Published in the July 6, 2016 edition
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The most anticipated event of the summer is almost here.
The 12th annual Reid’s Ride bike-a-thon is making its highly anticipated return to the North Shore on Sunday, July 17.
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 Lynnfield tradition will give cyclists the opportunity to raise funds for new treatments for adolescents and young adults fighting cancer.
The ride raises funds for the Reid Sacco Cancer Alliance and serves as a tribute to the life and legacy of Reid Sacco. Reid was a 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 fulfilling Reid’s dream of finding a cure.
The funds raised by the alliance allow the organization to fund scientific and clinical research specifically directed at finding better treatments and cures for the cancers predominantly striking young adults. The funds are also used to grant one or more scholarships each year to Lynnfield High School seniors.
The Reid Sacco Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Alliance has supported a number of different programs. The alliance has collaborated with Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and a number of adult cancer treatment centers in Hartford, Conn. The ride’s 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.
Reid’s parents, Lorraine and Gene, represented the alliance last week at the Cancer Moonshot Summit at the Museum of Science.
“Cancer Moonshot is a $1 billion national initiative, led by Vice President Joe Biden, intended to accelerate progress in finding cures for cancers,” said Lorraine Sacco. “The vice president addressed the session, pleading with hospitals, foundations, researchers, doctors and pharmaceutical companies to work together to accelerate the pace of discovery of new therapies to eradicate cancer in our lifetime. We were joined by leaders of a number of national cancer societies and foundations and we will be meeting in follow-up discussions with them to define the role of such organizations in accelerating cancer research.”
The 11th annual Reid’s Ride raised $190,000 last year and the bike-a-thon’s organizers are looking to surpass that figure this year. Sacco said the 12th annual Reid’s Ride will have a Star Wars theme.
“This year’s theme is Star Wars, with our message being that riders, sponsors and volunteers for the 2016 Reid’s Ride are ‘The Force’ behind defeating adolescent and young adult cancers,” said Sacco. “We’ll be playing up the Star Wars theme big time up at the Stage Fort Park finish line and it should be a lot of fun for everyone. May the Force be with us as we defeat AYA cancers.”
The route for the 12th annual Reid’s Ride begins at LHS at 7:30 a.m. and concludes at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester. Riders will be able to travel 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 ride’s cycling experience. Riders of all ages and abilities have conquered the last 11 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 12th annual Reid’s Ride, residents should visit the ride’s fundraising page at https://www.firstgiving.com/Reidsride.
Residents can register to ride, join or create a team of riders and create a personal or team fundraising page. The registration fee for riders who are also riding in next month’s Pan Mass Challenge is $100. If riders are not registered to ride in this year’s PMC, townspeople will need to make a donation of $150 or more. Participants can raise funds from family members, friends, classmates and colleagues. Prizes will be awarded to the riders and teams who raise the most funds.
If residents cannot attend this year’s ride, townspeople can become a virtual rider if they want to raise funds in order to fight the cancers impacting adolescents and young adults.
The online registration site will close at noon on Saturday, July 16. If residents miss the deadline, townspeople will still be able to ride in the event. Registration for same day riders opens at 6 a.m. at LHS, where participants can pay the registration fee and the donations collected. Participants will also be able to pick up a complimentary 2016 Reid’s Ride T-shirt and a bib number.
Residents will be able to rent bikes from Urban AdvenTours once again. The company will be delivering rental bikes to LHS on the morning of the ride and will be picking them at Stage Fort Park. Participants must reserve a bike in advance by calling 617-670-0637. There will only be a limited number of bikes available to rent.
Sponsors
The following companies are sponsoring the 12th annual Reid’s Ride.
A.A. Dority Company, AmyLou Photography, Andover Law Offices, Austin Sales, Beverly Kiwanis, Bianco and Sons Sausages, Brothers Kouzina, B-Yond Music, Cam Media, Christine’s Café and Confection, Clear Channel, Constitution Seafoods, Countryside Deli and Crown Coffee.
Also, Davio’s, Doctors Express Urgent Care of Saugus, Dreamtime Wellness, Dunkin Donuts (Premier Event Sponsor of Reid’s Ride), Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation, Fuddruckers, JM Electrical, Kayem Foods, Keane Fire and Safety, Kennebunk Beach Improvement Association, Kings, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Landry’s Bicycles, Law Offices of Colonna and Doyle, Legal Seafoods, Liberty Bay Credit Union, Lynnfield Meat and Deli and Lyons Ambulance.
The remaining sponsors are Mariposa, MarketStreet Lynnfield, Mix 104.1, Monadnock Spring Water, My Print and Copy, Northern Business Machines, Northrup Associates, Olde Towne Market, Pediatric Health Care Associates, Priestley Fine-Art Photography, Prince Restaurant, Rainbow Balloons, Robert McNeill, CPA, PC, Roman’s Limousine, Rotary Club of Beverly, Rotary Club of Lynnfield, Rotary Club of Peabody, S.Strock and Co. Fruit, Sachetta and Callahan, Salem Five Charitable Corp, Universal Screening Studio, Whole Foods Market Lynnfield and Young and Sons Landscaping.
