Brent Bookwalter (photo courtesy of Tim De Waele)

Jamie Bookwalter (photo courtesy of Dan Coleman)

Husband and wife pro cyclists Brent and Jamie Bookwalter of Asheville, North Carolina will take part in the fifth annual Dempsey Challenge presented by Amgen. This will mark their first appearance at the non-competitive fundraising event, taking place October 12-13 in Lewiston. The couple will join fellow pro riders Freddie Rodriguez, Ally Stacher, Carmen Small and Alison Tetrick as participants in this year’s event.
Brent’s career highlights include runner-up finishes at this year’s Tour of Alberta, the USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championship and the Tour of Qatar. The 29-year-old native of Albuquerque, New Mexico rides for BMC Racing Team and was a member of Cadel Evans’ 2011 Tour de France-winning team.
Jamie, 27, who rides for Team Colavita/Fine Cooking, earned top-20 finishes in the National TimeTrial Championship and the Grand Prix Cyclist de Gatineau, and scored a USA-best top 20 in the 2008 Mountain Bike World Championships. She holds a master’s degree in forest entomology from the University of Georgia.

The Dempsey Challenge, which serves as the primary fundraiser for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing, kicks off on Friday, October 11 with “Courage Fest,” an event featuring local food and drink; a free screening of “The Peloton Project,” an inspiring film produced by Patrick Dempsey; and an after-party at Gritty McDuff’s L-A Brew Pub.
5K and 10K run/walks will take place on October 12 and cycling routes of 10, 25, 50, 70 and 100 miles will take place on October 13. All events will begin and end at Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston.
The weekend will include a family-friendly Festival in the Park, featuring a Health and Wellness Expo, KidZone, free Kids Fun Run, vendor fair and live entertainment. The Amgen Breakaway from Cancer Survivor Walk on October 12 at 10 a.m. will highlight the weekend.
To build camaraderie and assist their fundraising efforts, participants are encouraged to create or join teams through the Dempsey Challenge website. For more information, see www.dempseychallenge.org.