Dappled sunlight through overhanging trees, long roads going through salt marshes, a sea breeze picks up with the taste of salt in the air.
These are the sensations meeting the participants of the Ride with the Champions year after year, and these participants should be able to get a similar feeling this Saturday, Aug. 29. The Ride with the Champions benefits Special Olympics of Massachusetts (SOMA), raising more money each year. This year, the fifth annual Ride will start and end at the Topsfield Fairgrounds. The three courses offered on the Ride will get a wonderful sampling of all that the heart of Essex County has to offer. For instance, the longest route, a 62-mile circuit, takes the riders from Topsfield through Wenham, Hamilton, Beverly, Manchester, Essex and Ipswich, before heading back into Topsfield. Additional routes of 22 and 12 miles feature different routes in some of the above towns, as well. “We’ve always held the ride in Topsfield,” said John Muskrat, the Vice President of Marketing and Development for Special Olympics of Massachusetts. “It really came down to laying out a course, and that can be tricky. This gives us a chance to have a scenic course. Also, the Topsfield Fairgrounds donated the space to host the party there, and it’s just a few miles from our office in Danvers.” Overall, SOMA has raised approximately $350,000 over the five years, with roughly $100,000 coming last year from the ride. Though riders can show up and ride the day of the event, fundraising continues until Oct. 31 for the Ride with the Champions, allowing riders time to raise the $350 fundraising minimum.
As of the middle of this week, the Ride with the Champions numbered about 100 riders, with 15 of those riders being Special Olympics athletes.