closer to free

More than 2,000 people from over 30 states and overseas are participating in this year’s Closer to Free Ride on Saturday.

More than 2,000 people from over 30 states and overseas are participating in this year’s Closer to Free Ride on Saturday.

More than 2,000 people from over 30 states and overseas are participating in this year’s Closer to Free Ride on Saturday. The 11th annual Closer to Free Ride is a virtual ride experience due to COVID-19. This marks the second year the ride has been virtual. Riders are encouraged to head out on their desired course outside or on a…

Despite having to hold a virtual event for the second year in a row, the Closer to Free Ride continues to have a huge impact on fundraising for cancer research.

The Closer to Free Ride is Saturday, Sept. 11, and two local brewers have come together for the first time to raise thousands of dollars for the event.

The Closer to Free Ride is taking place this Saturday with some of the favorite traditions still taking place amid a virtual event.

Bank of America has been a proud sponsor of the Closer to Free Ride

Danny Santomero left his mark on the world, especially among the members of the Closer to Free team “Remission Possible.” “He had this infectious smile. He was so inspirational,” Susan Cassin Zanker, Santomero’s girlfriend, said.    Santomero is remembered as “Captain Dano,” the force behind the group of nearly 25 riders who joined the team he started in 2018. “He…

One regular Closer to Free Ride team is riding this year in honor of the memory of its former leader.

Virginia Dougan and her husband Gary met in high school and this December they’ll celebrate 40 years of marriage, plus the seven years they were together before they tied the knot. The pair are unstoppable in Gary’s fight against lung cancer. It seems fitting, as that’s the theme for this year’s Closer to Free Ride.

A wife from Hamden is preparing to ride in the Closer to Free Ride in honor of her husband’s unstoppable battle against lung cancer.

With cases of COVID-19 rising and the spread of the delta variant, the 2021 Closer to Free Ride will be virtual this year.

With cases of COVID-19 rising and the spread of the delta variant, the 2021 Closer to Free Ride will be virtual this year. Race organizers said in an email that they made the difficult decision to return to a fully virtual ride for 2021 based on data and guidance from the medical team at Yale New Haven Health. The annual…

“Smilow, cycling, this whole process is keeping me alive.” With every push of the pedal, every bike ride, Lou Gaedt of Montville is doing his best to stay strong. He’s training for the Closer to Free Ride on September 11, while battling advanced prostate cancer. He was first diagnosed in 2018, and the treatments reduce his muscle mass. Exercising helps…

A prostate cancer patient says the Closer to Free Ride is literally keeping him alive, strong and fighting.

Beth Keegan and Rob Coogan have been together a lifetime. “I’m going to be 55 in October, so 54 and 10 months, something like that,” said Coogan. “Yeah, he was number four and I was number three,” said Beth.  Her last name changed slightly, and that’s the only difference between this brother and sister pair. They are the two youngest…

Lisa Selmquist is “Team Pedaling for Pop Pop,” a one-woman powerhouse raising money in this year’s Closer to Free Ride.

If you ask Lisa Selmquist if she’s a cyclist, the answer is an emphatic “no.” “Not at all. And I will never admit that I am one. I’m a want-to-be cyclist,” Selmquist said. But, the aspiring rider from Hamden is making a real-life impact. She is “Team Pedaling for Pop Pop,” a one-woman powerhouse raising money in this year’s...

The Yale Bowl was quiet last year for the opening ceremonies of the Closer to Free Ride. This year, that all changes. The event is returning in-person and the opening is what people say is one of the most cherished parts of the ride. “The experience of the opening ceremony and hearing the stories of so many survivors, it’s...