The Roslyn spirit was alive and well last Sunday as more than 800 people packed into the Equinox gym to exercise and raise money in the ninth annual Cycle for Survival, a fundraiser that assists in research for rare forms of cancer.

The Feb. 8 event was just one of the 13 Cycle For Survival events that will be held in numerous American cities throughout February and March. Cycle For Survival officials expect more than 20,000 riders to participate in the 13 cities, which include Boston, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, New York City and Washington, D.C.

The Roslyn event contributed its share to the national movement. The parking lot at the shopping complex on the corner of Northern Boulevard and Glen Cove Road was so packed to capacity that arrivals were advised to drive to the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn Harbor, where a free shuttle bus would transport them to the event.

Inside, hundreds of sweaty bodies zipped their way through the stationary bicycles as pop music blared from the loudspeakers and a team of volunteers urged them on. Also on hand was David Linn, a Manhattan resident who cofounded Cycle for Survival in 2007 along with his wife, Jennifer Goodman Linn.

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At that time, Jennifer was suffering from a rare form of cancer and was a patient at Memorial Sloan Kettering. In 2011, Jennifer succumbed to sarcoma, a rare cancer. By then, however, Cycle for Survival was off and running. Jennifer had long been a customer at a Manhattan Equinox and so the franchise was the perfect place to host the event. Linn pointed out that within six months of the event, 100 percent of all proceeds fund rare cancer research at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which is the world’s oldest and largest private cancer center.

Linn also commented on the “energy and hope” that penetrates Cycle for Survival events.

“It is incredible how various communities on Long Island have rallied to our cause,” he said.

Linn’s wife, as noted, enjoyed cycling at the Manhattan center. Over time, many of their friends moved to Long Island and the Roslyn site was the perfect location to draw customers from all over Long Island.

In its first eight years, Cycle for Survival has included 20,000 riders nationwide and has raised more than $60 million. And with such events as the one at Equinox, Cycle for Survival is off to another excellent year as it continues to draw an ever-increasing amount of cycling teams, all working out for a great cause.