Coach Jim Calhoun and David Cordani, president of CIGNA HealthCare in Bloomfield, today announced that CIGNA has agreed to serve as title sponsor of the Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride for 2008. Coach Calhoun also announced Sunday, June 8 as the date for this year’s event. The CIGNA-Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride benefits The Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center, and Coaches vs. Cancer. The event will include bike rides of 10, 25 and 50 miles and will start and finish in Simsbury, Conn. Coach Calhoun is a cancer survivor and will participate in the 50-mile ride.

Coach Calhoun also announced major sponsorship support for the ride from the Hartford law firm of RisCassi and Davis, Mohegan Sun, McPhee Electric, Crocs, the UConn Alumni Association and Comcast.

To register for the ride as a single rider or as a team, or to donate to Coach’s ride (he is riding in the 50 mile ride), interested parties should visit the CIGNA-Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride website at http://www.calhounride.kintera.org . There is a $30 fee to register as a rider and a minimum fundraising requirement of $200 per rider. All riders will receive a gift bag containing a ride shirt as well as a pair of Crocs as a thank you for participation. Individuals who raise $2,500 or more will also receive special recognition and gifts from Coach Calhoun. Twenty-five thousand dollars of the funds raised will go to support the work of Coaches vs. Cancer with the balance of proceeds directed to the UConn Foundation, Inc. for the benefit of The Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the UConn Health Center.

To find out more about the event, visit http://www.calhounride.kintera.org , or call Gold, Orluk & Partners at 860-674-1500.