Pedal for Hope begins 1,000 km trip
Tour begins at Westmount Public School, more Peterborough schools will be visited on May 1 in ride for cancer cause
Pedal for Hope cyclists celebrated the start of their 2018 tour in Peterborough on Monday.
The team gathered at Westmount Public School to officially launch the annual fundraiser.
Pedal for Hope is a three-week cycling tour, where police officers travel to various schools to talk about pediatric cancer and collect funds raised for pediatric cancer research.
The cycling team is made up of city police, Durham Regional Police Service, OPP and RCMP officers. Officers ride in honour of a child battling cancer or in memory of one who has died.
The trek stretches 1,000 kilometres, with stops at about 45 schools this year, including schools in Bowmanville, Ennismore, Omeemee, Bridgenorth, Warsaw and Norwood.
Students raise funds for the cause and are celebrated for their efforts at the Pedal for Hope event at their school. Heads get shaved, ponytails get cut off, and there’s usually a pie in the face or two during the event.
Last year, Pedal for Hope raised $352,000. Since its inception in 2005, the annual tour has garnered more than $4 million through students at 632 schools.
In 2015, supporters helped set a world record at the Peterborough Airport for the most heads shaved simultaneously.
The tour launched on Friday in Oshawa, with the team stopping at three schools that day.
On Tuesday, the officers will visit schools in Courtice and Bowmanville.
The tour returns to Peterborough on May 1 when the team visits St. Teresa School, Armour Heights Public School and R.F. Downey Public School.
After many other stops, the tour ends May 11. The final stop is North Cavan Public School.
The following day, the team will jump back on their bikes in Millbrook to cycle to Bowmanville for the “Final Ride.” That’s when Pedal for Hope kids ride alongside the officers for the last few kilometres leading up to the community celebration.
NOTE: The Pedal for Hope website is at pedalforhope.ca