Cops will be riding for cancer straight down the Cariboo gold rush road.
The rotational routes of the annual Cops For Cancer, Tour de North will not be bringing the entire law enforcement peloton through Quesnel this year, but a contingent of the riders will use challenging and beautiful Highway 26 as a training route this week. You will see them on Saturday (Aug. 26) somewhere between Quesnel and Barkerville as they ride there and back.
Leading the ride this year are trainers Const. Anne Bock from the Quesnel RCMP who knows that highway well, along with Supt. Peter Wharton from the Prince George sheriffs department.
“Team members from the Cops For Cancer Tour de North will be riding bicycles using their own power, (no e-bikes here) and will be pedalling all the way out to Barkerville, in an effort to raise funds for pediatric cancer research, and to send children affected with cancer and their families to Camp Good Times,” said Bock. “This training ride will be a total of 194.07 km long, with 2,750 metres of total elevation gain…that is a very long day.”
Bock reminds the public they are required to leave a minimum of one metre of distance on all sides of a bike, and that bikes are expected to follow the same road rules as vehicles, which means they may ride in the lane if the shoulder is too rough, non-existent or too covered in debris to ride safely.
This year the tour will be starting on Sept. 15 in Prince George and head to Prince Rupert over the course of seven days.
“All team members will be pedaling to increase the chances of children surviving cancer,” said Bock. “Survival rates for children affected by cancer has increased to 83 per cent with Cops For Cancer supporting research. We are hoping to continue this positive trend.”
The group of riders this year includes first responders from a number of frontline agencies and departments across the northern region of the province: Scott Roberts of Shared Services Canada; medical personnel Anna Zintl (100 Mile House), Fiona Pirrie, Jamie MacPhersen, correctional services member Leighton Johnston; firefighters Kasper Green and Jordan Vendittelli; and RCMP members Sabrina Maaske, Roland Dixon, Justin Preston, Jacque VanWyngaardt, Fraser Bjornson (Williams Lake detachment), and Aaron Dalee.
For more information go to the Cops For Cancer – Tour de North web page hosted by the Canadian Cancer Society.
Bock said “for chance to win some amazing prizes, we also have a raffle.” Many prizes are available including a Rocky Mountaineer rail journey, WestJet flights, and a luxury weekend in Vancouver.
Link to the raffle at the same Cops For Cancer – Tour de North web page.
READ MORE: Cops for Cancer rolls through Quesnel
READ MORE: Cops for Cancer cyclists trek to Nazko Valley Elementary School
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