Back in August, Team Forza-G team member THE BIG SWEDE, aka Magnus Backstedt, flew across the Atlantic and joined us for the 2009 PMC. Quick look at an interview of Magnus done on Youtube by djtomdog.
2009 Ride
Hey – We’ve Met Our Fundraising Goal!
As of today (9/10/09), Team Forza-G has passed the $150,000 mark in fundraising for this year’s PMC.
The official tally: $150,448.55 and counting!
Thank you all for your support!!
Matt & The Team
THE RIDE IS DONE – THE FUNDRAISING GOES ON!
Well, we’ve made it through the ride portion of the 2009 PMC. We’ll be pushing ahead with our fundraising right up through the fall. More details and photos from this year’s ride will be coming soon. In the meantime, we really appreciate any donation you can make as we work toward our team goal of $150,000 and the overall PMC goal for the year – $30 million. No donation is too small – it all adds up…and 100% of your donation will go toward cancer care and research at The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Click on the “DONATE TO MY RIDE” button on this page
To make a secure, on-line donation to the PMC. org
Mail your check payable to “PMC-Jimmy Fund” to:
Matt Dillis/Team Forza-G
26 Farm Hills Ln
Hingham, MA 02043
QUESTIONS about the PMC or Team FORZA-G, email us at forza-g@comcast.net
Thanks for your support!
Matt Dillis & Team Forza-G
Thank You!
Official 2009 Team Forza-G PMC Photo
We have many people to thank:
- our families for their love and support
- our sponsors and donors
- the PMC volunteers who are just awesome!
- the great PMC staff who make it all run seemlessly
- the doctors, nurses, and staff at Dana-Farber who are the real heroes in the battle against cancer everyday
Team Forza-G had a great PMC weekend. More stories and photos will follow in the coming days and weeks.
And we are off! PMC 2009 This Weekend.
Over the weekend, the 25 members of Team Forza-G will be riding across Massachusetts in the Pan-Mass Challenge to help fight cancer and provide valuable funds to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for research and treatment against this deadly disease.
You can join us on our journey by making a donation and by watching the PMC Opening Ceremony on NECN live on Friday night at 7 PM. You will be able to see the ceremonies on www.necn.com during the weekend if you miss the live broadcast.
But first, a couple of quick messages:
- To all of our families and sponsors, thank you so much for everything that you do to give us the strength and power to ride this weekend.
- To the volunteers who will be with us this weekend, thank you for everything that you do.
- To the doctors and nurses at Dana Farber, you are the heroes, thank you for your strength, commitment, and compassion each and every day.
- To those who are sick or that we have lost to cancer, we will think of you often and with love while we ride.
Team Forza-G on NECN this morning
Matt and Magnus were on NECN on Thursday morning.
Magnus and Matt in the NECN studios this monring (7/30/09)
Thousands of riders are making final preparations to pedal hundreds of miles, raising money for cancer treatment and research.
Among the riders are first timers and amateur, as well as seasoned athletes like “The Big Swede”, as he is known in the cycling world.
He will long be remembered as Sweden’s professional cycling hero. He also happens to be a cancer survivor.
Magnus Backstedt joined NECN’s Good Morning Live, along with captain of Team Forza-G, Matt Dillis, in discussing his motivation for riding the Pan Mass Challenge.
Meet The Big Swede Details
The Big Swede
Join Team Forza-G in welcoming our 2009 PMC teammate, retired Swedish pro cyclist, Magnus Backstedt. Magnus (The Big Swede) has raced with some of the best riders and teams in the world, he’s won a stage of the Tour de France, and of course, he is a winner of the Queen of the Spring Classics, taking home the famed cobblestone trophy for his victory in the 2004 Paris-Roubaix.
We are proud to have Magnus joining us on Team Forza-G for this year’s 30th Pan-Massachusetts Challenge.
You have two opportunities to meet Magnus and help support the Pan-Mass Challenge and the young pro cyclists of Team MagnusMaximusCoffee.com.
July 29th
Parris at Faneuil Hall in Boston from 6:30 – 9:30PM
At Parris on July 29th, Magnus will talk about his career as a cyclist and present photo and video highlights from his years in the pro peloton. He’ll answer your questions about pro cycling and sign autographs, and if you are a PMC rider, you can offer your coaching suggestions to our latest PMC rookie. We’ll also have some great raffles and auction items.
Tickets/Admission
A minimum donation of $30 to our PMC Team Forza-G account acts as your admission/ticket to the evening’s program, light appetizers, a complimentary beverage (beer, wine or soft drink) and entry
to win great door prizes. Bring a friend or a group to save on admission:
One Ticket – $30
Two Tickets – $27.50 each (Save $5)
Three Tickets – $25 each
Four or More Tickets – $23 each
Two ways to make your donation for tickets:
- Click on the “DONATE TO MY RIDE” button on Team Forza-G Paceline page to make a secure, on-line donation to the PMC. In the “ADD A NOTE TO YOUR DONATION” section please indicate “Boston Event” and include the names of your guests, if possible, to make event check-in easier.
- Mail your check payable to “PMC-Jimmy Fund” to:
or
Matt Dillis/Team Forza-G
26 Farm Hills Ln
Hingham, MA 02043
July 30th in Lenox
The Arcadian Shop
6:00 to 8:00 PM
91 Pittsfield Road (Route 20)
This is an in-store event. All are welcome. Click on the Arcadian Shop link above for more details.
QUESTIONS or additional details, email us at forza-g@comcast.net.
Thanks for your support!
Matt Dillis & Team Forza-G
Meet The Big Swede
A Fundraiser to Benefit Team Forza-G and the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge and the young pro cyclists of Team MagnusMaximusCoffee.com
Join Team Forza-G in welcoming our 2009 PMC teammate, retired Swedish pro cyclist Magnus Backstedt. Magnus (The Big Swede) has raced with some of the best riders and teams in the world, he’s won a stage of the Tour de France, and of course, he is a winner of the Queen of the Spring Classics, taking home the famed cobblestone trophy for his victory in the 2004 Paris-Roubaix. We are proud to have Magnus joining us on team Forza-G for this year’s 30th Pan-Massachusetts Challenge.
Magnus will talk about his career as a pro cyclist and present photo and video highlights from his career. He’ll answer your questions about pro cycling and sign autographs…and if you are a PMC rider, you can offer your coaching suggestions to our latest PMC rookie. Hors d’oeuvres will be served and we’ll have a cash bar. We’ll also have some great raffles and auction items.
Two dates and two locations – Boston and Lenox, MA
Boston
Location: Parris at Boston’s Quincy Market
Date: Wednesday July 29th / 6:30 – 9:30 PM
Lenox
Location: The Arcadian Shop
Date: Thursday July 30th / Time: TBD
Tickets & Additional Details: Coming Soon To www.forza-g.com
Message from DFCI’s President, Dr. Edward Benz
Registered riders for the 2009 PMC recently received this note from the Edward J. Benz Jr., MD, the President of Dana Farber Cancer Institute:
With the return of spring and the arrival of good bicycling weather, I want to thank you for registering to ride in this year’s PMC.
The economic downturn has added new constraints on doctors and scientists working to improve cancer therapy and care, making the dollars you raise for Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund more important than ever. In difficult financial times, the needs of cancer patients – for better therapies and personal, attentive care – do not diminish. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is as committed as ever to delivering the care and making the scientific breakthroughs that improve the lives of patients and their families.
Research advances over the past decade have brought powerful new treatments within reach, based on an understanding of the molecular nature of cancer and the body’s response to it. For example, Dana-Farber investigators have recently discovered an array of genes linked to lung cancer and pinpointed a protein that triggers the self-destruct mechanism of cancer cells. They have identified a protein “biomarker” that indicates the presence of a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer and are showing how tumors’ genetic “signatures” can guide therapy for individual patients.
Perhaps the most visible evidence of our commitment to reduce cancer’s burden is the construction of the Yawkey Center for Cancer Care on Brookline Avenue. Opening in 2011, it is the futures home of Dana-Farber’s adult care clinics as well as a state-of-the-art center for clinical research. Appropriately, the building will be fronted by a beautiful PMC Plaza in recognition of all you and your fellow riders and supporters have done to help us get this far.
The advances of the past several years represent a vital down payment on future scientific gains. We owe it to patients and their loved ones to make the most of this moment in science and maintain, or even accelerate, our pace of research. That’s why your assistance is so critical. I know it’s hard to ask for support when there is so much poor economic news. But just like on the road, when the hills are ahead, now is the time to bear down and give it our best efforts. I, and all the faculty and staff at Dana-Farber, are extremely appreciative of your continued commitment to our shared purpose. Best wishes for a healthy and productive 2009 PMC.
The commitment of the Dana Farber to ending cancer’s toll is complete, unwavering, and never compromising and this message from Dr. Benz is another remind as to why Team Forza-G rides.
We Are Forza-G 