Mammas ride to beat breast cancer
The 2023 Texas Mamma Jamma Ride filled Taylor with pink this past weekend.
Around 350 cyclists put the rubber to the road and pedaled away during the event Sept. 16 as part of an ongoing effort to fight breast cancer and raise awareness about the disease.
The event offered 15-mile, 25-mile, 50-mile and 70-mile routes.
“There’s a route and a distance for riders of every ability,” said Marion Martin, Texas Mamma Jamma Ride director. “All enjoy small-town Texas fun in Heritage Square on Main Street and Taylor.”
The ride — which has been held in Taylor since 2021— raises funds for the Lone Star Circle of Care. Proceeds went to the clinic’s Big Pink Bus, which provides affordable mammograms.
According to organizers, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
The bus travels across Central Texas — Bastrop, Burnet, Hays, Travis and Williamson counties — and offers breast cancer screenings to most women, regardless of insurance status.
The mobile clinic can conduct up to 25 tests per day. Its daily location is arranged ahead of time, requiring users to book an appointment in advance.
Each rider raised at least $350 in funds, with some receiving significantly more, organizers said.
One participant even brought in about $13,000, Martin said.
“The reason we say this is a life-saving mission is because breast cancer detected early through an annual mammogram is survivable,” Martin said. “Found at stage one, it’s a 99% survivable rate. That’s the game changer.”
Martin’s journey to become the ride director is personal. She first participated in the event in 2013, which was the year she overcame cancer for a second time.
She said she was hooked after that ride, participating each year until she became ride director in 2016. Each of Martin’s battles with cancer were initially caught through her annual mammogram.
Since the ride started in 2009, the event has raised more than $2.5 million for the Central Texas cancer community.
The ride has exclusively partnered with Lone Star Circle of Care in 2021, with all funding directed towards the mission of the Big Pink Bus and regular screenings.
“I very much know the value of early detection,” Martin said. “I credit my life today because I get my mammogram every year. Twice it has mattered.”
Martin said about 60% of the participants were returning riders who have been to a Mamma Jamma ride previously. While 60% of the riders are women, the fundraiser is open to all, organizers said.
Texas Mamma Jamma Ride returns to Taylor Sept. 21, 2024.
To learn more, visit https://www.mammajammaride. org/.
Also, those interested in getting a mammogram on the bus can call 1-844-746-5287 or email bigpinkbus@lscctx. org. Include a first and last name, date of birth and a phone number; a member of the mobilemammography team will reach out.
