Plymouth Meeting Resident To Bike 192 Miles To Fight Cancer

Natives of Montgomery and Chester counties will bike 192 miles in August in an effort to raise $48 million to fight cancer.

The group of 17 locals will join more than 6,200 others from across 42 states as they cycle across Massachusetts as part of the Pan-Mass Challenge.

The money will be donated to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to help fund critical research and cancer care, organizers said.

2017's event, which will take place on Aug. 5 and 6, marks the 38th annual year of riding.

“Seeing our growth over the years has been truly incredible and we look forward to achieving our fundraising goal of $48 million for Dana-Farber,” said Billy Starr, founder and executive director of the PMC, in a statement. “We want to wish all of our riders and volunteers a safe and enjoyable ride weekend – I’ll see everyone out on the road.”

The challenge raises more money for charity than any other athletic event in the country, according to organizers. A total of $547 million has been raised since 1980.

The following locals are participating from Chester County:

• Jack Brennan (Berwyn)
• Stephen Brown (Berwyn)
• Donald Biron (Berwyn)
• Bill McNabb (Devon)
• Joseph Brennan (Devon)
• Bob Stanley (Kennett Square)
• Anthony Vetrano (Radnor)
• Stephen Cohn (Villanova)
• Jane Greenfield (Villanova)
• Jane Mingey (Wayne)

They will be joined by these bikers from Montgomery County:

• Edward Vriesilovic (Ardmore)
• Susan Schlesinger (Bryn Mawr)
• Andrew Neuwirth (Bryn Mawr)
• Aaron Weis (Bryn Mawr)
• Clifford Schlesinger (Bryn Mawr)
• Jeff Coursen (Narberth)
• Sam Sheppard (Plymouth Meeting)

Organizers said that participants range from "weekend warriors" to "seasoned triathletes."

Best of luck, cyclists!

Image via Pan-Mass Challenge