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Community Corner

JoyRide Cycling Studio Raises $47,186 for Cancer Research

Thanks to generous donations by riders and their supporters, Team JoyRide raised $47,186 for rare cancer research at JoyRide Cycling Studio’s Cycle for Survival satellite event.  The team surpassed last year’s total by $10,000, when they were the highest fundraising satellite event in the world for Cycle for Survival, the national indoor cycling event.

 

One hundred percent of the funds raised go directly to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and are allocated within six months of each event. The donations help fund the most promising research and clinical trials, and have led to better treatments for cancer patients worldwide. 

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“Almost all of us have known a close friend or family member who has faced a battle with cancer,” said rider Duncan O’Brien (Westport, Conn.). “Sometimes, treatments are effective and our loved ones return to reasonably normal lives, and, sometimes, things don’t work out the way we hope and pray.  

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“For me, the most intimate cancer battle that I’ve experienced was my dad’s battle with bladder cancer,” continued O’Brien.  “He lived in Colorado and came to Memorial Sloan Kettering for evaluation and surgery in 2006.  In part because of the great treatment he received there, and in part because of his dedicated focus to staying fit – including spinning – he lived a very full and complete life right up until a couple of weeks before he died in January 2011.  My family and I will forever be grateful to the team at Memorial Sloan Kettering for the treatment he received there and the thousands and thousands of donors who have contributed to research at MSK over the years.”

 

More than half of all cancers are classified as "rare," including all pediatric cancers.  Other well-known forms of the diseases classified as rare include pancreatic, sarcoma, ovarian, cervical, brain, metastatic melanoma, head and neck, stomach, bladder, leukemia and lymphomas.   

 

Cycle for Survival was founded in 2007 by Jennifer Goodman Linn and her husband, Dave, after Jennifer was diagnosed with a soft tissue cancer called sarcoma.  Since then, Cycle for Survival has raised more than $20.4 million and has directly funded 53 clinical trials and research studies, bringing hope to countless lives worldwide touched by rare cancers.  

 

Held on Saturday, March 16 at JoyRide’s Westport studio at 1200 Post Road East, the 90-minute fundraising ride was led by Rhodie Lorenz (Westport, Conn.), co-owner and lead instructor of JoyRide Cycling Studio.  BMW of Bridgeport, continuing its long-time commitment to supporting cancer-related charities and fundraisers, sponsored JoyRide’s event.   

 

“We are all very fortunate to have a studio like JoyRide in Westport,” said O’Brien.  “Not only are they helping us get and stay healthy, they are making it really easy and fun for us to share our many blessings with extremely worthwhile causes like Cycle for Survival.”

 

JoyRide Cycling Studio is the first fitness boutique dedicated to indoor cycling, or Spinning®, in Fairfield County.  JoyRide's exclusive training method combines core elements of Pilates with indoor cycling to maximize cardiovascular benefits and burn calories and fat.  JoyRide is located in the new fitness complex at 1200 Post Road East, behind Crate and Barrel, in Westport, Conn.  Their second studio is set to open in Darien in June.  For more information and reservations, please visit JoyRide’s web site at joyridestudio.com.  

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