ROCHESTER – The heavy wind conditions didn’t stop more than 150 bikers in the Buzzard’s Bay Watershed Ride from powering through to the finish at East Over Farm in Rochester on Sunday, Oct. 2.

Each rider raised a minimum of $300, which goes toward the coalition's mission toward cleaner water in Buzzards Bay.

The Sippican Sailors, a Marion-based team of 28 bikers, raked in the highest amount of funds for the Buzzard’s Bay Coalition with their ride, fundraising $55,212 of the $318,417 raised.

Dan Cooney, a rider with the sailors for the third year in a row, raised the most with a total of $12,520.

“It’s a great group. We make a really great team,” he said. This year, the Sailors combined with another Marion-based team, the Sail Bags.

“Many of us have known one another for over 40 years. We always gave each other good-natured ribbing and were naturally competitive,” said Cooney. “They’re all great people who we love, so it made sense to join forces and see what we can do together.”

Last year, the top fundraiser was Chip Jones of Mattapoisett, who raised $11,846. This year, he trailed just behind Cooney and raised $11,085.

Jonah Guerin, the event manager for Buzzards Bay Coalition, said that they had about 400 people signed up for the race that day, but it was likely the weather and a change in schedule caused the lower turnout.

When seeing that bikers would be riding against high winds in the forecast, the Coalition made the call on Friday, Sept. 30, to alter the route for a shorter ride.

East Over Farm is usually the lunch spot along the ride that finishes at Woods Hole, but due to the strong winds that the bikers were up against, the coalition decided to make it the finish line.

There were fewer starting points for riders that day. The 60-mile start line began at Sakonnet Point in Little Compton, Rhode Island, and Horseneck Beach State Reservation in Westport served as a 40-mile start.

All riders were pushing back against nine to 15 mph wind speeds, with gusts as high as 33 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service. Luckily, the sky remained clear of any predicted rain.

Sophomores from Tabor Academy volunteered at the event, lining the finish at East Over Farm to jot down the times of triumphant bikers.

They rang bells, clapped and cheered along with Buzzards Bay Coalition volunteers, who congratulated the bikers on their accomplishment on a tough day to ride.