On Grandparents Day, Sunday, Sept. 8, Delta residents Darcy and Marty Billinkoff and Marie Henry will don their cycling shorts and join other enthusiastic grandmas, gramps and “grand-others” as they pedal 100 km in the eighth annual Solidarity Cycle, a Greater Van Gogos fundraising event in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign.
To help prepare, on Sunday, Aug. 11, the Billinkoff’s will be hosting a 30 km loop from Tsawwassen to the Deas Island Park followed by a barbecue luncheon.
This is one of four summer “Friendship Rides” being offered by the Gogos (“Gogo” is a Zulu word for grandmother) across the Greater Vancouver area for those who would like to participate but might find 50 or 100 km daunting.
The Grandmothers campaign was initiated in 2006 by the Stephen Lewis Foundation in response to the AIDS pandemic and the emerging crisis faced by grandmothers in Africa, as they struggled to raise millions of children orphaned by AIDS. Grandmothers and “grand-others” across Canada rallied together to raise funds and offer support to their African counterparts and continue to this day. Their motto is “we will not rest until African grandmothers can rest.”
Solidarity Cycle is not a race, but a leisurely cycle along picturesque dikes and quiet country roads, with a morning 50 km loop through Pitt Meadows and Port Coquitlam and an afternoon route from Pitt Meadows to Fort Langley.
Cyclists can sign up for one or both loops. With snacks at km 25, lunch at the halfway mark, ice cream at 75 km and a barbecue at the finish line, participants joke that it is the only cycle where they gain weight.
Registered cyclists are offered free training rides on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings throughout the summer and help with setting up a fundraising page.
On cycle day, they are supported with route maps, GPS, first aid, a service vehicle, and a photographer to capture the day. To date, Solidarity Cycle, has raised more than $350,000 for the Grandmothers Campaign.
If you love to cycle, the Gogos would love to have you along for this fun-and-fundraiser, whether you are a member of a grandmother’s group or not. If you wish to support the team with your donation, that would also be appreciated! To register or donate, go to: solidaritycycle.weebly.com.
