Breakthrough Bike Challenge board members invite the community to join them for their annual bike ride, which raises funds for cancer research on Sunday, June 19, in Berks County’s Oley Valley. From left Randy Bown, Chris Hall, Jeff Krieger, Jennifer Pinto-Martin and Ernie Tracy. (Photo by Kim Krieger)[/caption]

by Sue Ann Rybak

This Father's Day, June 19, you can be a catalyst for change by participating in the Breakthrough Bike Challenge, an annual bike ride in Berks County’s Oley Valley that raises money for life-saving cancer research at Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center.

The Breakthrough Bike Challenge is a fun ride with routes to suit anyone’s cycling ability. So it doesn't matter whether you are a seasoned cyclist or someone who is just getting back on his or her bike after some time away. If you cannot ride in this year's event but still want to help raise funds, you can register as a virtual cyclist.

Riders have a choice of three options: a 12-, 25- or 40-mile loop that includes “ICU” Intensive Climbing Unit. The ride begins and ends at the historic Daniel Boone Homestead, 400 Daniel Boone Rd. in Birdsboro. The ride will be followed by a picnic lunch.

Chestnut Hill resident Christopher Hall, one of the founders of the BBC, said the goal of the Breakthrough Bike Challenge is to raise funds for young scientists who don't qualify for a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant.

“It's a chicken or the egg conundrum,” Hall, 57, explained. “Young, bright investigators need data to support their ideas for NIH grants, but they need grants to collect data. We provide that seed money.”

He said 100 percent of all the funds raised by the Breakthroug Bike Challenge go directly to the Abramson Cancer Center to fund critical and timely cancer research.

Hall and his wife, Mary Ann Boyer, a cancer survivor, held a small bike ride several years ago in Berks County to help raise funds for cancer research.

“We wanted to ride again and looked for established events, but found that the administrative costs charges against donations were unconscionable,” said Hall, a partner at Saul Ewing LLP.

He said that in one case, 50 percent of donations raised went to administrative costs.

“We admired the Pan Mass Challenge in Boston, which promised 100 percent of the funds raised would go to research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and thought, 'Why not Philadelphia?' So, we invited some dear friends to meet at Campbell's to gauge their interest. Randy Brown, of Flourtown; Jeff Krieger, of Chestnut Hill; Ernie Tracy, of Wyndmoor, and Jennifer Pinto-Martin, of Center City and formerly of Chestnut Hill, answered with a resounding “yes!” (and became BBC’s board members).We have never looked back.”

The BBC’s event is completely funded by members of the board and the generosity of sponsors who, this year, include Saul Ewing LLP, Krieger Architects, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Shein Law, BB & T Bank, Independence Blue Cross and UBS.

Several members of BBC’s board are cancer survivors themselves or have an immediate family member who was diagnosed with cancer.

Pinto-Martin, a BBC board member whose husband Muscoe Martin died of brain cancer, said recent cuts to research funding by the National Institute of Health make it difficult for young innovative scientists to qualify for federal funding.

“By providing a competitive pool of funds for junior faculty, the foundation is having a direct impact on the opportunities for Penn and junior faculty members to get funding from NIH,” she said.

While researchers have made strides against cancer, the American Cancer Society estimates that over 1,600 million will be diagnosed with cancer in 2016. According to the ACS, one in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

Last year, the Breakthrough Bike Challenge raised $140,000 to fund cutting-edge cancer research at the Abramson Cancer Center. All the funds raised in its May 2015 ride were donated.

This year the BBC hopes to raise $250 thousand dollars for cancer research. But Hall said the ride is about more than just raising funds for cancer research.

“We all know someone whose life has been impacted by cancer,” he said. “It's really about expressing love and support for whose receiving treatment for cancer. It's about giving hope and relieving the anxiety of cancer patients – the ride sends the message that we will find a breakthrough … soon.

“It is also a way to support young researchers who are doing amazing things with cutting-edge research. We support the leaders of tomorrow. Finally, it’s a way for family and friends to make a difference and be part of the solution.”

For more information about the Breakthrough Bike Challenge or to make a donation, go to www.breakthroughbikechallenge.org.

This article was updated on June 20, 2016. An earlier version of this story erroneously stated that the BBC hoped to raise $250 million dollars for cancer research. It should have said $250 thousand dollars for cancer research.