Bike Ride For Lung Health Takes Off From Chatham’s Oyster Pond

CHATHAM – Charity cyclists pedaled through the wind and the wet during the American Lung Association’s 42nd Autumn Escape Bike Trek, which began at Oyster Pond Beach last Friday morning.

The annual ride raises money to support the association’s mission of improving lung health and preventing lung diseases, including cancer.

Friday’s participants, about 75 of them, arrived in Chatham via three school buses from Camp Burgess in Sandwich. Two trucks transported the group’s bicycles. Then the riders took off at the Oyster Pond Beach start line on a route back to Camp Burgess.

The Autumn Escape Bike Trek was slated to be a three-day event, with additional rides scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Those routes had to be cancelled due to the nor’easter. But the Friday ride pushed on, one of the few sporting events held on Cape Cod last weekend.  

“We paused the road riding due to conditions,” said Emily Murphy, a senior vice president of development for the American Lung Association. “Safety of our riders and volunteers are [the American Lung Association’s] number one priority. However, the spirit, fellowship and support of the lung disease community kept our commitment to clean air and lung health as the priority.”

The ride raised at least $190,955 from more than 320 participants and 900 donations. The fundraising was still being counted as of The Chronicle’s deadline, with hopes the total would in the end reach $200,000. 

To date, the event has raised more than $2.2 million over the last 12 years. The aim is to invest $240,000 annually to support lung disease research, clean air and tobacco-free advocacy, and to host educational programs and services about, among other topics, lung health, the dangers of vaping, the importance of lung cancer screening, and the need for asthma education and control in schools, according to a press release.