dogs, pizza, and Chicago Blackhawks Hockey. Austin passed away from Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF) related cancer at the age of 23. NF is a genetic disorder of the nervous system which causes tumors to form on nerves across the body.
Austin’s Great 88 will serve to raise funds to support NF Michigan and The Steensma Laboratory, a research lab led by Dr. Matt Steensma working to develop new treatment strategies for NF-related cancer.
Austin’s Great 88 will take place on Saturday, August 8th 2020 to honor the two year anniversary of Austin’s passing. The bike ride will begin in Rockford, MI and will travel along the White Pine Trail. Riders can choose to participate in Austin’s Great 88 by riding anywhere from 8.8 miles to the full goal of an 88-mile expedition. We can’t wait to ride with you!

(Why 88? 88 is the number of Austin’s favorite Blackhawks hockey player, Patrick Kane – his hero. 88 also honors the date of Austin’s passing, 8/8/2018.)