Men and women of all ages put their summer training to good use Saturday by participating in the 21st annual Big Brothers and Big Sisters Tour de Cariboo.
The 75 km road ride, held as a fundraiser for the local charity, brought in more than $45,000 this year and attracted cyclists from near and afar to take part in the friendly competition.
For Cher Sytsma, the tour meant fulfilling a longtime fitness goal to take part in the popular event.
“It was on my bucket list,” the mother of three said Saturday morning, moments before the start of the race. “I said I would do this before I turned 40, which is next month, so today is the day.”
First time Tour cyclist Amy Butler said it was the encouragement from the staff at Barking Spider Mountain Bikes who motivated her to take on the ride, and her proud mom was there to support her.
“I’m just so proud of her, she’s an inspiration,” said Patricia Butler.
Local teen Sarah Austin was the youngest rider to take part in the event, at just 16 years old.
But it was the more seasoned cyclists who showed everyone who’s boss with Dr. Ann Carter competing in the women’s over 50 category, but who was the fastest woman overall to finish with a time of 3:01:38.
Former Cariboo North MLA Bob Simpson was in fine shape as he took the fastest time for the men’s over 50 category and in general with a time of 2:32:22.
But it was wasn’t all about the times.
The top three pledge earners were Tory Kier with $13,045, Dean McDonald with $2,385 and Patsy Kohnke with $2,200.
For a full list of Tour de Cariboo race results and more rider photos check a future Tribune/Weekend Advisor.
