University of Massachusets Athletics
Newcomb To Ride In Pan-Mass Challenge
August 05, 2010 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Aug. 5, 2010
AMHERST, Mass. - For the third-straight year, UMass women's swimming head coach Bob Newcomb will be riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge, a bike-a-thon to raise money for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through The Jimmy Fund. The event begins on Aug. 8 in Sturbridge and concludes on Aug. 9 in Provincetown and 100 percent of all proceeds go to The Jimmy Fund. For more information, visit Bob's PMC webpage by clicking HERE.
Today, the PMC raises more money for charity than any other single event in the country. The organization was founded in 1980 and has since raised $270 million for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund. The PMC is a model of fundraising efficiency. In 2009, for the third consecutive year, the PMC donated 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar directly to the cause. The PMC generates more than half of the Jimmy Fund's annual revenue and it is Dana-Farber's single largest contributor. Over 250,000 individual contributions were made to last year's fundraising campaign.
Bob will be riding the 2010 PMC as part of the Patriot Platelet Pedalers, a group committed to increasing funding for platelet disorder research.
The Pan-Mass Challenge Kickoff Show will be televised live on NECN on Friday, Aug. 6 at 7 p.m.
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 46 towns across Massachusetts. More than 5,000 cyclists are expected to ride this year. Cyclists choose from ten routes of varying mileage designed to cater to all levels of cycling strength and time availability. Two-day rides include the original 190-mile Sturbridge to Provincetown route; 180-mile Sturbridge-Bourne-Wellesley route; 163-mile Wellesley-Bourne-Provincetown route; the 153-mile Wellesley-Bourne-Wellesley route; the 157-mile Sturbridge-Bourne-Wellesley-Wellesley and the 131-mile Wellesley-Bourne-Wellesley-Wellesley. One-day riders cycle the 110-mile Sturbridge-Bourne route, the 84-mile Wellesley-Bourne route, and the 47-mile Wellesley-Wellesley Sunday loop. In 2010, cyclists are required to raise between $500 and $4,200 to ride in the PMC, depending on the chosen route.
