Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Cycle for Survival Celebrates Memory of Lisa Gallup '09
May 02, 2018 | Boston College Athletics, #ForBoston Files
The event is one of BC athletics' most popular of the year.
For Barry Gallup, Boston College is as much about family as it is about athletics. His 40-plus years of association with the Eagles have taken him from player to coach to administrator and his stories seem to encompass every member of the school community. Seemingly everyone at BC has a story involving him and that makes him one of the cornerstones for the Maroon and Gold.
For over 40 years, Gallup has given everything he has to Boston College. That's why it's so special that every year, the Boston College community gets to give back to the Gallup family with the Cycle for Survival's Team BC4Fabulisa.
"What makes BC special is the way it adopts these causes," Gallup said. "Whether it's Pete Frates or Jay McGillis or Cycle for Survival. Everyone knows someone who has been diagnosed with cancer or illness and I was telling everyone that (fighting) is our most important competition. The Boston College event has really meant a lot to my family and, because it's an important cause, it's really heartwarming. We have 31 varsity sports and they all get together to help make this day special. I always see the shirts around campus and the seniors always tell me how they have a shirt from each year."
The Eagles ride in the Cycle for Survival in memory of Barry Gallup's daughter, Lisa Gallup '09. 2018 marked the sixth straight year of the event in Chestnut Hill, which helps raise money for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. It's an annual goal to raise $10,000 as part of an event that Lisa helped jumpstart.
Lisa joined the Cycle for Survival when it first wanted to move into Boston. She never got to see it through to fruition, however, due to a cancer diagnosis against which she bravely fought. Lisa Gallup passed away in December 2012 at just 26 years old.
The Cycle for Survival debuted at BC two months later and has since become one of the most fun and best-attended occasions on the BC calendar. Representatives from each of the 31 varsity athletic teams ride spin bicycles for half-hour intervals, starting at 7 a.m. They compete with and against one another all while enjoying a fun atmosphere of strobe lights, beach balls, colors and pom poms. It's not mandatory for any team but it has near universal attendance as a credit to both the athletes and the Gallup family.
"A cycling event gives everyone an opportunity that these teams never have together," field hockey head coach Kelly Doton said. "They're out on the field, on the court, swimming and diving, but they're never in a cycling environment that isn't any of our sports. They don't even know they're exercising for 20 minutes until they get off their bike and say their legs are pretty tight. But with music and beach balls in (the rooms), they know they're cycling for a good cause."
"You realize how important this is to the different teams," Gallup said. "The softball team kicked us off and they were riding on game day. Baseball rode today and they were supposed to be playing in a game that had been canceled. The lacrosse team is top-ranked in the country and their coach (Acacia Walker-Weinstein) is riding with the team. The trainers and strength coaches were all in on it. It really transcends the athletics department like that."
It's driven by a desire to make the event bigger and bigger each year. The Boston College event is considered a "satellite" event from the full Boston cycle that took place at Equinox Fitness Club earlier this year. But it remains an important fixture on the Chestnut Hill calendar because of its timing. May is at the end of the academic calendar and it provides one of those last chances for teams to participate together in an event before summer break. It's then tied together with the legendary Gallup and a family that's been dedicated forever to Boston College.
"I think (the event) is pretty powerful," Doton said. "When we do the schedule on the spreadsheet, it gives you a little goosebumps. But then you see the sign that (all the athletes) sign, with all of the people who come out to support Coach Gallup. It's pretty powerful. I'm fortunate enough to be part of the event. Sometimes you forget the emotion of the day; it takes a lot to organize everything. But then you see Coach Gallup and the pictures of Lisa and it takes you over a little bit. So I'm just happy to be a part of it."
The Cycle for Survival is now a nation-wide event encompassing over 34,000 participants. It's raised over $39 million for cancer research, easily surpassing 2017's mark of $34 million.
"The key is the program's growth," Gallup said. "When it started out, people didn't really know about (Cycle for Survival). Lisa helped fight against cancer in New York and she just wanted to be a part of it to help. But she, along with (program founder) David Linn, helped start the original events in Boston. It's gone from a regional fundraiser to being a large, corporate-sponsored event."
For more information, visit the event's website at cycleforsurvival.org.
For over 40 years, Gallup has given everything he has to Boston College. That's why it's so special that every year, the Boston College community gets to give back to the Gallup family with the Cycle for Survival's Team BC4Fabulisa.
"What makes BC special is the way it adopts these causes," Gallup said. "Whether it's Pete Frates or Jay McGillis or Cycle for Survival. Everyone knows someone who has been diagnosed with cancer or illness and I was telling everyone that (fighting) is our most important competition. The Boston College event has really meant a lot to my family and, because it's an important cause, it's really heartwarming. We have 31 varsity sports and they all get together to help make this day special. I always see the shirts around campus and the seniors always tell me how they have a shirt from each year."
The Eagles ride in the Cycle for Survival in memory of Barry Gallup's daughter, Lisa Gallup '09. 2018 marked the sixth straight year of the event in Chestnut Hill, which helps raise money for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. It's an annual goal to raise $10,000 as part of an event that Lisa helped jumpstart.
Lisa joined the Cycle for Survival when it first wanted to move into Boston. She never got to see it through to fruition, however, due to a cancer diagnosis against which she bravely fought. Lisa Gallup passed away in December 2012 at just 26 years old.
The Cycle for Survival debuted at BC two months later and has since become one of the most fun and best-attended occasions on the BC calendar. Representatives from each of the 31 varsity athletic teams ride spin bicycles for half-hour intervals, starting at 7 a.m. They compete with and against one another all while enjoying a fun atmosphere of strobe lights, beach balls, colors and pom poms. It's not mandatory for any team but it has near universal attendance as a credit to both the athletes and the Gallup family.
"A cycling event gives everyone an opportunity that these teams never have together," field hockey head coach Kelly Doton said. "They're out on the field, on the court, swimming and diving, but they're never in a cycling environment that isn't any of our sports. They don't even know they're exercising for 20 minutes until they get off their bike and say their legs are pretty tight. But with music and beach balls in (the rooms), they know they're cycling for a good cause."
"You realize how important this is to the different teams," Gallup said. "The softball team kicked us off and they were riding on game day. Baseball rode today and they were supposed to be playing in a game that had been canceled. The lacrosse team is top-ranked in the country and their coach (Acacia Walker-Weinstein) is riding with the team. The trainers and strength coaches were all in on it. It really transcends the athletics department like that."
It's driven by a desire to make the event bigger and bigger each year. The Boston College event is considered a "satellite" event from the full Boston cycle that took place at Equinox Fitness Club earlier this year. But it remains an important fixture on the Chestnut Hill calendar because of its timing. May is at the end of the academic calendar and it provides one of those last chances for teams to participate together in an event before summer break. It's then tied together with the legendary Gallup and a family that's been dedicated forever to Boston College.
"I think (the event) is pretty powerful," Doton said. "When we do the schedule on the spreadsheet, it gives you a little goosebumps. But then you see the sign that (all the athletes) sign, with all of the people who come out to support Coach Gallup. It's pretty powerful. I'm fortunate enough to be part of the event. Sometimes you forget the emotion of the day; it takes a lot to organize everything. But then you see Coach Gallup and the pictures of Lisa and it takes you over a little bit. So I'm just happy to be a part of it."
The Cycle for Survival is now a nation-wide event encompassing over 34,000 participants. It's raised over $39 million for cancer research, easily surpassing 2017's mark of $34 million.
"The key is the program's growth," Gallup said. "When it started out, people didn't really know about (Cycle for Survival). Lisa helped fight against cancer in New York and she just wanted to be a part of it to help. But she, along with (program founder) David Linn, helped start the original events in Boston. It's gone from a regional fundraiser to being a large, corporate-sponsored event."
For more information, visit the event's website at cycleforsurvival.org.
#24 Baseball Defeats UConn (April 15, 2026)
Wednesday, April 15
#24 Baseball Defeats Northeastern in Beanpot Championship (April 14, 2026)
Wednesday, April 15
#23 Baseball Defeats Virginia Tech (April 12, 2026)
Tuesday, April 14
#23 Baseball Defeats Virginia Tech (April 11,2026
Saturday, April 11
