Bellmorite launches 100-mile charity ride

On most any summer weekend, it’s easy to find sunbathers soaking up rays at Long Island’s many beaches, but whether they have taken the necessary steps to protect their skin isn’t as evident. Some 100 million Americans suffer from skin cancers and diseases, according to the American Skin Association. That’s why Bellmorite Edward Diller, a longtime supporter of the nonprofit organization, has launched the Pan Long Island Challenge to raise awareness about skin disorders as well as money for research.

The event is a 100-mile bike ride that will start in Wantagh on Sunday at 6 a.m. and finish in East Hampton that afternoon. Diller, 55, who has been riding for more than 20 years, modeled the event after the Pan Massachusetts Challenge, which has raised over $300 million for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since its first ride in 1980. Diller first got involved with the ride because his sister, Lisa Diller, is a pediatric oncologist at the institute.

Diller’s Pan Long Island Challenge has a long way to go before reaching the size and success of the Massachusetts ride, which spans two days and attracts about 5,000 riders annually. But Diller said he is pleased with the interest that the inaugural ride has already generated. He expects 20 riders to take part.

Diller is a health educator, and planned the event with the American Skin Association. “It’s a small organization with a very intelligent and powerful board,” he said.

Having earned his master’s degree in public health from Columbia University, Diller teaches health-education classes at colleges across the tri-state area, with a focus on skin health. “A lot of people feel protected with sunscreen,” he said. But he explained that research shows that most people use far too little of it, and they don’t put it on soon enough — sunscreen takes at least 20 minutes to become effective. Additionally, a sunscreen’s SPF number indicates protection only against UVB rays, which cause burning, not against UVA rays, which penetrate deeper into the skin and cause premature aging and wrinkling. Both types of rays cause skin

cancer.