Thank you for partnering with us...

On Saturday, August 26th and 27th, our RGF team, the Market Cycles took part in the 2017 Ride to Conquer Cancer – our ninth in as many years. 

Our team was founded in 2008 following the terminal prostate cancer diagnosis of our friend and colleague, Ken Hawley. Together with nearly 2,000 other riders this year, we collectively raised $8.3 million for the BC Cancer Foundation. 

This year, our team of 6 raised over $37,000, and thanks to many of our clients, we have collectively raised just over $707,000 over the 9 years we’ve participated in the Ride. 

Weather is always a variable we seem to worry about leading up to the ride. For the second year in a row, we didn’t experience any precipitation on the ride at all. We had glorious sunshine all weekend and for some parts of the ride, even a tailwind! We were very much looking forward to this ride because it was announced earlier this year this would be the last year we ride to Seattle. We therefore wanted to soak up every moment we could, as we wouldn’t be riding these roads again. 

Following some heart-wrenching stories from cancer survivors taking part in the ride, we rolled out of Cloverdale at 7:20am en route to camp in Mount Vernon. The riding conditions were perfect! The route on day 1 was slightly different from last year and was very enjoyable. We had no flat tires or mechanicals on day 1 but did come across a few cycling accidents. 

We all arrived safely at camp in Mount Vernon on day 1 about 2:30pm. Immediately after we entered the camp area, we were asked by the ride organizers to film an orientation video for future first time riders. This was a first for our team and we all did our best to inspire others to join this wonderful event and support a great cause. 

On Sunday, we left camp at 7:20am and made our way to Seattle. The riding conditions on Day 2 were fantastic. However, about 45 minutes into our ride our team was involved in an accident. Two of our riders touched wheels and one of them fell off her bike – falling onto the grassy shoulder towards some barbed wire. We all stopped to help and she (and her bike) thankfully appeared to be uninjured. After the ride, however, we learned she fractured a toe. She never let on that she was experiencing some pain in her foot as she was determined to finish the ride she had committed to. 

Day 2 once again took us through some beautiful and very scenic backcountry roads. We arrived at the sunny finish line in Seattle at 3:30pm and were welcomed by several hundred people cheering us on – including family and friends. 

We sincerely thank everyone who donated and supported us in this year’s Ride to Conquer Cancer. Our team will be back in 2018 to celebrate our 10th ride in as many years. Thank you for partnering with us… Our website address for 2018 is: http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/marketcycles2018