Five figures raised in day-long bike ride

July 26, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

Twenty-four hours, 630 kilometres, and 6,162 metres of elevation later, Vito Barbera has brought in over $10,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation.
Dubbed the “24-4-Terry Fox,” Barbera was joined by his fellow cycling enthusiasts in a 24-hour marathon bike ride to raise funds for the organization, a success for the second straight year.
“The event went extremely well,” said Barbera, President of the B1 Cycling Club. “It was great!”
With donations so far reaching $10,598, and still climbing, Barbera’s ride covered a 42-kilometre route around the King City area: the same distance per day of Fox’s Marathon of Hope.
Riders donated for the chance to take between one and five laps with Barbera, starting and ending at the King’s Ridge Montessori School in King City, with roughly 80-90 joining him on the course.
“Eric Kan did the most, not sure exactly how many but he raised the most in donations and was with me on the course the most,” said Barbera.
A grueling challenge for any man, Barbera was able to use his cycling experience and expertise to complete the marathon, having set the North American record last year in the inaugural event for one person riding four 24 hours.
“I still compete at an elite masters level, so I didn’t really change much except do some longer rides that I probably would not have done if I wasn’t doing the 24,” said Barbera.
The over 6,000 metres of elevation climbed by Barbera is almost comparable to that of Mount Everest, a challenge that he may aim for in the third year of the event.
“We would like to see our donation total go higher and we would also like to see more riders at the event,” said Barbera. “Our biggest plans for next year are to add to our efforts and make it a bigger and better event for everyone and definitely try to raise more money for the Terry Fox Foundation!”
Barbera said he would like to thank King’s Ridge Montessori for providing the start and finish lines for the event, as well as family and friends that helped with the event.
Donations can continue to be made at www.terryfox.ca/vito24.