Kevin McQueen, center, with Sportable CEO Hunter Leemon in the white jersey and other riders at last year’s RAGBRAI ride. (Photo courtesy Hunter Leemon)
The cycling-for-Sportable wheel keeps turning.
Two years ago, it was former HHHunt executive Dan Schmitt, who raised over $130,000 for the local nonprofit with his cross-country Kon-Tiki Challenge, a 4,500-mile bike ride that he completed solo – save for the last leg when he was joined by Sportable CEO Hunter Leemon.
Inspired by that experience, Leemon last year took the lead on a fundraising ride on the annual RAGBRAI, a 500-mile trek across Iowa during which he raised over $35,000 for the nonprofit he’s led for 10 years.
And this year – next week, in fact – Leemon is at it again, this time teaming up with Sportable board member and retired CapTech exec Kevin McQueen. They’re heading out on a dual fundraising ride to support not only Sportable, which provides sports opportunities for people with physical disabilities, but also McQueen’s other cause: the Fanconi Cancer Foundation.
McQueen with his son, Sean. (Photos courtesy Kevin McQueen)
McQueen’s 25-year-old son, Sean, has Fanconi anemia, a rare genetic disorder that affects bone marrow and causes cancer and physical abnormalities. A few years ago, a brain lesion led Sean to need a motorized wheelchair. And thanks to Sportable, he has learned to play bocce ball, golf and archery in a new way.
“It’s a dreadful disease. It’s really tough,” said McQueen, who has also served on FCF’s board and remains an active supporter of the Eugene, Oregon-based nonprofit.
Noting that Sean has lost the use of his right arm and right leg, McQueen said Sportable has helped him learn to play golf with his other arm and to pull back a bow and arrow and release it using his mouth.
“Sportable’s been an amazing thing for my son. He’s met some people; it’s very isolating when you’re disabled. He was able-bodied until about two and half years ago, so that’s been an amazing outlet for him,” McQueen said. “There are things that he can now do that I never thought were possible, and that’s all because of Sportable. It’s an amazing organization.”
Sean’s activities with Sportable include archery and golf.
It was at last year’s RAGBRAI that McQueen met Leemon, despite both of them living in Richmond and being involved in Sportable. One of his fellow riders and FCF supporters in the Iowa bicycle ride pointed Leemon out and introduced them at the ride’s kickoff in Sioux City.
“I ran into him a couple more times and we decided to grab lunch afterwards,” McQueen said. “We hit it off, and 12 months later I’m on the board and more involved in Sportable.”
McQueen joined Sportable’s board two months ago, and he and Leemon were both looking for their next fundraising adventures when they decided to team up on a five-day, 333-mile ride from Pittsburgh to D.C. via the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath rail trails.
“It’s considered the top rail trail ride in the country,” McQueen said of the railroads-turned-trails, which he’ll be riding atop a Trek Domane gravel bike.
“The great thing about it is you don’t have any traffic. The C&O canal trail is a little dicey; it’s got potholes and it’s a little bit rougher. But the nice thing is you can go all the way from Pittsburgh to D.C. without getting hit by a car.”
Leemon and a group of the 15 other riders taking part in the ride are heading to Pittsburgh this Sunday, while McQueen and the rest will join them on Tuesday with an RV and other support. They’ll hit the trails Wednesday and ride through next Sunday, staying in motels along the way and concluding at the Lincoln Memorial.
The group will be posting its progress on social media pages and accepting donations as they go. Leemon said they’re hoping to raise over $100,000 from the ride to support Sportable’s 2024 Tailgate Season fundraising campaign.
The trip is also part of FCF’s ongoing Endure for a Cure campaign, which McQueen has supported in previous years with other activities, such as climbing Mount Rainier in Washington state.
By riding together, Leemon and McQueen said, they realized they’d have strength in numbers.
Leemon has led Sportable as its executive director for a decade. (Sportable photo)
“Our thought is that we are stronger together, and both of the organizations we are supporting do that by providing opportunities, transforming lives and helping to make groundbreaking research possible,” Leemon said.
A native of Columbia, Maryland, McQueen attended the University of Richmond, where he earned an MBA from the Robins School of Business. After stints at Circuit City and McClain Group, he worked 25 years at CapTech, a national tech consulting firm based in Richmond, leading it as CEO for about five years and then as a co-CEO and principal before retiring last year.
About to turn 57, McQueen said retirement has allowed him to do more biking, which his father did before him and McQueen picked up with the completion of the Virginia Capital Trail and during the pandemic.
But his main reason for retiring, he said, is Sean.
McQueen, right, and Sean with the Endure for a Cure team.
“I felt that others were ready to lead CapTech and I could spend more time with him,” he said. “For me, I wanted to make sure I was spending time with him and doing what I can to help him.”
McQueen will be posting about the ride on FCF’s Endure for a Cure Facebook page. Donations can be made for the Endure team here, to FCF here and to Sportable here.
This is the latest installment in our Downtime series, which focuses on businesspeople’s pursuits outside of the office. If you, a co-worker or someone you know around town has a unique way of passing time off the clock, submit suggestions to [email protected]. For previous installments of Downtime, click here.