Laflin will borrow $303K

At tense summit, U.S. on oil quest

<b>First Posted:</b> 2/24/2008<br><br>CAMILLE FIOTI Times Leader Correspondent
EXETER &amp;ndash;The atmosphere was more like a dance club than a grueling two-hour spinning class.

 The disco ball&amp;rsquo;s multi-colored lights swirled around the small, dark room. Upbeat music from classic rock to county to hip-hop pulsated through the sound system while sweaty cyclists wearing glow necklaces pedaled to the beat. They were all there to help Paul Zbiek get through the last two hours of Saturday&amp;rsquo;s 12-hour Spin for Life marathon at Sickler&amp;rsquo;s bike shop. 
For the last two weeks, Zbiek, a professor at King&amp;rsquo;s College, has been pedaling on a stationary bike for six hours each day to prepare for the event, which raises close to $8,000 each year to benefit the Brandon J. Case Memorial Fund at King&amp;rsquo;s. The fund endows an annual scholarship at King&amp;rsquo;s for a student who excels in academics and community service. This year, money raised will also benefit Candy&amp;rsquo;s Place, a cancer resource center in Forty Fort.
 Zbiek and Mark Farrell, owner of Sickler&amp;rsquo;s, started the event in 2000 to honor the memory of Zbiek&amp;rsquo;s stepson Brandon J. Case, a King&amp;rsquo;s student who died in 1999 after a three-year battle with Hodgkin&amp;rsquo;s disease. 
About 200 participants took part in the marathon, which consisted of 45-minute sessions beginning at 7 a.m. Many of the participants were Brandon&amp;rsquo;s friends and doctors, and Zbiek&amp;rsquo;s past and present students, Farrell said.
&amp;ldquo;They wanted to come to honor the memory of Brandon and to help Paul get through it,&amp;rdquo; he said. &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;ve never met a more humble and honest individual than Paul. He refuses to take credit for what he does.&amp;rdquo;
Farrell&amp;rsquo;s daughter-in-law, Corrine Farrell, who teaches spin classes at Sickler&amp;rsquo;s, has participated in the event for the last six years.
 &amp;ldquo;Paul&amp;rsquo;s drive to keep Brandon&amp;rsquo;s memory alive is commendable,&amp;rdquo; she said. &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s amazing to see everyone pull together to support this cause.&amp;rdquo;
 The last two hours of the marathon was coached by Zbiek&amp;rsquo;s cycling buddy, Rick Coslett of Shavertown.
 &amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s a festive, circus-like atmosphere, unlike any other spin class,&amp;rdquo; Farrell said.
 Coslett took the group of 25 cyclists through a virtual course starting at Harvey&amp;rsquo;s Lake and ending at Sickler&amp;rsquo;s.
 &amp;ldquo;The music is all planned to the terrain,&amp;rdquo; Coslett said.
 To keep the momentum going, he reminded his group of Zbiek&amp;rsquo;s dedication.
&amp;ldquo;If Paul can ride his bike for six hours a day for two weeks, you guys can give me two hours,&amp;rdquo; he told them.
A cross-section of riders, from beginners to the area&amp;rsquo;s top triathletes, kept Zbiek company for the last leg of the event.
 &amp;ldquo;Paul&amp;rsquo;s such a great guy,&amp;rdquo; Coslett said. &amp;ldquo;He&amp;rsquo;s done so much for the community.&amp;rdquo;
 First time participant, Doug Straub of Bear Creek said he wanted to take part in the marathon to honor his father, who died of cancer a year ago.
&amp;ldquo;It&amp;rsquo;s a great cause and it&amp;rsquo;s something I like to do at the same time,&amp;rdquo; he said. 
Sean McGrath of Harveys Lake was a former student of Zbiek&amp;rsquo;s.
 &amp;ldquo;He&amp;rsquo;s a great professor and was a great friend in college, so I wanted to be here to support him,&amp;rdquo; McGrath said.
 He brought along his girlfriend, Kathy Hawk of Shavertown.
&amp;ldquo;The only way I can get her on a bike is for charity,&amp;rdquo; he joked. 
Zbiek, hunched over his bike, intently focusing on his mission of completing the last 10 miles of his record 3,000 mile trek, said he felt &amp;ldquo;pretty good,&amp;rdquo; with the exception of a little soreness in his knees.
 In the previous Spin for Life marathons, he averaged 2,000 miles.
 &amp;ldquo;He&amp;rsquo;s amazing,&amp;rdquo; said Zbiek&amp;rsquo;s wife of 20 years, Donna. &amp;ldquo;I&amp;rsquo;m used to what he does, but I&amp;rsquo;m still in awe of him.&amp;rdquo;

Spinning for a cause