Local Man Rides Bike 100 Miles to End Alzheimer's

An Arlington man will be biking 100 miles in honor of his grandfather as a part of the Ride to End Alzheimer’s this weekend.

Bryan Babcock joined the 2015 Ride to End Alzheimer’s to honor his grandfather, Wally, who has been living with Alzheimer’s for more than six years, according to a release from the Alzheimer’s Associaton. Babcock has also raised more than $1,000 for the event and his employer, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, formed a team of eight cyclists, including Babcock, to try and raise $10,000 for the event, the association said.

“I think the money that is raised is very important,” Babcock said in the release. “I love my grandad and biking, and this is a great cause.”

The 2015 Ride to End Alzheimer’s will begin and end in Fort Devens. The Ride provides for courses of varying lengths, including a two-mile family ride, 30-mile, 62-mile and 100-mile routes reaching all the way from Western Massachusetts to Southern New Hampshire, according to the association.

“Bryan and the hundreds of other riders have made a big commitment to help fight Alzheimer’s,” Jim Wessler, president/CEO of the Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter, said in the release. “His commitment inspires us and it also supports critical research and programs.”

More than 5 million people in the United States suffer from Alzheimer’s, a disease which has no cure yet, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.

The Ride to End Alzheimer’s has developed from a small, family-inspired event to a cycling event, attracting riders throughout New England and elsewhere. To date, the event has raised more than $3 million for Alzheimer’s Disease research.

(Photos courtesy of the Alzheimer’s Association)