BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Ride for Roswell will have a different look this year, but the mission remains the same: raising critically needed research funds to aid in the fight against cancer.
On Monday, Roswell Park announced the locations for this year's challenge, called the "Summer of the Ride." The Summer of Ride will include unique ways to celebrate and be engaged in July, following the June 27 virtual torch lighting, and then rides throughout August.
The in-person rides will take place weekends from August 1 through 21. There will be four locations, five distances and six days to choose from.
The dates and locations are as follows:
- Linde Tonawanda Campus
August 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16
10-mile route - UB North Campus
August 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16
3-mile route & 10-mile route - Grand Island West Shore Parkway
August 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16
20-mile route - Akron Five Corners**
August 1, 8, 15
38-mile route
Scheduled rides take place from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays each weekend. More information about the routes can be found here.
Spots are limited. Only ten riders at a time will leave every 20 minutes to maintain social distancing. Riders will also be asked to wear masks.
“The Ride has been a key part of WNY summers for 25 years, and we are excited to provide an opportunity for the community to safely come together and ride in memory or honor of those affected by cancer,” said Mitch Flynn, Ride for Roswell founder. “Cancer doesn’t stop for anything, not even the coronavirus, and the support of the community is needed now more than ever.”
You must register for the Summer of the Ride to reserve a spot at an in-person ride. There is no registration fee and no fundraising minimum this year. If you can't make it on any of those days, you can design your own route for a time and place convenient for you.
If you already paid your registration fee before May 1, it will be applied to your fundraising total and you will get free registration in 2021.
“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,” said Flynn.
A virtual torch lighting ceremony was held on Facebook on Saturday. The torch will stay lit at Roswell's Kaminski Park until the end of the Summer of the Ride on August 21.
WGRZ is a proud sponsor of the event.