With just seven teams participating in three rides around the city the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Big Bike Ride in Williams Lake last Friday raised a total of $10,376.
Adding the $7,893 raised at the ride in 100 Mile House earlier in the day, the two events raised a total of $18,269, said Teresa Moore, area manager for the Kamloops Cariboo area office.
Some teams rode together on the 29-seater big red bike Friday afternoon and evening.
The Save-On-Foods and Curves teams made the first ride followed by the Scotia Bank, Daybreak Rotary and RBC bank teams.
The large Gibraltar team with about 25 riders took the last ride about 7 p.m. in the evening.
“It was great,” said Gibraltar’s team leader. “It was a lot of fun. A huge thank-you to Gibraltar for being our corporate sponsor.”
Before each ride Moore put the groups through a couple of warm-up exercises and explained how the Heart and Stroke Foundation raises funds for heart and stroke research, advocacy for patients and supports heart and stroke education programs.
She talked about one four-year-old boy who was scheduled to have a heart transplant, but as a result of research, his heart condition was able to be corrected with medication and implanting a pacemaker.
She said it was pretty exciting that the little boy named, Karter, had his pacemaker surgery on the same day as the Big Bike Ride was held in Kamloops this spring.
She also talked about the foundation’s new logo and slogan, “Life – We don’t want to miss it.”