Getting Ready

As riders gathered for morning announcements we learned that this year's Tour for Kids will host 102 riders (up from 60 last year) from across Canada. This ride is the middle ride of the Tour for Kids 'Trifector". A handful of riders has already done the tour in Alberta's Rockies and are preparing for the Southern Ontario ride. These riders have a jersey with a crown on it.

During this gathering we also learned that many riders are from Ontario, and to our surprise, we were standing beside a rider who originally hails from the West End of Sudbury, but now lives in Mississauga.  Of course, Peter has worked with this man's niece and I skated with the rider's sister-in-law. The guy beside us now knows Sudbury is a small town.

A family graciously shared the story of their 14 year old son who lost his life to bone cancer December 28, 2004.  While the story brought tears to the eyes of many, the group was inspired to learn that the older brother of this young man will be swimming from New Brunswick to P.E.I. in two weeks. To add to the inspiration we learned that six months ago this young man, having made the decision to swim in his brother's memory, first had to learn how to swim!

Following a group warm-up bikers walked their bikes up a small hill from the ball field and began their journey..the first leg of this "Tour for Kids".