A popular motorcycle rider’s anonymous saying is, “In the moment, right or wrong, always have your brother’s back!”
This is a fitting sentiment with the Ride For Dad event rolling from Squamish through the Sea to Sky on Sept. 7, with riders of all genders encouraged to participate.
The national charity motorcycle ride raises funds for the Prostate Cancer Fight Foundation, which uses the money toward cancer research and prostate cancer awareness campaigns.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men, according to the Canadian Cancer Society, which estimates that about one in eight Canadian men will develop prostate cancer at some point and one in 30 will die from it.
The Squamish ride, dubbed the "Surerus Murphy Squamish Ride Charity Ride supporting Ride For Dad," is being organized by the company’s Derek Pickford, who works for the Surerus Murphy Joint Venture (SMJV) on the Eagle Mountain-Woodfibre Gas Pipeline Project.
He said the company started supporting the ride in the Okanagan, when it was doing work on the Trans Mountain expansion project in Kamloops.
“So this year, we're in Squamish. The head guy from the Okanagan chapter—his name is Bob Charron—he's been involved with Ride For Dad for years and he’s going to come down and join us on our ride this year,” Pickford said, explaining Surerus Murphy is a third-party fundraiser for the Okanagan chapter.
The two places that offer comprehensive prostate cancer treatment options are Kelowna and Vancouver, Pickford noted.
Riders will gather in Squamish near the railyards starting at 7:30 a.m., then head through town and up the Sea to Sky Highway to Pemberton, where participants will gather at Mile One Eating House, which is donating some proceeds of burgers toward the charity.
“We'll do some door prizes for, like, best bike, oldest rider, who raised the most, a 50/50, draw—things like that,” Pickford said.
Pickford said there will be some other riders from Kamloops coming who he calls “die-hard rider guys who are always up for a good cause and do a lot of charity work themselves,” but he stressed that anyone who rides any type of motorbike is encouraged to get involved.
“Anybody can get involved. I mean, if you've got a motorbike, you want to come, you're more than welcome,” he said, noting a medic is along for the ride for emergency safety.
The goal for the Squamish ride is to raise a total of $50,000, all going to the charity.
Previous Surerus Murphy rides in the Okanagan raised $50,000 in its first year, $98,000 in its second, and $102,000 in its third and final year.
Find out more on the Ride For Dad website, or reach out to Pickford, by phone at 780-868-7488, or by email: [email protected].
