#Ride4Riaan 2025
This October, our cyclist Winty Singh is back on the road to help fund the first clinical trial for Cockayne syndrome. Last year, he rode 114 miles in the Bass Lake Powerhouse Double in Central California and raised almost $15K. This year, he’s completing all 200 miles of the race. Finishing the ride will make Winty a California Triple Crown Winner — a title earned by only a select number of cyclists who complete three grueling double centuries in the Golden State in a single year.
Glory aside, Winty's not riding for the medals. He's riding to help fund the cure for children like Riaan diagnosed with Cockayne syndrome - a rare neurodegenerative disease that is nearly always fatal without treatment.
The Road to Clinical Trials
Riaan Research Initiative has reached a historic moment for children and families facing Cockayne syndrome, a genetic disorder which causes vision/hearing problems, growth failure, developmental delays, and childhood death.
A first-of-its kind gene therapy for CS (CSA/ERCC8 mutations) is currently being manufactured - thanks to the tremendous generosity of people like you who have supported the mission of Riaan Research Initiative.
But manufacturing is not the finish line. We now need to raise $500,000 to fund the next critical step: administering this therapy to children in what could become the first clinical trial in CS history.
To kick off this push, we're aiming to raise the first $20,000 through Winty’s fifth annual #Ride4Riaan — a 200-mile journey powered by grit, heart, and hope.
This is where the promise of science becomes reality, where hopes turn into possibility. By supporting #Ride4Riaan, you’re not just backing a cyclist. You’re helping launch a treatment for a disease that’s never had one.