The Big Bike rolled into Agassiz last week, raising thousands of dollars for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
Two separate teams mounted the 30 seat bicycle on Thursday, despite a heavy downpour through most of the morning. First up were Nancy's Pedal Pushers, who all donned rain ponchos and persevered through the rain. The team was made up largely of participants in Nancy Maclean's Bootcamp classes at the Kent Fitness/ Activity Centre.
They pedaled through the two km route, beginning and ending in front of The Observer office on Pioneer Avenue. Next up was the team from Mountain Institution, made from employees of the local institution.
To ride in the annual fundraiser, a $50 fee is required. But Gillian Yardley of the Heart and Stroke Foundation says most riders get pledges well above that.
In total, the two teams raised $4,303 toward the organization's goal of $153,000.
Next up, the Big Bike will visit Maple Ridge, Coquitlam, MIssion and Abbotsford.
"It's always a great thing when we come here," Yardley said Thursday. "People tell us their stories. I'm really encouraged by the people who come here year after year."
Where heart attack, stroke and heart disease patients used to mean a diminished quality of life, advances in medicine now mean that there is life after heart surgery.