Bike-a-thon News and Updates
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Greetings!
Spring has finally sprung! Sign up now to join the
186 teams
and the
2,587 participants
who will, in just three months, pedal from the Bridge to the Beach! Don't forget to check out our
Facebook
,
Twitter
and
Instagram
pages to follow along on the journey to June 10!
Thank you for tirelessly supporting the Bike-a-thon and helping the American Cancer Society create a world with more birthdays and less cancer.
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- NOW: Register for Bike-a-thon - $80 plus $100 fundraising minimum (registration increases to $100 on June 1)
- April: National Cancer Control Month; National Minority Health Month; Testicular Cancer Awareness Month
- April 7: World Health Day
- April 15-21: National Volunteer Week
- May 1: Deadline for riders to be registered and raised $100+ fundraising to have bib packet mailed to you
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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Wow, it’s amazing how fast time passes! Easter has come and gone which means we are just over 10 weeks from our ride. It’s time for us all to shift into high gear and prepare. With the colder, wet and windy weather behind us, we can get outside and ride.
We mustn’t overlook the importance of having a safe bike under us as we ride. Necessities such as a properly fitting helmet, closed shoes, bike gloves and glasses serve to provide us with head-to-toe protection. Be sure to take your bike to one of the bike shops who support our ride for your safety checks and tune-ups. These shops and their experienced staff can assist you with your needs. While there, ask about their shop-sponsored training rides to help to get you ready. Group riding takes some getting used to, and the practice is invaluable on ride day. It’s also a way of building up endurance while making new riding friends.
With more than 2,500 riders registered and more than $350,000 raised, we are well on our way to surpassing last year’s numbers. Our donors are coming through again, and because of their generosity, we will have a tremendous array of refreshments at our rest stops to keep us moving along.
We are inspecting the route and working closely with each community that we'll we ride through to evaluate road conditions and have repairs made. You can anticipate more signage, SAGs and bike shop support along the route.
Each of our riders has their reasons for participating and we are always making an ongoing effort to keep our ride safe, enjoyable and memorable. This year’s ride is no exception, and we will be up to the task. See you soon.
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Place a photo and message at the endpoint in honor or in memory of a special someone in your life who has been affected by cancer.
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EVER WONDER HOW BIKE GOT ITS START?
Recently, we had the good fortune of being able to sit down with Dominic S. Liberi, Esquire, a native South Philadelphian who, 46 years ago, was a new employee with the American Cancer Society in Philadelphia and assigned the task of putting together a new fundraising bike ride. Liberi, along with two other Philadelphians serving as local ACS volunteers, formulated and put out, what is today, the single largest one day endurance fundraising event that the American Cancer Society hosts, having raised more than $25 million in its history. Liberi, now an attorney and partner at the law firm of Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP, continues to cheer on the work of the Bike-a-thon.
American Cancer Society:
How did you come up with the idea of a bike ride to raise money for ACS?
Dominic Liberi:
At the time, the American Cancer Society was hosting a number of small bike rides across the country in local communities
. . .
Read the rest of the story
here
.
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MEET TEAM SHARK:
Taking a Bite Out of Cancer
Team Shark began its roots in 1994 with the passing of our father Albert M. Taylor from lung cancer. My brother, Albert Taylor, and I, Mark Taylor, began participating in a local cancer walk/run in Delaware County. Every year, family and friends began joining us, so we developed the name Team Shark from my nickname "Mark the Shark," and we came up with Survivors Helping America Research Cancer. Since 1994, We lost many members of our family and friends to cancer, and we have many who have survived cancer. Our mother B.J. Taylor is a breast cancer survivor, and I am a three-time cancer survivor. Our local cancer walk/run folded after 2013, so in 2014, my brother Al and I participated in a 150-mile bike ride for cancer. Although we enjoyed the ride, the course was extreme. We met up with two other riders and participated in that cancer ride as Team Shark.
After a few years off, we decided to get back into bike rides for cancer. Starting this year, we are participating in the American Cancer Society's Bike-a-thon as a team of 11 (so far). Out of the 11 riders, five are cancer survivors. Why this bike ride? Because it doesn't distinguish a certain form or type of cancer. But all forms of cancer, like our team members who have survived melanoma, kidney cancer, papillary carcinoma, sinus cancer, and so on. Plus, all of our riders have family or friends fighting cancer or have lost their battle with cancer. So we all ride with a purpose, as a team. So come June 10, keep an eye on the team with the ocean blue bike jerseys with the shark logo, and help us take a bite out of cancer. Keep up the donations, and good luck to everyone.
~ Mark "The Shark" Taylor, Co-Captain Team Shark
Team photo: Mark Taylor, Al Taylor-Co-Captain, Albert Taylor, Andrew Mooney, Rob Masterson, Jaymi Masterson, Laura Blackburn, and Mark Wilson. Not pictured are Eileen Mooney, Eric Spirito, and Jason Wiseley
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Ride or Volunteer Today!
For details on how our fundraising makes a difference, visit How Donations Save Lives.
Sincerely,
Your Bike-a-thon Steering Committee
Phone: (215) 985-5401
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