Mavic Charity Marathons at Pedrosfest

Besides being a celebration of all things biking, the 11th annual Pedro's Mountain Bike Festival will help raise money for two good causes this August. The Mavic Charity Marathons on Saturday August 6th will benefit the Lymphoma Research Foundation and the Tyler Hamilton Foundation.

Held in Western Massachusetts, the Mavic Lymphoma Research Foundation Marathon will be held offroad over two distances, 12 miles and 30 miles, and takes in the scenic Mount Greylock. It will raise funds to support the foundation, which is the nation's largest lymphoma-focused voluntary health organization devoted exclusively to funding research to cure lymphomas. They provide patients and healthcare professionals with critical information on the disease.

Like the MTB event, the on-road Tyler Hamilton Foundation Metric Century also travels to Mount Greylock and offers the same support from Mavic Service Course, the yellow-clad mechanics that service the riders in the Tour de France. The THF is dedicated to providing opportunity and access to individuals with multiple sclerosis, and aspiring youth cyclists.

"The Berkshires has a special place in my heart as well as the heart of everyone at THF," said Tyler Hamilton, who hopes to attend. "Haven and I were married in the Berkshires, Joe Tonon, THF president, grew up in the Berkshires and Deirdre Moynihan, Executive Director lived and worked in Williamstown. It is definitely like coming home. And the riding is great, long stretches of road that go forever and Massachusetts' highest peak, Mt. Greylock. It was good training ground for me when I was in the East."

"The Pedrosfest is such a great treasure - three days of nothing but riding and hanging with friends. It is a celebration of the bike and THF is very excited that it will help play a role in the PedrosFest this year and in years to come."

The 11th Annual Pedro's Mountain Bike Festival will be held from August 5-7th in Lanesborough, Western Massachusetts. It is the largest MTB festival in America, and features a large selection of demo bikes by leading manufacturers. There is also a huge selection of components, clothing, and accessories in the expo area, plus live bands, an outdoor "ride-in" movie theatre, and family oriented activities.

For more information visit www.pedrosfest.com.