Published in the July 15, 2015 edition
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The 11th annual Reid’s Ride bike-a-thon will be making its triumphant return to the North Shore on Sunday, July 19.
Reid’s Ride is a 28-mile bike trek that spans across the North Shore, beginning at Lynnfield High School, 275 Essex St., at 7:30 a.m. The highly anticipated event, which has become a Lynnfield tradition every summer, will give cycling enthusiasts the opportunity to fund new treatments for adolescents and young adults fighting cancer.
The ride raises funds for the Reid Sacco Cancer Alliance and honors the life and legacy of Reid Sacco. Reid was an LHS graduate who passed away in April 2005 after a courageous two-year fight with sarcoma.
After Reid passed away, his family started the Reid Sacco Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Alliance. The alliance supports research treatments for the cancers that strike adolescents and young adults, with the goal of finding a cure.
The programs funded by the alliance fight AYA cancer on four fronts: Basic research, improved access to clinical trials, specialized clinical care during and after treatment, and medical education.
The fund has supported a number of different programs. It has collaborated with Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and a number of adult cancer treatment centers in Hartford. These proceeds have also enabled Tufts Medical Center to launch the Reid R. Sacco AYA Program, including the Reid R. Sacco Adolescent and Young Adult Clinic for Cancer and Blood Diseases, located at the Tufts Cancer Center in Boston.
Last year’s Reid’s Ride was the largest ride in its successful 10-year history. The ride featured an astonishing 444 cyclists and raised $165,000 for the betterment of adolescent and young adult cancer patients.
Lorraine Sacco, Reid’s mom, said the 11th annual Reid’s Ride will officially kick off a “stronger and more determined” second decade.
The route for the 11th annual Reid’s Ride begins at LHS at 7:30 a.m. and concludes at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester. The route takes cyclists through some of the most popular and beautiful cycling routes across the North Shore and cyclists will be able to ride through quaint seaside communities where they will be able to see harbors and beaches.
The 28-mile route is moderately challenging depending on a rider’s cycling experience. Riders of all ages and abilities have conquered the last 10 rides with great success. All riders are required to wear helmets. There will also be technical chase teams monitoring the entire route for riders who need assistance.
Additionally, a rest and refreshment stop will be set up at the ride’s halfway point, located at Endicott College’s lower parking lot, across from the Wylie Conference Center and Inn.
How to register
If townspeople want to register for the 11th annual Reid’s Ride, they should visit the ride’s fundraising page at https://www.firstgiving.com/Reidsride/2015-11th-annual-reids-ride. Residents can register to ride, join or create a team of riders and create a personal or team fundraising page.
Riders are encouraged to pre-register for the event. Pre-registered riders and riders who are registering on the day of the ride are required to check in at 6:30 a.m. Riders will depart LHS for Stage Fort Park at 7:30 a.m.
If residents have any questions about the ride or the fund, send an e-mail to reidsride1000@gmail.com.
Sponsors
Sacco also personally thanked all of the sponsors of the 11th annual Reid’s Ride.
The sponsors are Dunkin’ Donuts, CAM Media, Landry’s Bicycles, Lyons Ambulance, Beverly Rotary Club, Charles Schwab, Clear Channel, Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse, Doctor’s Express Urgent Care, Fuddruckers, JM Electrical, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Lynnfield Rotary Club, Mariposa, Northern Business Machines and Pediatric Health Care Associates.
Also, Rainbow Balloons, Sachetta and Callahan, Salem Five Savings Bank, Whole Foods Market Lynnfield, AmyLou Photography, Azorean Restaurant, Baubles Fine Jewelry, Bianco and Sons Sausage, B-Yond Music, Christine’s Café, Countryside Deli, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, Kayem Foods, Kennebunk Beach Improvement Association, Kings at Lynnfield MarketStreet, Liberty Bay Credit Union, Lynnfield Meat and Deli, MarketStreet Lynnfield and Mix 104.1.
The remaining sponsors are Monadnock Spring Water, My Print and Copy, LLC, North Shore Radio Association, North Shore Smiles, Papa Gino’s, Priestley’s Fine-art Photography, Prince Restaurant, Roman Limousine, S. Strock and Co., Inc., Torigan Family YMCA, Tube Ice, Inc., Universal Screening Studios and Urban AdvenTours Cycle.
