Raised so far

$45,147

Our goal

$150,000

15,374

km logged

Sign up

Ride

Get riding and track your kms from February until July to reach your training goal.

Fundraise

Share your fundraising page on social media and start to raise funds to help find a cure for Desmoid Fibromatosis.

Get connected, track your progress and join our community of awesome sponsors.

Sign up, train and fundraise for a chance to win some amazing prizes from our valued sponsors. We have fun incentives and fundraising prizes for you this year... Check out our Prizes page for more info.

Athina's Story

My name is Athina Merckx and in February 2019 I noticed some pain in the back of my right knee after swim practice one day. The following month doctors diagnosed me with Desmoid Fibromatosis.

About Desmoid Tumours

Desmoid-type fibromatosis affects approximately 2 to 4 people in 1 million each year. The tendency for recurrence with surgery makes the treatment of these rare soft tissue tumours challenging.

About DFC

The Desmoid Tumour Foundation of Canada (DFC) is the official Canadian charity for desmoid research. In the past three years, the DFC has donated more than $250,000 toward investigating new and effective therapies.

Update on Funds Raised in 2021

The first $40,000 was awarded to year 1 of Wernig Gerlinde Study Stanford School of Medicine, Department of Pathology – “Studying CD47 blockade as an immunotherapy for desmoid-type fibromatosis”

Anonymous just donated $315
Bart Schols just donated $53
Fred Schaeffer just donated $1,015
John just donated $212
frances carmichael just donated $315
C Manly Molpus just donated $106
Susie Sheffman just donated $125.08
Upper Crust just donated $2,015
Terri Sapera just donated $125.08
Gaetan Lussier just donated $100
Elise Orenstein just donated $315
Ian Boswell just donated $1,515
Philippe Gilbert just donated $13,015
Anonymous just donated $515
Janet Aronoff & just donated $1,000
John just donated $360
Jim Walker & just donated $1,000
Doerrbeckers just donated $50
jo vannicola just donated $25
Levine Penny just donated $100

About Athina's Ride

Athina's Ride is a virtual cycling event that starts with training rides on February 15th and culminates on July 9th & 10th with an epic ride where you can achieve the goal you set for yourself. Ride by yourself, with some friends or along with the Okanagan Granfondo ride. You can ride indoors on a trainer or outdoors (and manually log it, or use platforms like Strava to automatically upload your rides). You'll sign up, choose your distance, and start training.

Create an account, log your training distances, and then participate on Ride Weekend in one of four distances. By logging your distances and fundraising, you'll enter to win some awesome prizes. Meanwhile, 100% of the proceeds raised through fundraising will benefit the Desmoid Tumour Foundation of Canada.