The Tribune

RIDE For Hope, the largest charity cycle event in The Bahamas, will be staged in New Providence for the first time next month after eight years in Eleuthera, during which time the number of riders has grown to over 600. This year’s event will take place on Sunday, February 8, at Goodman’s Bay Park, offering anyone with a bike the opportunity to take to the saddle and raise funds to fight cancer.

In 2006 Ride For Hope started with 98 riders in Eleuthera and, over the years, has been hailed as one of the most efficient, organised and successful charity events in The Bahamas. A combined 2,900 riders have pedalled over 50,000 miles and raised over $2.3 million since 2006.

“Ride For Hope is a charitable bike-a-thon designed to accommodate people of all ages and cycling abilities,” said Susan Larson, co-founder of RFH. “It matters not if you ride three miles or 100 miles, whether you pedal slowly or like the wind. You can easily participate. The distance you ride is entirely your choice. Every participant has a highly personalised journey. You are not in a race. You are under no pressure to finish quickly.”

The route begins and ends at Goodman’s Bay on West Bay Street. Participants can choose to cycle as little as a couple of miles or up to 100 miles. Most cyclists will follow an out-and-back style route, common to previous RFH rides. Those going over 50 miles will be looping around the western end of New Providence. Parts of the route will be closed to traffic for the event.

Stephen Holowesko, co-founder with Larson, said: “Our goals for the Ride are simple. Safety is our number one priority. We wish to have a safe, quality event, one that inspires the respect and loyalty of our riders and corporate sponsors. We also seek to deploy those funds raised by our riders in the most direct, cost-effective way possible to benefit Bahamians in their fight against cancer. In this respect, the growth of the Ride For Hope from 98 riders in 2006 to over 600 riders at the last event is a testament that we continue to achieve our goals. Our participants and sponsors credit Ride For Hope with ‘doing what we say we’re going to do and following up transparently’. We work hard to ensure the quality of the event and the integrity of the funds raised.”

Participants can register as an individual, as a family or as a team. Registration is online at www.rideforhopebahamas.com or at Cycles Unlimited on Mackey Street.

A traditional ‘High Carb’ buffet dinner for participants will be held the day before the ride, hosted by Baha Mar at Melia, and will include live performances by bands, dance troupes, magicians, and children’s entertainment for the young riders. Another annual highlight is the Après Ride Festival at the staging area on the day of the ride, where there will be food vendors, live music by some of Nassau’s best bands, carnival games and a performance by the internationally-acclaimed Mike Steidley and his Mountain Bike Stunt Show.

RFH has used funds raised by the bike-a-thon to assist the Cancer Society in paying off the mortgage incurred building the Cancer Care Centre on Collins Avenue; to create the innovative Family Island Mammogram Screening Initiative (FIMS) programme, which brings at-risk Family Island women to Nassau for mammograms and any needed follow-up; to create the Treatment Assistance Fund, the first of its kind in the country, which is administered by the Cancer Society and supports cancer patients with their treatment costs through financial grant; to fund the Cancer Society’s nationwide Cancer Education Programme; to grant funds to genetic testing into the prevalence of the cancer-causing BRCA1 gene mutation in Bahamian women, who have the highest known incidence in the world of the gene mutation that causes breast cancer; and to contribute $130,000 to complete the purchase of a new digital mammography machine at Princess Margaret Hospital.