Prior to the middle of May, Chris Roe had not pedaled a bike for 10 years.

Two and a half months later, Roe rode a total of 560 miles in eight days.

And it was all for a good cause.

The Landisville native, who is a senior at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, N.Y., trekked from Buffalo to Albany to New York City from Aug. 3 to 10. Roe was joined by brothers in the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity from New York, Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. It was part of a series of rides designed to raise awareness and money for people with disabilities.

He spent two and a half months training on the Riverside Trail, and the effort was certainly worth it. Roe raised more than $5,300, the fifth-largest total among all the riders, and the group generated more than $120,000.

Roe's motivation is his 14-year-old sister, Phoebe, who has Down syndrome. "I've always liked giving back to the community, and it's something me and my family believe in," said Roe, a graduate of Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. "It was one of the reasons I joined Pi Kappa Phi. The bike ride part and doing the visits to different organizations was kind of like a logical step."

Pi Kappa Phi also participates in a charity bike ride in Florida, and its Journey of Hope goes from California to Washington, D.C.

This year was the inaugural New York ride, and Roe plans to do it again in 2026.

"I really want to do the next one because the friendship visits are really what makes the trip," said Roe. "It's often described as it's a cycling event with friendship visits. I like to say it's friendship visits where you cycle between them."

On the friendship visits, Roe and his fraternity brothers played wheelchair basketball with a group from Stride Adaptive Sports and had a karaoke party with clients of The ARC Mid-Hudson.

"It was two of the most fun experiences I've ever had," said Roe. "I love the friendship visits, where you go to these organizations and hang out and have fun with people who have disabilities."

The New York expedition began with a 114-mile ride from Buffalo to Rochester. The trip from Albany to New York City included big changes in elevation.

"It was amazing," said Roe, who is studying computer science at RPI. "Once I get back to college and my fraternity starts holding meetings again, I'm going to have a slideshow to try to encourage all the other people to do Journey of Hope. It changes your life, honestly. It's I always heard that it's a life-changing experience. It'll make you really want to do philanthropy more."

After graduating from RPI in May 2026, Roe plans to attend graduate school at George Washington University, earn a master's degree in legislative affairs, and eventually run for political office.