The Tour de Pier, a cycling event that raises money for cancer charities, gives riders four hours of ocean views. Or, rather, a single ocean view.

Instead of sending riders out to ride for miles along the coast, the event keeps all its participants in one place: A beachfront parking lot in Manhattan Beach with 300 stationary bikes facing the water.

It’s a combination of novelty event and efficient fundraising, said Heath Gregory, chief executive of Manhattan Beach real estate investment firm Baron Equities and one of the co-founders of the Tour de Pier.

Closing miles of road for runners or cyclists is expensive and takes time to coordinate. It’s easier, and cheaper, to have everyone in a single location, he said.

“What you want to do is raise the most money for whatever cause you’re involved with,” Gregory said. “A lot of runs and bike races are heavy on operating expenses because they cover so much ground. Here, we have a central location so we can really limit our costs.”

That means more money going to the event’s beneficiaries: the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research in Los Angeles; the Cancer Support Community in Redondo Beach; and the LiveStrong Foundation in Austin, Texas.

The event was first staged last year and is gearing up for its second go-round in the spring. Last year, the Tour de Pier raised $338,000 for the charities with about 750 participants. For this year’s event, scheduled for May 18, Gregory said he’s hoping for $500,000.

– James Rufus Koren