Friends for Life Bike Rally Returns to Cornwall

Cornwall Ontario – Cornwall’s Waterfront Trail will once again fill with colour as the PWA Friends for Life Bike Rally cycles into town.

The rally is a 600 km, 6-day fundraising event where over 200 cyclists will be riding their bikes from Toronto to Montreal to raise funds for the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation.

The cyclists are scheduled to ride through Cornwall on Thursday, July 28 with a scheduled stop for an afternoon break at the Cornwall Aquatic Centre.

“One of things that always drives the riders and crew further is knowing that there are people in local communities supporting and cheering for us along the way,” says Jeffrey Graham, Director of Media and Communications for the Bike Rally. “We should be arriving at the Aquatic Centre anywhere between 2:00 and 4:00pm and would be thrilled to meet people from Cornwall and area.”

Thursday will be the 5th stage of a ride that started in Toronto on July 24 and will conclude in Montreal on Friday July 29.

“The Cornwall section of the route is always a highlight,” said Mr. Graham. “The cyclists enjoy the scenic vistas along the St. Lawrence River and appreciate the fact that the Waterfront Trail is separated from vehicular traffic.”

Thursday morning the group will leave Johnstown after completing 400 km over the previous 4 days. The will have a short morning break in Morrisburg before jumping on the Long Sault Park for lunch on Mille Roches Island. After breaking in Cornwall, they will continue to Glengarry Park Campground in Lancaster. They will complete over 108km that day.

Supporting the cyclists is a crew caravan that transports luggage and tents, in addition to providing on the go medical and mechanical support when needed.

About PWA’s Friends For Life Bike Rally

Every July for the past 18 years hundreds of cyclists and crew depart from Toronto on a 6-day, 600 km journey to Montréal for PWA’s Friends For Life Bike Rally. This annual fundraising event has raised more than $15 million dollars and is the sustaining fundraiser for the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation (PWA). The funds raised through the Bike Rally enable PWA to provide critical services and support to individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Toronto.

The Bike Rally is considered the largest AIDS fundraiser in Canada.  In order to ride, all participants are required to raise a minimum of $2500.

In addition to riders who identify as being HIV positive, over a third of the participants are LGBTQ, while 30% identified as straight allies. The youngest rider is 17 years old and the oldest is 78. Riders include people from across Ontario, Canada, the USA and Europe.

On average, the riders cycle over 100 km per day over the course of the six days. Cyclists begin training in April, however the group of volunteer organizers work year-round to ensure all of the logistics for the event are in place. Over 100 people support the cyclists as part of the road crew, including staffers from ScotiaBank, who are the presenting sponsor of the ride.

You can learn more online at www.bikerally.org

About Cornwall’s Recreational Path and the Waterfront Trail

Cornwall’s recreation path forms and integral part of the Waterfront Trail, which is a 740km series of interconnected trails mainly along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. The Cornwall portion is 25km in length and offers amazing river views, while connecting people to a number of attractions including Lamoureux Park, Cornwall Civic Complex, Cornwall Curling Centre, Cornwall Aquatic Centre, Cornwall Community Museum, the St. Lawrence Power Development Visitor Centre and the historic Cornwall Canal. It also connects the Gray’s Creek Conservation Area in the east to Guindon Park in the west.

You can learn more on the City website at www.Cornwall.ca.

Categorised in: Sports