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Next month, a contingency of cyclists from Bronxville, Scarsdale and New Rochelle will join more than 6,500 others at the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) in Massachusetts, the largest athletic fundraising event in the country each year.
During the weekend of Aug. 6, “individual cyclists unite to become one extended family,” according to Bill Starr, who founded the PMC. In total, riders from more than 40 states and seven countries are expected to take their talents to Needham, Mass. where they will choose from 12 routes that run through 46 towns totaling 196 miles.
By the end of the weekend, riders are hopeful of raising $46 million to support adult and pediatric care and cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
According to PMC officials, on average, each cyclist trains for three months, obtains dozens of sponsors and raises nearly $10,000 apiece.
This year, Westchester County will be represented by New Rochelle native Craig LoConte and James Powell out of Bronxville. The five-person team of Benjamin and Deborah Hochberg, Garrett Mulhall, Mark O’Friel and Thomas Bohjalin from Scarsdale.
“Each year, the PMC is proud to welcome riders and volunteers with unique backgrounds and experiences, from all over the country and all over the world, into our family. This is what makes ride weekend such an impactful and inspiring event,” Starr said in a statement. “In 2016, we are honored to have more than 6,500 cyclists joining us to ride for a cure and help surpass this year’s $46 million fundraising goal.”
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