Tour de Pier returns to real life

The 9th Annual Tour de Pier on Sunday will return to its former glory, live and in-person with over 1,000 cyclists, a cause and a gaggle of celebrities in town. 

The event, which takes place at the Manhattan Beach pier, features 240 stationary cyclists raising money for three non-profit cancer organizations:  

the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research; the Cancer Support Community Redondo Beach and the Uncle Kory Foundation for Brain Cancer Research.  

Among this year’s celebrities are soccer players Mia Hamm, Alexi Lalas, and Cobi Jones, former USC football players Matt Leinert and Jake Olson (who is also a cancer survivor), LA King hockey star Dustin Brown, and actor Jacob Bertrand. 

A somewhat lesser-known but accomplished legend will also be cycling —  retired Paralympian bronze medalist Allison Compton, who last time the event was live and in person successfully advocated for the inclusion of adaptive stationary bikes for people with physical disabilities. 

At the age of two, Compton had her first prosthetic leg. She was born with an underdeveloped femur in her right leg, and as a young child, had a series of surgeries to turn her foot around so her Achilles tendon can act as her knee joint on her prosthetic, which she affectionately named Freeda. Growing up, watching her four siblings run around the yard and play sports did not discourage her from wanting to do the same. Determination and motivation led her to become a Paralympian, and more recently an inspirational speaker who is breaking down barriers in the world of adaptive sports, including Tour de Pier. 

 “Everyone should have the opportunity to fight for a cancer cure,” Compton said. 

The Tour de Pier takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For more information, see TourdePier.com. 

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