After battling one of the toughest stretches of their journey, five cyclists reached Hinton last night on their 1,800-kilometre ride from the U.S. border to the Northwest Territories in support of Alberta Search and Rescue.
The group powered through the punishing climbs of the Rockies, a leg many consider the most gruelling of their week-long mission.
The ride, called AB4960, began Sunday at the 49th parallel on the U.S. border and will wrap up Aug. 30 at the Northwest Territories boundary on the 60th parallel.
Cyclists Keith Pushor, Daniel Hagan, Scott Korbett, Guy Bellis, and Mervyn Hiebert chost SAR as a worthy charity to support.
Among those providing support is Andy Potton, SAR operations manager and member of Cochrane Search and Rescue, who has been driving the chase vehicle for the past two days.
The cyclists aim to raise $5,000 to support Alberta’s 33 volunteer SAR teams, which rely heavily on community donations and volunteers.
Search and Rescue Alberta, a non-profit, volunteer-run organization with more than 1,400 members, provides an estimated $20 million in annual infrastructure support to agencies such as police, fire and emergency response.
Since 2001, Cochrane SAR has delivered vital support across the region thanks to a dedicated core of volunteers.
Currently, they are fundraising to replace and upgrade an aging rescue unit that has logged more than 400,000 kilometres. The organization remains about $30,000 short of its goal.
With the Rockies now behind them, the riders are pressing north, determined to reach the Northwest Territories border by Saturday.
Donations can be made in support of Alberta SAR at Donate Now - Search and Rescue Alberta.
You can track the ride’s progress here. It's updated every five minutes.