Communities across the Peace Region are preparing to welcome the Cops for Cancer Tour de North as riders travel through Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and Chetwynd next week to raise money for childhood cancer research and support programs.
The seven-day, 850-kilometre ride will bring 13 first responders and community riders through Northern B.C., starting in Fort St. John on Sept. 11 and wrapping up in Williams Lake on Sept. 17.
Riders will stop in communities and schools along the way, meeting residents and supporters while raising money for childhood cancer research and programs such as Camp Goodtimes.
The Peace Region portion of the tour kicks off in Fort St. John on Sept. 11 with a breakfast at Canadian Tire from 8:30 to 10 a.m.
The event, sponsored by Canadian Tire and Men’s Shed, will bring together riders and their support team, first responders, local officials, Indigenous Elders, sponsors and community members.
The riders will then make their way south, with a stop in Dawson Creek later that day.
A community barbecue will be held at the Dawson Creek RCMP detachment from 5 to 6 p.m., sponsored by the RCMP, Rotary Club of Dawson Creek, Swamp Donkey and Co-op.
The tour continues into Chetwynd on Sept. 12, where riders will join the Chetwynd Harvest Festival.
The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the Tour de North team expected to arrive around 2 p.m. at 5121 47th Avenue.
The Canadian Cancer Society said the tour is about more than cycling from one community to another.
Riders spend months training and fundraising before setting out, with the goal of supporting childhood cancer research and services for families affected by cancer.
The organization said donations help advance research, support families throughout their cancer experience and fund programs that give children and families opportunities to connect and build memories.
Residents across the Peace Region are being encouraged to come out to the events, meet the riders and learn more about the reasons behind their fundraising efforts.
For many of the riders, the 850-kilometre journey is about turning thousands of pedal strokes into support for children and families facing cancer.
