Summer 2015: Tour de Pier
The Tour de Pier at the Manhattan Beach Pier. File photo
Unlike the riders in the tournament this event is named for, the bicyclists in the Tour de Pier don’t really go anywhere. But that’s not the point. Participants mount stationary spin bikes at the Manhattan Beach Pier to raise money for cancer charities.
The Tour de Pier began in 2013 with Jon Hirshberg, who started the LA Cancer Challenge, a fundraising run event, after losing his father Ron in 1997. He approached his friend Heath Gregory about doing a cycling event in their hometown of Manhattan Beach. The benefit has become popular, drawing professional athletes such as volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings.
This year’s beneficiaries include the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, started in memory of Ron Hirshberg; the Cancer Support Community – Redondo Beach and the Uncle Kory Foundation.
The fundraiser begins on May 17 at 9 a.m. Visit tourdepier.com.