Firefighters Ride In Danvers Bike Race To Remember Fallen Brother
DANVERS (CBS) -- Dozens of bicyclists stepped off Sunday morning, pedaling fifty miles to raise money for brain cancer research.
Leading the way was a team of four Peabody firefighters riding in honor of their fallen brother Capt. Dan Pimenta, who was killed when a car hit his bike in Beverly last month.
#Peabody firefighters take part in #ReasonToRide #cancerresearch fundraiser, in honor of ffiter #DanPimenta who died in bike accident w/car. pic.twitter.com/2z6LpzwNHi
— Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) September 17, 2017
Pimenta, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 25 years ago, rode in many charity bike events to raise money for MS research.
"He really was the one that pushed us to stay healthy, no excuses," said one of the firefighters. "I mean, he had MS but he didn't tell anybody--no one even knew he had it for the last couple of years. So, no excuses, we make sure we keep everything going for him."
Cyclists bowed their heads in memory of Pimenta at the start of the "A Reason To Ride" race, which is in its tenth year.
Hundreds of cyclists take part in #AReasontoRide #braincancer research fundraiser in #Danvers today. pic.twitter.com/qaDDY1Uu8C
— Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) September 17, 2017
"Just keeping his memory alive, because he was a person that you'd want to have in your life," said one of the four riders.
The 53-year-old had been a firefighter for 27 years. He left behind a wife and two children.
"Dan was a motivator," said another of the firefighters. "Dan brought a lot of people together through his activities and his personality was infectious. To ride today, his memory will be with us, he'll be pushing us through. We miss him incredibly."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports