Sunflower Revolution for Parkinson's Research and Wellness Sept. 8

The Sunflower Revolution bicycle ride, the Cincinnati region’s largest fundraiser for Parkinson’s disease research and wellness, returns to the Loveland countryside Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012.

The ride, which raises funds for Parkinson’s research at the University of Cincinnati (UC) and elsewhere, will coincide with the Sunflower Revolution Symposium & Expo, a free educational event that also will be held Sept. 8 in Loveland.

Cyclists will start at Epiphany United Methodist Church, 6635 Loveland-Miamiville Road, and finish across the street at the Oasis Golf Club and Conference Center, site of the symposium. A lunch celebration will enable riders to interact with the patients they are supporting. In addition, a one-mile walk has been added to the event so that those affected by the disease can participate.

Local 12 news anchor Cammy Dierking will emcee the lunch celebration, which will include live entertainment, raffles and door prizes and awards for top fundraisers. Former Tour de France stage winner and Olympic medalist Davis Phinney, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 40, will participate in the ride and celebration.

Ride options include a gentle 40-kilometer (about 24 miles) ride and a more challenging 100-kilometer ride (start time 8am) for cyclists seeking a bigger challenge. Start times are 8 a.m. for the 100-kilometer ride and 10 a.m. for the 40-kilometer ride. (Although both rides are timed, they are not races.)

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder in which certain dopamine-producing cells in a region of the brain begin to die. When these cells die, neurons in the brain fire erratically, leaving patients less able to direct or control their movements.

The Sunflower Revolution is a shared project of UCNI, UC Health University Hospital and the UC Foundation, with proceeds benefiting the Davis Phinney/Donald Krumme Fund at the UC Foundation and supporting the James A. and Joan J. Gardner Center for Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders at UCNI, the Sunflower Revolution Symposium for patients and families and the Davis Phinney Foundation, based in Boulder, Colo.

For more information, visit

www.sunflowerrev.org

. To register to ride, form a riding/fundraising team or become a fundraiser, visit

http://www.imathlete.com/events/SunflowerRevolutionRide