Profile

About: Hi Everyone! My name is Mihir, and I’m a junior math major. I am from Houston, something I find very difficult not to mention if you don’t know already.

My family is pretty cool. My mom is the best cook I know, and my dad is the one who first got me interested in cycling! When he was in college he decided to bike home, across India, with no planning (he only went on one 10 kilometer training ride). There’s definitely a little bit of his crazy in me. My brother is one of the funniest people I know, but the number one thing he enjoys doing is watching YouTube videos of old Russian dudes playing chess, which is not particularly funny but rather a bit boring.

Thank you so much for checking out my personal page! It means a lot for you to take the time to learn about me, and Why I Ride. If you’d like to support me, here are a few ways you can (it doesn’t have to be donating):
- Share this page (even if you can’t donate, maybe someone who sees it will!)
- Share your story. I believe it is important as Texas 4000 riders that we ride for our whole community, and you are part of that! If you feel ok with sharing your story of cancer (or anything else) I would love to hear that story and take it with me to Alaska. Feel free to email me at mihir2alaska@gmail.com or hit me up on facebook.
- Donate. The money you donate goes to a variety of research and support programs across the country. We work very hard to make sure this money has the most impact for each dollar donated.

Why I Ride

When I was in elementary school, my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it was my first experience with the idea that life is not always guaranteed. I remember the sense of fear and uncertainty that cancer brought with it. My aunt was an important figure in my life because she taught me the power of kindness. As a graduate of one of the best medical schools in India, it would have been easy for her to practice in a wealthy neighborhood in Mumbai and live out a comfortable life. Instead she chose to practice by one of the largest slums in the world, and treat people who had little access to quality medical care. Her conviction that everyone, no matter their wealth, deserved equal treatment made a powerful impression on my worldview. I ride for my aunt, as well as for her vision of a world where anyone can be treated with dignity and respect, no matter where they come from.

Growing up, my grandfather would visit every spring from India. Every time he would visit, my grandfather, brother, and I would watch old Hollywood classics all day. Watching old war movies gave me a fascination with history that I still have. In sophomore year of high school, he came to our house on his annual visit when his health unexpectedly deteriorated. He had lung cancer, which had gone completely undiagnosed, and within weeks he was gone. He passed away at a time when I was just becoming old enough to appreciate the full wealth of his life. I could not ask him about his time as an economist in post-colonial Zambia, or his experience starting one of the first business schools in Maharashtra, or about the many other adventures of his life. I felt I had so many questions I still had, felt there were so many stories that I would never be able to hear. I ride for my grandfather, and in the hope that others will get the time they need to appreciate those around them.

Finally, a few weeks before I decided to apply to Texas 4000, Houston was hit by Hurricane Harvey. My neighborhood was one of the worst hit in the city, and the most surreal thing I have seen on TV is a reporter from CNN broadcasting just a few streets from my house. My family lost almost everything. The experience left me feeling powerless, and I hated it. I want to ride to give power back to those who feel it has been taken from them, to provide families with a source of hope and comfort during their darkest days.