BUFFALO, N.Y. — Roswell Park has re-imagined the Ride for Roswell, after the annual event was postponed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Summer of the Ride will be offering multiple riding options from August 1-21.
The 25th Annual Ride For Roswell was originally scheduled for June, but due to the pandemic, the one-day event is being replaced with multiple opportunities during the summer for riders to participate, fundraise and connect with others.
“From the beginning, this has been about coming together to save lives from cancer. With the Summer of the Ride, we’ll have a lot of great ways we can do that despite everything that’s happened the past few months,” says Mitch Flynn, the founder of the Ride for Roswell. “At the end of the day, the Ride is about the people we ride for. Cancer doesn’t stop, and neither can we. We still need to fund new research and clinical trials. We still need to keep finding better treatments until we discover a cure. We still need to save lives. I can’t wait to see what we do together with these new Ride options this year as we fight to make those things happen.”
The Summer of the Ride will begin with the lighting of the torch on June 27. There will be fundraising challenges, engagement and ways to celebrate throughout the month of July; getting on bikes to ride August 1–21; and a closing ceremony August 21.
Here's how you can participate in the Summer of the Ride:
• Ride with us: Small, physically distant rides will be planned for weekend days in August. On these dates, small groups will leave every 20 minutes from a variety of locations around Western New York. More details on locations will be announced in June.
• Ride your own way: Participants ride any distance, any time and at any location between August 1 and 21. Riders can cycle around their neighborhoods, ride their favorite trails, stay at home on their trainers or do anything else that represents the Ride for Roswell to them.
“We’re excited to be part of this re-imagined Ride, and to see how everyone finds a way to ride this summer,” says Matt Lasher, Marketing Director for the West Herr Automotive Group. “West Herr continues to be a supporter of the Ride for Roswell because everyone has been touched by cancer in some way, and every day we see how that support makes a difference for the people of Western New York. The Ride is an amazing show of unity, community and support that brings us together every year, and this year we might need it more than ever. We’re proud to be a part of it once again.”
Registration fees for the Ride, as well as fundraising minimums, will be eliminated. Those that have already paid a registration fee prior to May 1, will have their fee applied to their fundraising totals. They will receive a free Ride for Roswell registration in 2021.
If you want to sign up, you must register online at RideforRoswell.org. Funds raised this summer will benefit cancer research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.