By Andrew ManningSPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Pedaling on a stationary bicycle and raising money for cancer awareness at the same time could not be a better feeling.

Hofstra’s first “Cycle for a Cure” program focused on increasing cancer awareness and raising money for The American Cancer Society this past Saturday at the Recreation and Intramural Department.

Participants were encouraged to make donations and take any of the four special cycling classes given over the course of the day. The first classes had  small crowds waiting for the Fitness Center doors to open while the later classes were nearly filled by those who had registered online.

“We’ve got some fun and challenging stuff planned,” said Bob List, a cycling instructor who started teaching at Hofstra this semester, prior to the first class. “Seven minute intervals of everything – seven of course being a lucky number. Cycling is a great cardiovascular exercise for people looking for something that’s low impact.”

Pleased to see new faces outside along with the familiar ones, he added that “newbies” to his class are always welcome.

But some of these “newbies” had never even taken a cycling class before. Most admitted to being nervous about the experience, but said they still wanted to participate in order to support a good cause. In all, the Fitness Center received nearly 20 donations from participants, anywhere between $5 and $20.

The general opinion amongst all present was that it would be fun if the Fitness Center continued to host events such as this. Luckily for them, there are more on the horizon, according to graduate assistant Kristina Campagna, who put together “Cycle for a Cure,” inspired by similar fundraisers such as “Relay for Life”.

“This is the first time we’re doing this, but we’re really hoping to do it again next semester if all goes well,” Campagna said. “But if people still want to help out this semester, we’ll be collecting non-perishable food items for Island Harvest at our three-on-three basketball tournament.”