After months of training, 17 Tour de Rock riders, including West Shore RCMP’s Const. Elyse Patten, are set to take on the long, gruelling challenge that lies ahead.
Riders will depart from the Thrifty Foods in Admirals Walk on Saturday, and on Sunday they’ll begin the 1,100-kilometre, two-week trip down the Island while raising money for pediatric cancer research and support programs.
The South Island riders, including Patten, will leave from View Royal at 7:30 a.m. and will join mid-Islanders at the weigh station just before Parksville at 10 a.m. A pair of Comox riders will meet the rest of the team later in the day, as will a Port McNeill rider.
The Tour de Rock officially begins on Sept. 25 in Port Alice and concludes in Victoria on Oct. 7.
Members of the public are welcome to show their support for this year’s riders and join the small gathering of friends and family who will say farewell to the South Island team on Saturday morning.
More information on the ride can be found at tourderock.ca.
joel.tansey@goldstreamgazette.com