Skip to content

Tour de Rock takes Campbell River by storm

A whirlwind tour of town during a whirlwind of a trip down Island
8686186_web1_Virginia-and-Arnold
Campbell River’s local rider, the RCMP’s Virginia Bessette, introduces the rest of the team – including Black Press media rider Arnold Lim (pictured) – at Tuesday evening’s event at the Campbell River Commons. Photo by Mike Davies/Campbell River Mirror

The 20th annual Tour de Rock rolled into Campbell River Tuesday on its way down the length of the Island.

Since its inception in 1998, The Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock has become Vancouver Island’s number one fundraiser and has raised over $22 million to help kids with cancer. The team of police officers and special guests, ride down Vancouver Island starting in Port Alice to Victoria – over 1,100 km – every year. The 20th year will mean that collectively they have travelled a distance equivalent to over half way around the world to help children in their battle against cancer. The funds raised send children facing cancer and their families to acclaimed Camp Goodtimes. One $1,500 donation is enough to send a child to camp.

The riders arrived at the Campbell River Commons at 5 p.m. to a raucus crowd of supporters after spending the day visiting the Co-Op for a fundraiser, Tyee Chevrolet Buick GMC, Dick’s Fish and Chips, Georgia Park Elementary, Penfield Elementary and Southgate Middle School.

Black Press media rider Arnold Lim is on his second Tour de Rock, having first participated in 2013.

He volunteered to go again this year, he says, because when they opened up the call for riders to Tour alumni for the 20th annual event, his first thought wasn’t how difficult the over-1,000km trek was, but how important it is.

“I’m not going to lie to you, there are some challenges out there,” Lim says. “But at the end of the day, when you are doing the tough roads or the tough hills, you think back to why you are doing this and you see and meet the people along the way who are so gracious with their time and their money and you think about those little kids with cancer – it makes it all worthwhile.

“The work that we put in on the road is really nothing compared to what these young people with cancer have to deal with when they get sent over to the general hospital in Vancouver, so, you know what? We’ll do whatever it takes.”

The team left from the Anchor Inn and Suites Wednesday morning and visited École des Deux Mondes, Pinecrest Elementary and L’École Willow Point Elementary before heading south along the Island Highway to continue their trip.

8686186_web1_Dogwood-Ride-Tour-de-Rock-1