WACO, Texas (KWTX) – Cesia Sanchez, an athlete for Team Waco, honored her late brother at the Waco Wild West Bike Tour.

Early Sunday morning, hundreds of eager cyclists set off from the starting line in downtown Waco for the annual bike tour. Among them, Sanchez set the goal of 51 miles, the equivalent of 204 laps on a track.

But for her, the ride is not just about crossing the finish line.

“You’re with me, Ely!” she shouts.

Her brother, Ely, an infantryman in Afghanistan, died by suicide. His one piece of advice to his sister before passing? To never take exercise for granted. So she set the goal of training for a half-Ironman.

“After he passed away, I took fitness as a way to honor my brother and to grieve him and heal him all at the same time,” she said.

When training gets difficu

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