Cycling For A Cause
Everyone bikes for one reason or another. At the moment, I’m a commuter. I bike to get from point A to point B, and prefer to get there sooner than enjoy the scenes along the way. Some people bike to save money, as taking a bus or a car everywhere can get expensive. There’s an environmental aspect to it as well, and some may choose to hop on the bicycle to reduce their carbon footprint. There are those who choose to use it to get fit (a secondary motive for myself, I admit), and there are others who bike simply because it’s enjoyable. On top of all that, there are those that bike to compete.
There’s another type of cyclist that I have a lot of respect, and may even idolize a little: the cyclist that bikes to raise money for a cause or organization. I’m going to highlight three in this entry, though there are hundreds, if not thousands of different causes that people use cycling to raise money or attract attention.
The first one I want to talk about is Share the Road. Share the Road was mentioned in a previous entry, but I didn’t go in to any details. The mission of this organization is to enhance access for all cyclists on roads and trails, improve safety for cyclists, and educate people on the value and important on safe cycling for healthy communities and lifestyles (loosely paraphrased). Basically, they want to make cycling a lot safer and wider spread in Ontario, Canada. The goal that they are striving to achieve is admirable, and works on many levels. Next year, when Share The Road returns to Ottawa, I hope to be a part of it. Currently they also host events in Milton, Sudbury, and Canmore (Alberta).
Ride the Rideau is a fundraising event. I’ve never had the opportunity to participate, but found out about it when I stopped in at my local Starbucks. The funds raised from this 100 km bike ride are put toward cancer research at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Last week this fantastic event took place and they had 325 riders, 130 volunteers, and managed to raise an astounding $901,632 in support of cancer research. I’m sure we’ve all be touched by cancer in some way. I lost my grandmother to cancer when I was younger. I found out about the event far too late this year to participate. Next year though, I’ll be there.
Finally, I want to talk about an event happening next weekend here in Ottawa. Bike for Beats has three race distances: 25km, 50km, and 100km. The 25km and 50km are almost entirely in Gatineau, but the 100km takes a huge swipe across south-eastern Ontario by the looks of the route maps. The funds raised from this event go to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, which is touted as “Canada’s largest and foremost cardiovascular health centre dedicated to understanding, treating and preventing heart disease.” Considering that heart disease is the #1 killer disease in Canada, I’d call that a damn noble cause. Once again I’m too late to start raising money and training for this event, but I’m not too late to volunteer for this one. Still awaiting confirmation, but I believe I’ll be a part of the sign setup crew. Not much, but we do what we can!
There are a tonne of these events out there, and these three are only a VERY small sampling. I highly recommend, if you can, get involved in any event of this sort that may be happening in your community. Face it, if you’re reading this, you’re going to be biking anyways. You may as well do it for a cause.
I’ve added the links to these three groups to the bottom of the page. If there’s a group running cycling fundraisers that you’d like to give a shout out to, please post it in the comments. I’ll get their link up and mention them briefly in my next post.
And now on to my weekly cycling report:
Sunday: Family in town, so no cycling. 0 km. 0 km/hr
Monday: Alta Vista/Industrial along Alta Vista to Heron, Heron to Navaho, Navaho to Algonquin College. Time 40 minutes. Algonquin College to Navaho, Navaho to Baseline, Baseline to Alta Vista, Alta Vista to Alta Vista/Industrial. Time 45 minutes. 26 km. 18.4 km/hr
Tuesday: Alta Vista/Industrial along Alta Vista to Heron, Heron to Navaho, Navaho to Algonquin College. Time 43 minutes. Algonquin College to Navaho, Navaho to Baseline, Baseline to Alta Vista, Alta Vista to Alta Vista/Industrial. Time 46 minutes. 26 km. 17.5 km/hr
Wednesday: Alta Vista/Industrial to Riverview, Riverview to Beechwood, Beechwood to The Bridgehead. 17 minutes. The Bridgehead along Beechwood to Vanier Parkway, Vanier Parkway to Industrial, Industrial to Alta Vista/Industrial. 15 minutes. 9.58 km. 18.0 km/hr. ( Fresh Tracks! Maps Updated!)
Thursday: Alta Vista/Industrial along Alta Vista to Heron, Heron to Navaho, Navaho to Algonquin College. Time 45 minutes. Algonquin College to Navaho, Navaho to Baseline, Baseline to Alta Vista, Alta Vista to Alta Vista/Industrial. Time 39 minutes. 26 km. 18.6 km/hr
Friday: Alta Vista/Industrial along Alta Vista to Heron, Heron to Navaho, Navaho to Algonquin College. Time 45 minutes. Algonquin College to Navaho, Navaho to Baseline, Baseline to Alta Vista, Alta Vista to Alta Vista/Industrial. Time 42 minutes. 26 km. 17.9 km/hr
Saturday: Sick, no cycling. 0 km. 0 km/hr.
Average Daily Distance: 16.2 km
Average Speed: 18.1 km/hr
Average Weekly Distance: 82.2 km
Average Cumulative Speed: 17.9 km/hr
