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Ride with Athina

Hop on your bike wherever you are and create your own ride! Ride alone or with a team.
Or join Athina Merckx on July 12th, 2025 in Penticton B.C. Athina will lead this fun community ride for anyone who has fundraised or donated a minimum amount $1000.  Start logging your training and fundraising until ride day July 12th and join Athina for a 30km ride or complete your ride in your hometown. After the ride join us for a post ride social in Rotary Park at Athina's Ride booth where we will have a slient auction.  For those of you that raise over $1000, you will get a free entry into the Sunday event Okanagan Granfondo on July 13th, 2025 and can challenge yourself to a great riding weekend.The past three years we have raised over $320,000 dollars all going to research.

Our goal: to raise money to help find a cure for desmoid tumours. Challenge yourself to the 5th annual Athina’s Ride with 100% of the proceeds going to the Desmoid Tumour Foundation of Canada (DFC). ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTABLE

22,081

km logged

$68,523 raised

$100,000 Goal

$68,523 raised

$100,000 Goal

Sign up

Sign up and choose your distance goal and set your fundraising goal.

Ride

Get riding and track your kms from May 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(updated)

In February 2019 I noticed some pain in the back of my right knee after swim practice one day. I told my parents and they then noticed a large bump had formed on the back of my knee. I visited our family doctor and at first glance he thought it was likely a Baker’s cyst, but once he felt my leg, he knew that was not the case. I was then sent for an ultrasound, and later a biopsy. The following month doctors diagnosed me with Desmoid Fibromatosis

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About Desmoids Tumours

Desmoid tumours, also called aggressive fibromatosis or desmoid-type fibromatosis, are rare and often debilitating and disfiguring soft-tissue tumours. They are characterized by a growth pattern that can invade surrounding healthy tissues, including joints, muscle and viscera.
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About DFC

The Desmoid Tumour Foundation of Canada (DFC) is the official Canadian charity for desmoid research.

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Updates on Funds Raised (2023)

Our inaugural Athina's Ride in 2021 raised $132,700 to help support research into desmoid tumour therapies. That’s an unprecedented amount for a first-time charitable event and 100% of the proceeds go to the Desmoid Tumour Foundation of Canada (DFC). In year two we raised another $79,435 which makes it over $212,135 going towards research. Now after year three we have added another $68,703 for a total amount of  $280,838! With all proceeds going directly to research.

LEARN MORE
  • Anonymous just donated $53.00
  • Canadian just registered for Athina's Ride - Cortofondo (48km)
  • belvedere Bike Hotel just donated $106.00
  • Hans just donated $200.00
  • Phil Gaimon just donated $515.00
  • Phil & Kelley Greim just donated $159.00
  • axel merckx just donated $10015.00
  • Dickson Choy just donated $1200.00
  • Okanagan Granfondo just donated $465.00
  • Andrew just donated $7250.00
  • Okanagan Granfondo just donated $7015.00
  • Sydney Dams just donated $53.00
  • Launna just donated $210.00
  • Anonymous just donated $685.00
  • Scott Lyall just donated $233.20
  • Gail just donated $315.00
  • Thomas Canale just donated $25.00
  • Joseph just donated $15.00
  • Joseph Pelle just donated $53.00
  • Ross Langford just donated $515.00

About Athina's Ride

Athina's Ride is a cycling event that starts with getting on your bike for training rides and culminates on July 13th. Either complete your ride on your own, with family, friends or if you can join a ride led by Athina Merckx in Penticton, B.C. where you can achieve the goal you set for yourself and join others in supporting Athina and her efforts to raise funds to find a cure. If you can't make it to Penticton you can do your own ride wherever you are. Your training for this ride can be 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 if you will be in Penticton or accomplishing your own ride in another city and start training.

Create an account, log your training distances, and then participate on Ride Day . 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. 

Thanks to our partners:

 

desmoid foundation canada   wahoo fitness 

         Swagman 

TORA! Design

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