The indoor cycling event will be held at New York Sports Club in Blue Back Square and will support the family of West Hartford Ambassador and King Philip student Allison Terrones, as well as patients throughout Connecticut.

Allison Terrones, a student at King Philip Middle School in West Hartford, is the ambassador for the New York Sports Club’s Cycle Against Cancer event on March 18. Submitted photo

Submitted 

The CT Sports Foundation Against Cancer will present their highly popular fundraiser, the Cycle Against Cancer, at New York Sports Club in West Hartford, CT, on Saturday, March 18, 2017 from 8 a.m.-noon.

The Cycle Against Cancer is an indoor cycling fundraiser that capitalizes on the popular sport of “spinning” to raise money to benefit Connecticut cancer patients through the CT Sports Foundation (CSF). CSF provides financial assistance to Connecticut cancer patients and their families to help pay basic living expenses, such as rent, mortgage, and utilities.

“If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with cancer, you know how financially devastating it is,” said Terri Eickel, Director of Development for the CT Sports Foundation. “In the blink of an eye, that person is facing mounting medical bills and difficult procedures that require lengthy recovery, which means that they will miss months of work. That loss of income, combined with unexpected medical expenses, can create severe financial hardship in a very short period of time” she said. “That is why the CT Sports Foundation is proud to be able to help so many people who are fighting this disease.”

CSF provided almost $450,000 in financial aid last year to cancer patients and their families in Connecticut last year, and Eickel says that the Cycle Against Cancer is a significant source of the funds that CSF provides. “This year, we are expanding to four locations in March 2017,” she stated, “and we are very excited to bring this to New York Sports Club on March 18.”

This event doesn’t just help cancer patients throughout Connecticut, however. The Cycle Against Cancer at New York Sports Club will provide a large grant to the family of the Cycle Against Cancer Ambassador, Allison Terrones, a 12-year-old girl from West Hartford, who is battling leukemia. Allison was attending King Philip Middle School when she was diagnosed with leukemia last fall; she is receiving chemotherapy at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

“Because of the Cycle Against Cancer, Allison’s family will receive a much larger grant than we can typically provide,” Eickel said. “The rest of the money raised that day will provide aid to cancer patients throughout the state through our CT Cancer Patient Assistance Fund. It is a great way to help cancer patients in Connecticut, while also really helping a local family that is fighting this disease.”

Participating in the Cycle Against Cancer is easy and registration is free! People are asked to form teams, raise money, and come together for a great day of spinning. Each team is asked to raise at least $1,000, but Eickel says this is very doable.

“Everyone has been affected by cancer, so they are happy to sponsor you. Plus, you can have as many people on your team as you want, so reaching that $1000 is easy.”

For each $1,000 a team raises, they “earn” one bike for four hours. If the team raises $2,000, they get two bikes for four hours and so on. Eickel went on to say that you do NOT have to spin for four hours. “Even though the event is four hours, the teams schedule their time on the bike, based on how much they have raised.”

To register for the Cycle Against Cancer, please visit www.cycleagainstcancernewsportsclub.org. The Cycle Against Cancer is sponsored in part by WFSB, iHeart Media, gener8or, Panera Bread, and Whole Foods.

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