Resident Rides In Bike-A-Thon

On August 4 and 5, Thomas Burger of Garden City will ride in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC), the nation's original bike-a-thon for charity that today raises more money than any other athletic fundraising event in the country. They will be among more than 5,000 cyclists riding in the 28 th annual event, with the collective goal of raising $27 million for adult and pediatric cancer research and care of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund.

Thousands of PMC cyclists ride in the event because they have a connection to cancer. More than 200 PMC cyclists are cancer survivors. Cyclists, who range in age from 15 to 80, ride to remember loved ones lost to the disease or in honor of those in treatment. After PMC weekend, these individual cyclists become one family. The camaraderie shared by 5,000 cyclists, 2,600 volunteers and thousands of supporters is one of the reasons cyclists from 36 states and six countries return to ride in the PMC each August.

"Cancer has affected so many people in different ways," says Billy Starr, PMC founder and executive director. "The PMC is a way for everyone to come together and work toward finding a cure."

The PMC has contributed more than $171 million to the Jimmy Fund since its 1980 inception. Last year, the PMC gave 99 cents of every rider-raised dollar directly to the Jimmy Fund, a rate of fundraising efficiency that is nearly unequaled within the $1 billion athletic fundraising event industry. The PMC is the largest contributor to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's $1 billion capital campaign.

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge is a fully supported bike-a-thon - with food and water-stops, mechanical and medical assistance, luggage transportation, and lodging - that runs through 43 towns across Massachusetts. Two-day rides include the original 192-mile Sturbridge to Provincetown route; 180-mile Sturbridge-Bourne-Wellesley route; 163-mile Wellesley-Bourne-Provincetown route; or the 153-mile Wellesley-Bourne-Wellesley route. One-day riders cycle the 111-mile Sturbridge-Bourne route, the 84-mile Wellesley-Bourne route, the 69-mile Bourne-Wellesley Sunday volunteer route, or the new 47-mile Wellesley-Wellesley Sunday loop. Cyclists are required to raise between $1,000 and $3,600 to ride in the PMC, depending on the chosen route, yet the average PMC cyclist raises $5,500.

The PMC is sponsored by the Boston Red Sox, Overstock.com and Covidien. To become a volunteer, a virtual rider, or to make a financial contribution to a rider from your town, visit www.pmc.org or call (800) WE-CYCLE. Checks can be made payable to PMC, 77 Fourth Ave., Needham, Mass. 02494. To make a donation to Thomas Burger, visit www.pmc.org and enter his egift ID number: TB0110.