Big Bike back this summer

Clare, Yarmouth and Shelburne.

On Monday, Aug. 1, the Clare community team is scheduled to do two rides (with start times of 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.) Tuesday, Aug. 2, the bike will be in Yarmouth, where four teams have been lined up (the first of which will do its ride at noon). Then, on Wednesday, Aug. 3, the bike will be in Shelburne, where there will be one team riding (with a scheduled start time of 5 p.m.)

While Shelburne only has one team, it’s an example of a dedicated group.

“It’s just the one team, but they’re a big team,” said Big Bike spokesman David Olie. “They always do a great job for us. They’ve been in Big Bike for I think as long as I’ve been involved, so this is probably their 14th or 15th year.”

Olie, program co-ordinator with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, is involved in about 30 Big Bike rides this year, covering 18 to 20 communities from Yarmouth to Elmsdale.

The Big Bike, which is brought to Nova Scotia each year from Alberta, first came to this prov- ince in the early 1990s. There seems to have been a resurgence of interest in the Big Bike in recent years, Olie says.

“We have teams that come back year after year,” he said. “We have other teams that come in for a while, go out, come back in. It really depends on the people. If you have somebody who’s really enthusiastic ... that’s what you need.”

That the event supports good cause also helps.

“People are aware that the money they raise goes to the research that we are funding to create more survivors and to improve the quality of life and produce a generation of healthier Canadians,” Olie said. “That is something that really motivates a lot of people.” a