Better together: Father-daughter duo pedaling 80 miles on a tandem bike in the family's first LOWVELO
By Kristen Indahl | October 22, 2026
When Jeff Olsen and his late wife, Hilary, purchased a tandem bike years ago, she eventually decided that biking wasn’t her thing. But for the past 11 years, the tandem bike has made the rounds with Olsen and his daughter, Ellie, at the Pan-Mass Challenge, a two-day, nearly 200-mile ride to raise funds for cancer research and treatment in Massachusetts.
This fall, they’ll make their debut riding tandem on the 80-mile LOWVELO route. One of Olsen’s sons, Tom, will ride solo alongside them.
Olsen, who grew up in Charleston and now lives in Massachusetts, has made cycling a priority for two decades now. His hobby transitioned into a cause when he began riding to support multiple sclerosis and then cancer research at the Pan-Mass Challenge. He worked his way up in distance for the annual fundraiser and cycling journey across Massachusetts to Cape Cod.
“It started out being about bike riding, and now bike riding is the least of it,” Olsen said. “I thought maybe I could do something good riding my bike.”
That motivation came in part from his reflections on losing his father to metastatic cancer 30 years ago. His father went into the hospital with back pain, and doctors discovered tumors in his spine. Olsen recalls feeling helpless as he watched his father become sicker with few options for effective treatment or relief at the time.
Then, about 13 years ago, Hilary was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.
Olsen stayed by his wife’s side as she underwent a mastectomy, radiation and chemotherapy. Her prognosis looked hopeful until she became sick again, and her treatment team discovered that the cancer had spread to other organs.
“She survived about five years after her initial diagnosis,” Olsen said. “A lot of it was really good, and the end wasn’t. She left a big hole. We were married for 30 years, and she was the nucleus of our family.”
A renewed cause for riding
After Hilary was diagnosed with breast cancer, Ellie wanted to join her dad in the Pan-Mass Challenge. She wasn’t a cyclist, so Olsen suggested they start training. But that plan ended the same day it began.
“We made the critical mistake that everybody makes,” he said. “She clipped in and tipped over at the bottom of our driveway – mile zero. And she fractured her wrist.”
Ellie’s cast came off only a few days before the event. She still wanted to ride, but they both worried about her lack of training. That’s when Olsen thought of pulling out the tandem bike.
“She said, ‘Great, let’s do that,’” Olsen recalled. “And so we did. I said, ‘This is your ride. We’ll go as fast as you want. We’ll go as slow as you want. We’ll just make our way.’ And we had so much fun.”
From that point on, they’ve ridden the tandem bike for the Pan-Mass Challenge, and his two sons have also participated.
“People come out and line the streets at dawn,” Olsen said. “You see kids in their jammies with signs that say, ‘I’m alive today, thanks to you,’ or ‘I’m 13 because of you.’ And it’s very powerful. People are grateful that we’re willing to go ride our bikes.”
Beyond the benefits of fundraising for cancer research, Olsen finds riding therapeutic.
“I’m happy to do it,” he said. “It’s kind of a physical way to be part of it. For me, cycling clears my head. It keeps me grounded and calm.”
Returning to Charleston
Olsen periodically comes to Charleston to see his mother, Anne, a resident of the Bishop Gadsden senior living community. Through his visits, he met wellness director Nathan Calhoun and learned about his remarkable story.
At age 28, Calhoun was given four to six months to live after being diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma that had advanced to his lungs. The team at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center connected him to a clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health, where he participated in an extensive cutting-edge treatment protocol. Now cancer-free more than 15 years after his diagnosis, he is returning to LOWVELO for his third year to perform with his band, Calhoun’s Calling, at the Finish Line Festival.
“It’s a fantastic success story,” Olsen said. “He’s a survivor who, by all rights, should not be alive. I was reading about his journey, and it mentioned he was riding LOWVELO. And I thought, ‘Oh, I should do that.’ So, here we are.”
As Olsen brings his passion for riding to LOWVELO, he thinks about the many treatment advances that have been made since his father and Hilary passed – and how fundraising has played an integral role. In listening to a recent program about new medications, he realized that he never heard of many of them. But that’s because they were all developed in the eight years since Hilary passed.
“The breakthroughs they’re making are astounding,” he said. “I’ve been to see some of the labs and have heard doctors talking, and they’re so impressive with what they can figure out. So, I’m happy to be able to support that in a small way. It makes me feel good.”
Olsen commits time on his calendar to another admirable cause: donating platelets. Having cancer and getting certain cancer treatments can lead to low platelet counts, which can impact the body’s ability to produce healthy blood cells. Because platelets also have a very short shelf life, frequent donations are needed. So, every few weeks, Olsen gives platelets through a procedure similar to blood donation.
For Olsen, giving back in this way is personal. When he accompanied Hilary to the hospital for an infusion, he’d often go for a platelet donation. Seeing other patients in treatment opened his eyes to the experience and struggles of others.
“I’ll never know where they go, but there are people alive today because I donated platelets,” Olsen says. “I go in, have lunch and take a nap while they’re taking my blood. It’s so easy helping people. And that feels really good.”
Generous support for LOWVELO
In recognition of her son and grandchildren riding, and in honor of her husband and daughter-in-law, Anne Olsen has made a significant contribution to LOWVELO. In fact, the Bishop Gadsden team now ranks in the top five of all fundraising teams. Olsen is currently the top individual fundraiser.
“It’s very rewarding for her to be able to contribute,” Olsen said. “Dad died 30 years ago, and that was a very hard time for her, and for all of us. So, it just feels good to be able to use some of our resources to support this.”
Olsen intends to ride in his wife’s honor and his dad’s honor, so that more people will live through cancer instead of dying from cancer. And the part he’s looking forward to most? Riding with his kids.
“We’re going to ride our bikes. Have a good day. And help do what we can to stop the spread of cancer. I love that I get to come back to where I grew up and contribute. It’s very gratifying.”
Olsen has also reflected on what his wife would think of their fundraising efforts.
“She’d be so proud of the kids,” he said. “Can you imagine? All three of my kids have ridden now. Last year, two of them rode (in the Pan-Mass Challenge) and one volunteered. It’s a family thing. They enjoy it. And she’d be so proud to see them like that today.”
