PMC Teen Mountain Bike Ride to raise money to help fight cancer: Sept. 28

WESTWOOD, Mass. — This fall, the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) Teen Mountain Bike Ride will be one of 37 PMC Kids Rides throughout New England and beyond. In 2013, the PMC Kids Rides program attracted nearly 4,700 cyclists, ages of 2 to18, who rode between one and 26 miles in mini-bike-a-thons to raise money for cancer care and research.

The PMC Kids Rides are spokes in the PMC wheel, joining the more than 5,700 adult PMC cyclists in their mission to fund adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. The PMC is a two-day, 190-mile bike-a-thon held the first weekend of every August. Since 1980, the PMC has raised $414 million for the Jimmy Fund.

PMC Kids Rides offer a way for children to become part of the PMC mission, involving young people in volunteerism and fundraising in a safe and athletic way. Since the first ride in 1998, The PMC Kids Rides program has raised more than $5.5 million.

To provide the young cyclists with an additional push, the PMC recognizes cyclists in the Kids Rides program who raise $250 or more. Riders who meet this goal are honored as Heavy Hitters and receive an official PMC sack pack and certificate to acknowledge their fundraising achievements.

The PMC Teen Mountain Bike Ride expects 50 teens, ages 13 to 18, to ride multiple 1.7-mile loops along the carriage trail at Hale Reservation in Westwood. The ride was started by brother-sister duo Matthew and Nicole Piispanen, of Wellesley, Mass., who wanted to create an event that would bring teens from many Boston area schools together to raise money for cancer research. The PMC Teen Mountain Bike Ride will hold a party after the ride, which will include food, music and the awarding of a brand new mountain bike to the event’s highest fundraiser. The 2014 goal is to raise $15,000.

The PMC Teen Mountain Bike Ride will be held from 10 a.m.to noon on Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Hale Reservation, located 80 Carby Street in Westwood. There is a $10 registration fee and a $25 fundraising minimum. PMC Kids Rides are sponsored by the Yawkey Foundation. Contributions can be made payable to the Pan-Mass Challenge. To register, visit http://kids.pmc.org. For more information, email Wendy Horn at pmcteenmtb@gmail.com or call 800-WE-CYCLE.

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