Every year for the last ten years, on the longest day of the year in June, a team of cyclists wake up in Kelowna and prepare to ride the 400 km to Metro Vancouver. This year, the alarms went off at 2:30 am on June 20, so that the group of 120 cyclists (and 80 amazing support crew) cold depart at 3:30 am arriving in Delta at 11:15pm.
This epic ride is the Canadian Cancer Society’s largest all volunteer independent fundraising event in Canada, and it’s a ride with a magical difference: 100% of all donations go to cancer research. No money is taken out for staff, administrative or marketing costs, or to run the event. Participants ride in BC, and the donation money stays in Canada for top research projects.
It’s also a fully-supported ride and 12 fully supported gourmet food stops. There’s food and fresh water at every rest stop, and surprise treats from twizzlers to piping hot lasagna to refreshing sushi rolls. The group even travels with its own porta-potties, cheer squad, mechanics, police officers and paramedics.
This year so far, Ride2Survive has raised over $600,000. To date the total raised over $3.5 million.
There is another important difference for this group of riders: As the miles wear on, the group becomes even tighter and closer, supporting each other throughout the endurance experience. The ride’s motto: We start together, we ride together and we finish together.
Donations for 2015 are welcomed till November 2015. Registrations for the 2016 ride will open in August.
