The Jim Thorpers bicycle team is stronger than ever for this year's Irish Pub Tour de Shore which will take place on July 17.

The team is planning a fundraiser this week for the 65-mile trek from the Irish Pub in Philadelphia to the Irish Pub in Atlantic City.Last year 66 people represented the town in the ride.This year 112 people have registered for the ride, which started in 1988 when the pub's owners, Cathy Burke and Mark O'Connor, wanted to do something to give back to the community by raising money for children in need and for the families of fallen police officers.The team's captain, Mike Dugan, a corporal with the Pennsylvania State Police, piqued local interest six years ago when he heard about the ride from his sister, Dee Kelly. Dugan and follow Thorper Ammon Hontz joined Kelly's team for the ride.The third year Doug Rontz Signs of Jim Thorpe volunteered to design custom jerseys for the team, which neared 20 people, and Molly Maguires Pub and Steakhouse sponsored much of the cost to produce the jerseys. The Jim Thorpers' green and gold jerseys feature a portrait of the town's namesake, Jim Thorpe, in his football uniform. A panel on the side is dedicated to fallen trooper Joshua Miller, a Pennsylvania State Police officer with the Swiftwater barracks who was shot and killed on June 7, 2009. Last year the team added another panel to its jersey in honor of Cpl. Bryon K. Dickson II, 38, who was killed in an ambush on the Blooming Grove Barracks in Pike County in September 2014.The original designer of the jerseys, Doug Rontz, passed away earlier this year and the team will be honoring him with a remembrance on the back of this year's jerseys: "Doug Rontz 1957-2016 Forever a Jim Thorper.""Last year we raised $26,291 which resulted in $2,500 coming back to the Jim Thorpe area. The team donated $1,500 to the Carbon County Special Olympics and $1,000 was donated to purchase bicycles for local children." Dugan said. "This year we hope to raise $30,000 or more, which will result in $5,000 coming back to our area."The Jim Thorpers are currently near the top of all fundraising for the event with more than $16,000, and one of their members, Chip Burnett, leads the individual fundraising by raising nearly $7,000 himself.The team will be hosting a basket raffle from 5-8 p.m. Thursdayon the deck of Molly Maguires Pub and Steakhouse in Jim Thorpe."We have over 80 baskets ranging in value from $25 up to $500," team secretary Lisa Chapman said. "Some bigger ones are a bike, a children's bike, spa packages, ski tickets, just to name a few."Anyone interested in joining the team can get information at the basket raffle.