Gray skies hinted at a threat of rain and temperatures hovered just above the freezing mark on November 26 as cyclists began rolling into Pittsburgh's Bud Harris Memorial Cycling Track for the 36th Annual Dirty Dozen, a ride that would be grueling no matter the weather.

The Dirty Dozen, which takes cyclists through a daunting 50-mile tour of 13 of the city's toughest climbs, began in 1983 as a way for a small group of friends to challenge themselves; it's since blossomed into a grassroots celebration of suffering and steep pitches that attracts riders from well outside city limits.

As more riders concentrated toward the staging area this past Saturday, though, it was clear to regulars that a key element of the race was missing.

RELATED: Dirty Dozen 2015: Climbing the Steepest Street in the US, for Fun

In past years, race co-founder and organizer Danny Chew—sporting a retro red helmet and thick-lensed glasses—bounced around the parking lot with endless exuberance. Megaphone in hand, Chew’s falsetto voice would boom over the hum of the crowd with instruction, encouragement, and teasing questions about who would be the winner of that year's edition of the race.

But this year, Chew was confined to a bed at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chiago; a bicycle accident on September 4 outside Lodi, Ohio, left him paralyzed from the chest down.

The Dirty Dozen was left without its keystone figure, and Chew—whose cycling goal is riding a million miles in his lifetime—was separated from the community and vehicle he loved most.

But the Pittsburgh cycling community was determined to make him a part of the ride, effectively turning this year's edition into a fundraiser to help Chew get on a handcycle working toward his goal (he's at about 830,000 miles now) and living as easily as possible.

Local artists Amy Garbark and Justin Flagg donated t-shirts and posters along with local cycling apparel company Aerotech, and all the proceeds went toward Chew’s friends' goal of raising $250,000.

Participants were surprised with a big-screen video feed of Chew, who was able to livestream to the group from his hospital bed, providing commentary and thanking his friends throughout the race via FaceTime.

"It was great to have Danny ‘here’ for an event he has never missed," longtime friend Stephen Cummings, an 11-time Dirty Dozen winner, says. "Danny has described the Dirty Dozen as his child—it would have been heartbreaking to have it be anything less than perfect, and it really came off great!”

RELATED: How to Ride the Steepest of Climbs

Chew treated preparation for the Dirty Dozen like a full-time job; it took 50-some people under the guidance of inveterate volunteer Chris Hellbling to maintain the ride's quality this year. John Pratt, Chew’s closest friend for over 40 years, made sure the event was insured and routed properly to accommodate an increase in rider participation: last year's edition brought 230, compared to about 400 this year.

The 2016 edition saw a few other changes. A new hill, Christopher Street in Lawarenceville, replaced the traditional third hill, Berry Hill, which is closed. The race was also broken into smaller groups, with the front group being competitive (with past winners and riders who thought they had a chance at an overall placing), and remaining groups left free to challenge themselves simply against the route and the elements.

This year's race winner was 19-year-old Ian Baun, of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, who also won the race in 2014. (Check off your own riding goals with help from The Cyclist's Bucket List!)

As riders clawed their way over the last of 13 climbs, Chew was clearly pleased with the day's event. He stayed in contact with the organizers all day, and in a final conversation with Cummings atop the Tesla Street finish, he remarked, “A million friends is better than a million miles.”

“Well, it only took about 100 friends to make the event go off and raise a lot of money for his recovery,” Cummings said. Cummings was unable to provide exact fundraising numbers.