The annual Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock continues to roll toward a cure for childhood cancer and has a significant effect on the lives of the individuals taking part.
It’s a pretty amazing feat.
After all, there are numerous important causes the public could throw its support behind. Yet, in its 13th year, the tour continues to succeed.
From communities up and down Vancouver Island laying out the welcome mat for the event to police and military officers signing up every year just for a chance at taking part, the tour brings out the best in people.
The first Tour de Rock took place in 1998, raising $325,000. Since then it has raised more than $15 million and is again approaching the $1 million mark this year.
For the riders, the measure of success is not just the months of sacrifice and training for the challenge of riding 1,000 kilometres in two weeks, but the generosity displayed and the fundraising totals that grow after every visit to an Island community.
The value the people involved in the tour take out of it is a ripple effect, empowering them to continue to assist others.
Black Press joined the tour this year with reporter/photographer Chris Bush of the Nanaimo News Bulletin taking part as a media rider and like many who have completed the tour, he has been inspired to take on a new challenges, look for a new cause so he might continue to make a difference.
It is the lure of the Tour de Rock. Months of preparation and two weeks of physical and emotional challenges add up to a desire to go on helping those who need it most.
