The biggest fundraiser for The Ottawa Hospital is bouncing back from tragedy.
Renamed "The Ride", it was abruptly shut down last year after the death of one of the cyclists. This year organizers are promising a safer, different experience. It will be with heavy hearts that cyclists take to the road on Sunday. And there will be 200 fewer cyclists than last year.
Most of those returning were in that ride. Now, it's all about getting back in the saddle for a good cause, raising money for cancer research.
Along the side of River Road in the far south end of Ottawa, a ghost bike is a grim reminder of a fatal meeting between a truck and a bicycle, resting near the very spot along the road where 40-year-old Laurie Strano was killed last year.The competitive athlete and mother of two was struck by a garbage truck and killed while she was taking part with hundreds of other cyclists in the annul Ride the Rideau cancer research fundraising event.
John Pritchard lives near that spot, ‘We will be thinking of what happened last year, for sure,’ he says as he collects his ride kit at his workplace. He is one of 75 riders with the Tomlinson Group of Companies taking part in this year's ride. Pritchard says he isn’t concerned about his safety along the ride route this year.
‘I know everyone is going to be aware of it,’ so I’m not worried about it at all.’
Others at his workplace may be though. Last year, Tomlinson was able to round up more than one hundred cyclists to take part in the ride.
‘A lot of members have not rejoined and we have a lot of new members,’ says Jeff Tomlinson, the team captain, ‘whether that played a role or not, we don't know.’
In fact, the overall numbers are down from more than 900 participants last year to 680 this year.
The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, that oversees the event, says it was late in launching because of the police investigation and an event review. Both resulted in multiple changes, including a new name. It is now called "the Ride” and no longer runs along the Rideau. It will feature two routes: a 108-km open route alongside cars though this route will have bikes lanes and better signage and will carry riders from Tunney's Pasture to Carp and Dunrobin.
The 50-kilometre route will be a closed loop along the Sir John A Macdonald Parkway. One side of the Parkway will be closed to traffic Sunday morning to allow for the ride.
‘Safety is a priority,’ says Tim Kluke, the CEO and President of the Ottawa Hospital Foundation, ‘and as we look at this event, we've implemented all the recommendations of our event review taskforce and we will, in partnership with first responders and ride guides, to try to make it as safe as we possibly can.’
‘We are making it a positive day,’ says cyclist Donna Bekkers-Boyd, who will be part of the Tomlinson team, ‘and that’s the spirit of ‘The Ride.’
