is hosting its annual Courage Classic Bicycle Tour. This is the 35th year of Courage Classic which raises millions of dollars for Children's Hospital Colorado. 

CBS Colorado Mornings anchor Michelle Griego rode the Courage Classic for the first time last year. As Griego prepares for her second outing, she got some expert advice. 

"So you've done the Courage Classic for 15 years?" she asked Brandon Nuechterlein. 

"Yes," replied Nuechterlein. 

"What makes you keep coming back every year?" Griego asked. 

"So the first year I did it just as a personal experience," Nuechterlein responded. "Then after that first time, I was hooked and my whole family has done it with me since."

Nuechterlein rides with about 20 members of his direct family, and also with his Children's Hospital Colorado team. "Wheels" is 220 members strong and is the name of the team that represents the . That is where Nuechterlein got treatment for leukemia when he was 15.

"I was very lucky that Children's had just opened a clinical trial looking at cord blood units," Nuechterlein explained. 

His case was complicated. He had two types of leukemia and virtually no chance for a bone marrow match.

"There was one viable unit in the entire world that they found, and they cloned, and they were able to give to me, and it worked," he said.

Nuechterlein took on the Courage Classic as a physical challenge after surviving his treatment.

"My first year took 12 hours. I did it on a mountain bike," he described. "It was hard and I got a police escort across the finish line."

He was the very last rider to finish that year, but it was the start of a passion for cycling and a love for the Courage Classic.

"It really recharges me and brings into focus why we do what we do," he said.

Nuechterlein is now a physician assistant at the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. He works on bone marrow transplants, and he rides with many of his former patients.

"It's really inspiring to go back each year and to see those kids who were so sick and were almost dying and now they're passing everybody," he said. 

"The time that got to me was going from Vail up to Vail Pass," Griego said to Nuechterlein. 

"Yes," Nuechterlein  agreed.

"It was 8-miles of just...." Griego said.

"Straight up," Nuechterlein finished.

"Straight up," Griego agreed. 

 "Yes," Nuechterlein agreed. 

"How do you prepare for that?" Griego asked.

"We do a lot of training rides through our team that anyone can join, and one of the big things that we do around (Denver) is we climb Lookout Mountain," Nuechterlein responded.

While the Courage Classic is challenging and beautiful, it's also an important fundraiser. Over 20 years, Team Wheels has raised $7.5 million for the Center. 

"It paid for our entire psychologist and wellness team. None of that existed when I had my transplant," Nuechterlein said.

It's a mission that keeps him pumping the peddles every year. 

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Courage Classic is July 19 & 20, 2025. The start/finish line is at Copper Mountain. It's not too late to get in involved, you can register to ride, sign up to volunteer, or make a donation.