Braving constant rains and winds, five hardy Sunshine Coasters hopped on their bikes and rode for a good cause recently.
The Ride to Conquer Cancer is a two-day cycling event that sees riders travel through the Pacific Northwest to raise funds for cancer research.
Coasters Sue Duxbury, Debbie Weeks, Andrew Hansen, Anne Miles and Melissa Christian participated in this year's event.
The group covered 240 km over two days, starting in Cloverdale on June 16 and ending in Redmond, a community just east of Seattle, on June 17.
According to Duxbury, about 2,700 participants were registered, although many did not make it all the way.
"The big thing was the weather. It was just gross," Duxbury said. "We were soaked before we even started."
The bad weather did not let up for the cyclists, and many ended up dropping out of the event.
"When we got down to the border, we had to stand in line. We lost about 100 people to hypothermia at the border. They had to be bused back. The next day we hoped for better weather, but it was just as bad, and we lost about another 50 people," Duxbury said. "But the Coasters prevailed. We're used to crappy weather."
All together, the event raised $11.1 million to fight cancer. While totals were not available for what Sunshine Coast participants raised as a group, Duxbury said each cyclist had to raise a minimum of $2,500 to participate.
Despite the tough weather conditions, Duxbury was pleased to participate in the ride.
"It was an adventure and I'm glad I did it and glad we raised all that money," she said.
