The Cops for Kids bike ride will be hitting the road in a few days, with 19 riders and 8 support persons traveling across southeastern BC.
The grueling, 10-day bike ride will start in Kelowna on Friday and travel through over 20 communities, including Creston, Nelson, Grand Forks, Rossland, Cranbrook, and smaller surrounding villages.
Creston RCMP constable Robyn Diddams will be among the riders.
“We do a 1,000-kilometer bike ride throughout the Southeast District of BC. So we start in Kelowna, circle our way down south, and then go back around through the Golden-Salmon Arm area, and then back down to Kelowna within 10 days.”
The ride helps raise funds that will help children in the midst of medical treatment.
“(It helps) kids who need medical expenses covered, including travel expenses for the family to get kids to and from the hospitals, or learning aids, or medical devices that they might need to assist them,” said Diddams
Cops for Kids has raised over $6.5 million since its inception. Last year, they received requests from 448 local kids.
Among those getting help was Diddams’ own family.
“I ended up having to use Cops for Kids. When my son was born, he had some issues, and we had to get him and my wife airlifted to a bigger hospital. They assisted with some travel expenses for us.”
Despite being an avid cyclist, Diddams is expecting a grueling ride.
“Whether it’s the weather that gets us like when you’re getting a ton of rain or lots of heat, or the ride itself with the mountain passes, we have a lot to go through. It takes a lot.”
Diddams says he’s been preparing since he signed up for the ride, putting in about 500 kilometres a month since early March.
“I love the crew that I ride with, it’s a great group of people who all have the same mindset. One of the biggest things that I ride for is getting to meet some of the families that we assist on top of our landings at the communities we stop in. It’s really impactful to see the faces of the people that we help, and how grateful they are for our hard work.”
Other riders joining the cause are Nelson’s Mike Kosof and Rob Crowder, Castlegar’s Ron George, and Cranbrook’s Lisa Barnes and Steve Mercandelli.
Those looking to help with donations can do so online.
A full list of the stops along the ride can be found below:
Sept 6 – Departure from Kelowna, stops at Peachland, Summerland, Penticton, Oliver. Arrival at Osoyoos.
Sept 7 – Departure from Osoyoos, stops at Midway and Greenwood. Arrival at Grand Forks.
Sept 8 – Departure from Grand Forks, stops at Christina Lake. Arrival at Castlegar.
Sept 9 – Departure from Castlegar, stops at Nelson and Procter. Arrival at Nelson.
Sept 10 – Departure from Nelson, stops at Crawford Bay. Arrival at Creston.
Sept 11 – Departure from Creston, stops at Yahk. Arrival at Cranbrook.
Sept 12 – Depature from Cranbrook, stops at Invermere, Golden and Revelstoke. Arrival at Salmon Arm.
Sept 13 – Departure from Salmon Arm, stops at Chase. Arrival at Kamloops.
Sept 14 – Departure from Kamloops, stops at Falkland, arrival at Vernon.
Sept 15 – Departure from Vernon, stops at Lake Country. Arrival at Kelowna.
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