Memorial Ride to Honor Life of Newton Cyclist

Less than a year after Christina Clarke Genco , her family and friends are working to keep her passion and memory alive. 

The first-ever Christina Clarke Genco Foundation , which will start and end in Newton, is set to take place Sun., May 13. The ride aims to raise money for the Christina Clarke Genco Foundation (CCGF) and bring more awareness to some of the causes to which Genco dedicated her life. 

"Christina was such a passionate young woman who was so driven to make a difference and help others," says the Christina Clarke Genco Foundation's Public Relations Manager Elizabeth Townsend. "This foundation wants to help other youths find that passion."

In June of 2011, Genco, who grew up in Newton, was leading a cross-country ride with a group of cyclists from Bike & Build Inc. when she was struck by an SUV in Alabama and killed. 

Genco, 22, attended Boston University and coached a club lacrosse team in Boston, Revolution Lacrosse, before joining the 2011 Bike & Build tour.

The ride, which ran from May-August, was taking cyclists more than 4,000 miles across the country, with the volunteers stopping to help build homes along the way, according to the Bike & Build website.

Now, the CCGF is hoping to continue to support Bike & Build and other affordable housing organizations, as Genco had done.

“We are so excited to announce the Ride because it gives us all a chance to carry on Christina’s legacy,” Caroline Genco, president of the CCGF, said in a statement. “Rather than shy away from biking, we are confronting it head-on, promoting bike safety in partnership with Bike Newton, and raising money for affordable housing, the cause Christina lived and died working for.”

The May 13 CCGF Memorial Bike Ride offers four different routes with varying lengths, including a 68-, 34- and 17-mile route as well as a 3.4-mile family route. All routes start and end at  and the longer routes will pass through nearby towns including Needham, Dover, Sherborn, Holliston, Wrentham and Westwood, among others.

Through the ride, Townsend says the foundation hopes to raise $25,000 for several different causes, including bike safety and a scholarship fund for Revolution Lacrosse, the club Genco coached. 

A large portion of the money raised, though, will go toward affordable housing projects in partnership with Bike & Build and Habitat for Humanity, two organizations Genco "worked for for her whole life," Townsend says. 

According to Townsend, between 300-400 riders are expected to join. All cyclists, from children to seasoned athletes, are welcome to register. 

The foundation is also partnering with Bike Newton and Cycle Loft to provide a safe biking clinic at Newton City Hall on the day of the ride. 

As part of the ride festivities, the Boston University Pep Band will perform in the morning, and the reggae band Toussaint the Liberator is set to play in the afternoon.

For more information on the CCGF, the ride and the routes, visit the foundation's website. Those who are interested in registering for the ride can do so online.