For rider Colin Bridge, participating in this summer鈥檚 Tour De Cure cycling event through the Fraser Valley is his way of memorializing the many special people he鈥檚 lost to cancer, including his mother who died when he was only 18.
Bridge himself is a prostate cancer survivor and his wife fought and won her battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Together they鈥檙e supporting their 27-year-old daughter Laurie, who is facing stage 4 colorectal cancer.
鈥淚 am no stranger to the toll that cancer can take on ourselves, our families, and our communities. In the past couple of years, two very dear friends died of cancer. Michael Heaven of breast cancer, and Jannine Cook of esophageal cancer. Both friends left loving families behind; it鈥檚 difficult to measure the scale of such loss.鈥� Bridge says. 鈥淭his is my fourth time participating in Tour de Cure, connecting with other riders who have experienced their own losses and struggles with cancer helps you feel a little less alone in the pain and sorrow of losing so many good people to such an unpredictable illness.鈥�
While the breadth of cancer鈥檚 impact on Colin and his family may feel like something that happens to 鈥榦ther people,鈥� just about everyone has been touched by the devastating disease in some way. That鈥檚 why Colin and the other 2,000 riders expected to join this year鈥檚 ride from Cloverdale to Hope are sharing the message: cancer impacts everyone, it doesn鈥檛 discriminate.
But there is hope, and it鈥檚 in events like the Tour De Cure, where thousands of riders have met the challenge and raised funds that have propelled research innovation and access to care across the province.
It鈥檚 more than crossing a finish line. It鈥檚 helping to bring a world free from cancer just a little bit closer.
Sign up today to pedal for 鈥� and to 鈥� Hope
The is back with a massive, two-day event, Aug. 26 to the 27 that will take riders from the Cloverdale fairgrounds all the way to Hope.
The 200-kilometre ride event has raised more than $116 million for world-leading cancer research and innovation over the years 鈥� results that have reached beyond B.C. to help those battling cancer around the world.
Leaving from the Cloverdale Fairgrounds, participants will choose either a 100km or 160km ride to Chilliwack Heritage Park, where they鈥檒l stay for the night in tents set up and waiting for them. Day 2 is the 100km ride to the finish line in Hope.
Meals are provided throughout the weekend, along with fully supported pit stops every 25km or so, complete with washrooms, snacks, lunch and hydration stations, plus bike and medical support.
Tour de Cure is your chance to do something unforgettable, and join a community that believes challenges are opportunities to make a difference.
Register to participate and help raise money for life-saving cancer research. You can also make a donation online to BC Cancer Foundation . Events like this can鈥檛 happen without volunteers, so if you would like to help out with Tour de Cure or future events you can sign up .
Working together we can change the cancer story for everyone. Learn more about the BC Cancer Foundation , and stay up-to-date with the latest events and innovations on and .