As it happens, Amgen was no stranger to cycling events, having been a sponsor of The Arthritis Foundation’s California Coast Classic Bicycle Tour, which raises more than $1 million annually in the fight against arthritis. But Amgen’s sponsorship of the Tour initially raised some eyebrows because the company makes recombinant versions of the hormone erythropoietin or EPO, which boosts production of the oxygen carrying red blood cells. Although the drugs are used to treat anemia in chemotherapy patients and patients with chronic kidney disease, the so-called EPO drugs have become the pro cycling world’s most abused performance-enhancing drugs and are banned by the Tour de France, the Olympics, and other sporting events, including the Tour of California. At the time of the sponsorship announcement on November 5, 2005, Amgen said the company’s involvement would help it combat the inappropriate use of its drugs and educate athletes about the potential dangers of misuse. Kristen Davis, another Amgen spokeswoman, says the sponsorship gives the company “an opportunity to talk about the appropriate uses of our medicine.”

When the Tour of California takes place February 14-22, there will be four Breakaway Mile segments featuring local cancer survivors. Among the support-team riders will likely be Amgen’s Miletich, who has already participated in two previous years. The event is inspiring, he says, giving patients a chance to feel good about where they are in their lives. The “survivors battle so hard and so long and they never get a chance to actually display how proud they are of what they have accomplished,” Miletich says. “When is a cancer patient ever treated like a hero? They are in front of thousands of people getting applause.”

Miletich says the ability to participate has been important for him and other scientists because “it reinforces that the work you do might mean something to somebody some day,” he says. Miletich says that after his rides, he has shared the survivors’ stories with other Amgen scientists, engineers, and employees. “They all understand this mission and they would all rather do this instead of something that is not quite as impactful,” he says. “But when they actually hear the stories, you see they are visibly affected.”

Although cancer survival rates are improving, it remains the third biggest killer worldwide after heart disease and infectious disease, responsible for 12.6 percent of all deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The Breakaway Mile helps remind the public that there is still a long road ahead, cancer survivors say.

“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” says Bob Hammer, a 40-year-old testicular cancer survivor, who cycled a Breakaway Mile in Santa Rosa, California in 2006. “Personally, it just felt great to be out there and representing the fight against cancer in that way.”

For his support team, Hammer, a father of two who lives in Danville, California, picked 10 buddies who helped him get through his long struggle that began with his diagnosis in 1999. “To have the support from your friends is huge,” says Hammer, a marketing executive who spends his free time organizing an annual Have a Ball Foundation golf fundraiser for cancer. “A lot of times, they don’t know what to say, but the fact that they are there or calling means so much at the end of the day.”

George Hincapie, a professional cyclist and Tour de France veteran, has taken part in the Breakaway from Cancer initiative since it began, helping to raise money through a charity ride and other activities. “Nearly everyone is touched by cancer, including my family, and it’s important for those affected to realize they don’t have to face the illness alone,” says Hincapie. Indeed, Hincapie should know. He assisted a high-profile cancer survivor—Lance Armstrong—in all of his Tour de France victories.

A companion photo essay is available here.