Community takes to two wheels to support Bike 4 Mike fundraiser in Del Mar
The third annual Bike 4 Mike charity cycling event will take place on Sunday, Oct. 26, in Del Mar. Bike 4 Mike benefits Team Godfather Charitable Foundation’s vision to find a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, while honoring Michael Ramirez from Carlsbad, who courageously battled and later passed away from the disease.
The Bike 4 Mike coastal-community bicycle tour offers distances of 10, 25, and 50 miles, starting and ending at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The event will also host spin classes and a post-ride Mexican Fiesta complete with vendor booths, music, and refreshments. This special bike event is the only bike event hosted at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
The ride is held in honor of Michael Ramirez, who was diagnosed with ALS in September 2009 and passed away from the disease in April 2012. Ramirez was a commercial banker for 35 years, and served on numerous nonprofit and foundation boards. He was always active, playing football while studying at the University of San Diego and participating in marathons, triathlons and long-distance cycling races.
Shortly after his diagnosis, Mike and his wife, Maureen, came together with family and friends in 2010 to co-found Team Godfather Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to seeking a cure for ALS through fundraising. Visit www.teamgodfather.org.
ALS, also known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease,” is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis and eventually death. There are approximately 30,000 people in the U.S. living with ALS, and the average patient survives only two to five years after receiving the diagnosis. There is no effective treatment and no cure.
Team Godfather Charitable Foundation supports the ALS Therapy Development Institute, the world’s largest ALS-dedicated drug development organization, located in Cambridge, Mass. The institute has tested more potential treatments for ALS than any other research lab, thanks to support from fundraisers like Bike 4 Mike.
The institute’s lead ALS therapeutic candidate, Novartis’ (Switzerland) Gilenya (TDI-132), is being investigated through a Phase II clinical trial, and the institute is raising funds to advance two other clinical candidates into patients as well as establish the world’s first ALS-dedicated personalized medicine center.
Bike 4 Mike will take place Oct. 26 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds at 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. Gates open at 6 a.m. for late registrations, check-in and breakfast. For information and to register, visit www.bike4mike.org. Event sponsors include the San Diego Padres, Pacific Western Bank, RIDE Cyclery, Core 40, Hoehn, Union Tribune San Diego, McCauley Builders, and VPG.