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A former Jeannette man capped a 4,000-mile bicycle trip to raise funds in the fight against cancer with a ride across San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

Joe Deluzio and 24 other cyclists in the Hopkins 4K for Cancer departed Memorial Day weekend from Baltimore and ended their cross country trip July 31.

Deluzio, the 23-year-old son of Charles Deluzio, of Jeannette, and Jill D'Amico, of Greensburg, lives in the Washington, D.C., area. He received a degree in public health--natural sciences in 2004 from Johns Hopkins University, and plans to pursue a master's in forensics or bio-defense in hopes of working in government law enforcement.

Deluzio became aware of the cycling trek through his girlfriend, Sandra Lebo-Guirguis, a recent graduate of the Baltimore school, who also made the trip.

Hopkins 4K for Cancer was launched in 2001 by Leah Blom and Ryan Hanley, sophomores at Johns Hopkins, who decided cycling across the United States was a good way to heighten awareness of cancer, raise funds and foster hope.

In two years, the event has raised more than $100,000 for cancer research. This year's fund-raiser will benefit the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge in Baltimore, a temporary residence for cancer patients and their families.

During the two-month trip, the cyclists endured strong headwinds, hail and rainstorms, rough roads and high mountain climbs. They fought boredom and fatigue and coped with desert heat.

"Each day has its challenges," said Deluzio, who found the steep terrain and some of the 10,000-foot elevations of the Rocky Mountains, including the Sierra Nevada range, particularly daunting.

But so was a stretch of Utah, where the cyclists had to get up by 4:30 in the morning to avoid the severe temperatures of the high desert country.

Along the way they visited big cities like Cleveland, Chicago and St. Louis, but mostly small towns -- Clinton, Ill., Fayette, Mo., Wiggins, Colo., and Tonopah, Nev. They stayed in university dormitories and a junior high school, YMCAs, churches and fire halls. Sometimes they were invited to spend the night in a host family's home. Other nights they camped out.

"The people have just been amazing," Deluzio said of the hospitality extended to them along the route.

When they passed through Westmoreland County in May, Deluzio's family did likewise, providing a dinner for his fellow travelers.

Their daily rides, which averaged 70-80 miles, were often dedicated to particular cancer patients.

Oftentimes, the group participated in cancer-awareness education. During a stopover at Cleveland's University Hospital, they learned about how music therapy can help alleviate pain and the stress of cancer treatment. They helped in the Relay for Life in Cleveland and visited a hospice in Topeka, Kansas.

Deluzio, like many of his fellow cyclists, had a personal reason for signing on for the trip.

"My aunt, an avid cyclist, passed away from cancer," he wrote in a Web site dossier. "When I learned about the Hopkins 4K, I not only thought it would be an unbelievable opportunity to travel across the country, spreading hope and awareness, but it was an opportunity to do something special for my family in her memory."

The trip has given Deluzio a view of the country he hadn't seen before. Although he drove across the country nearly two years ago, he said he had taken a more southerly route. His first glimpse of the Rockies occurred in late June in the small town of Wiggins, Colo., about 85 miles east of Boulder. The group stopped for supper at a church and rain showers obscured the western horizon. When the sky cleared, the range came into view.

Deluzio, who played football, hockey and baseball at Jeannette Senior High School, and football at Johns Hopkins, said he hadn't done any cycling before he decided to go on the trip, but nevertheless managed to qualify for the team, which drew 50 applicants.

He compared the first week of the trip to the grueling start of football camp, saying it took time to get into shape but as the days went by, he felt better.

Deluzio hesitated when asked if he would attempt another such ride.

"To do it over again would be tough, but it's been a great experience, and I'm very happy I did this because it's for a good cause. It's definitely been a great trip."

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