CONTACT: Emily Kumlien
(608) 265-8199
(608) 516-9154
ekumlien@uwhealth.org
MADISON- An indoor bike ride in March can help with the winter blues and ground-breaking eye research in Madison.
The quest to end blinding diseases through eye research here in Madison continues Saturday March 11, 2017 with the sixth annual Cycle for Sight. The event has raised over $100,000 in the last five years for vision researchers at the McPherson Eye Research Institute at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Once again there are three Madison locations– the Natatorium on the UW campus, the Southeast Recreational Facility (SERF) and the Princeton Club’s west side location. The campus locations will host the event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., while the Princeton Club location is from 8 a.m. to 11a.m. Teams of cyclists will pedal for an hour and support needed research. It’s also an opportunity for some late-winter exercise.
“Cycle for Sight is a fun event with a great purpose – to raise funds for the research that University of Wisconsin and affiliated scientists do to cure blinding diseases that affect 100,000 Wisconsin residents,” said Dr. Dave Gamm, director of the McPherson Eye Research Institute. “These family members, friends, and colleagues who live with severe vision impairment deserve and need to know that work is continuing on a wide range of new therapies to treat and cure these diseases. Funds raised during Cycle for Sight go directly towards advancing these efforts.”
Registration fee is $15 per rider and teams can be any size. Teams or individual participants will get fund-raising pages for accepting and tracking pledges. Prizes are awarded to the top teams. All skill levels are welcomed. Riders bike at their own pace for about an hour. Team members can sign up to ride for an hour together, or at different times.
Blinding diseases affect millions of Americans, including 100,000 in Wisconsin. Money raised will be used for research on impairments such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, childhood-related sight disorders and many other conditions.
To register for Cycle for Sight, or to donate to the ride, visit www.cycleforsight.wisc.edu. Registration is open now.
Participants and researchers are available to speak with the media.
