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The 6th annual Pedal for Kids event kicked off the morning of Friday, September 11 from the Canadian Tire parking lot in Huntsville to the sound of bagpipes, cheering and shifting gears. Nearly 50 riders took to the road for the start of a 500-kilometre bike ride spanning five days and ending in Toronto on Tuesday, September 15
The event, sponsored by Sport Chek, raises money for the Canadian Tire Jumpstart program, which financially supports underprivileged kids involved in organized sports across the country.
The program celebrates a major milestone this year, as it closes in on helping one million Canadian children ‘get in the game’ over the past decade.
Riders get a healthy lunch during their first rest stop en route to Gravenhurst
“I was very pleased that our town was picked as the starting point,” said Ken Moser, the owner of Huntsville’s local Canadian Tire store. “They have done this for six years now, and because the annual company convention will be held in Toronto this year our community was a great fit as the starting line. Here in Muskoka alone we have helped more than 1600 kids who otherwise would have been unable to participate in sports over the past ten years.”
With riders coming from as far away as BC, Alberta and Quebec, the marathon cycling event is a great way to fundraise while also promoting the importance of a healthy lifestyle. In previous years, the ride has traversed other well-known Canadian vistas including a trip through the Rocky Mountains with stops in Banff and Jasper in 2013, as well as a route through the scenic wilderness along the Ottawa-Quebec City corridor last fall.
Travelling up the main street of Huntsville, this year’s course wound through Utterson and Port Carling before the riders broke for lunch in the small community of Glen Orchard, where they were on hand to present more than $3000 worth of equipment to the local Glen Orchard Public School.
Glen Orchard Public School welcomed the 47 Pedal for the Kids riders, who stopped on their way to Gravenhurst to present the school with $3000 worth of sports equipment
“I’m happy to be a part of it,” said first-year rider Matt Dellandrea, one of sixteen cyclists making the trek from Calgary, Alberta. “It’s just a great charity and such a great cause, combining the passion for giving kids exposure to the potential for sport and spending a week “working” on the bike. It’s fun, everyone is excited to be here and everybody is here for the same reason. They love cycling and they love helping kids, it’s really positive.”
This year, the tour will feature stops in Gravenhurst, Barrie Orangeville before riders cross the finish line at the Canadian Tire headquarters in Toronto. Over the course of the five-day journey, the ride is expected to raise more than $300, 000 for charity.
From left: Pierina De Carolis, Amanda Bankes and Kate Dionne assemble the donated equipment at the Glen Orchard Public School
“We have all had the privilege of participating in lifelong sport, and it has been such an important part of our lives,” continued Dellandrea. “It’s great when likeminded people are willing to reach out and give other youth, especially financially disadvantaged youth, that opportunity, it’s really important.”
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