Participants in the Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley will be riding 800 kilometres up and down hills, through rain, and possibly under a little sunshine, with just one goal in mind – raising funds to cure the disease.
This is the 20th year for the annual Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) cycling fundraiser, which will see 26 law enforcement officers from across the Lower Mainland ride from Langley, all the way past Hope to Boston Bar.
A kickoff event was held Thursday morning at Langley Fine Arts School where the riders zipped around a gymnasium to the sounds of cheering students.
For more than 13 years, Tour de Valley has started their cycle from the Fort Langley school.
Supt. Ed Boettcher, operations officer for Surrey RCMP, introduced the participants, many of them officers from Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, White Rock, Surrey, Langley, and Hope.
“Everyone we know has been affected by cancer in some way – be it friends, family, or co-workers,” Boettcher said. “In the past 20 years, $45 million has been raised in B.C. alone through Cops for Cancer, making it the largest pediatric cancer fundraiser in the country.”
The team of riders are already half-way past this year’s fundraising goal of $525,000 and is hoping to surpass it by the time the riders hit the finish line.
They’ll return on Friday, Sept. 27 after riding south through Tsawwassen and White Rock.
Donations made to the cancer society through Cops for Cancer are used to fund life-saving research and support programs like Camp Goodtimes for children with the disease.
Read More: Pedalling to put the brakes on cancer
Three other Cops for Cancer rides in B.C., including the Tour De Coast up the Sea to Sky corridor, are also happening.
More information on Cops for Cancer and opportunities to donate to the Tour de Valley team can be found
here.
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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@langleyadvancetimes.com
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