Cops For Cancer's Tour de North set to depart Prince George on Friday

The training rides are near an end and with the arrival of Friday, those participating in the 2014 edition of the Cops for Cancer Tour de North will set out on their  journey from the starting line in Prince George.

The ambitious route brings the participants through the vast geography that makes up Northern British Columbia, with stops in many communities along the way for fundraising, rest,  replenishment and celebration.

The schedule of the Tour will see the cyclists make their way along Highway 16, with one short detour to take Tour participants into Kitimat, before they make the final home stretch along the Skeena River Highway between Terrace and Prince Rupert.

A timetable of some of the stops along the way can be found below:

Sept 12 -- Prince George 8:30-9:45 AM -- Send off from the Canadian Tire Parking lot 

Sept 12 -- Vanderhoof 5:30 PM -- Welcome Event (Football field)

Sept 14 -- Smithers 5:30 PM  Welcome Event (Canadian Tire Parking Lot)
Sept 15 -- Smithers 7 - 9 AM Community Sendoff (Bulkley Valley Credit Union)

Sept 15 -- Moricetown 11:30AM -1:30 PM -- Cops for Cancer Team Lunch (Community Hall)

Sept 15 -- Hazelton 4 PM -- Welcome Event  (Credit Union Parking Lot)
Sept 15 -- Hazelton 6 PM -- Gitsxan Community Dinner (Community Hall)

Sept 16 -- Kitimat 6:15 PM -- Welcome Event 

Sept 17 -- Terrace 4:15 PM --  Welcome Event  (George Little Park)

Sept 18 -- Prince Rupert 5:30 PM -- Welcome Event (Cruise Ship Dock)

More on fundraising and welcome events during the tour can be found here.

Donations towards the Cops for Cancer campaign, are directed towards leading pediatric cancer research and a range of support programs that improve the lives of children with cancer, survivors and their families.

One of the most recognizable of those efforts comes from Camp Goodtimes.

You can learn more about Camp Goodtimes from this link.

Those looking to make a donation towards Cops for Cancer can find more information on that process here.

Fundraising in Prince Rupert has taken place with a number of events through the summer, the most recent one last weekend as part of celebrations at the Royal LePage Customer appreciation day.

Further opportunities to offer assistance can be found when the tour makes its arrival in Prince Rupert on September 18th at 5:30 PM, with the community welcome planned at the Cruise Ship Terminal in the Cow Bay District of the City.

As part of that event, Raffle tickets will be available for purchase for ten dollars each. Prizes include

First Prize of Return airfare for two to Vancouver from any location served by Hawkair

Second Prize of Return passage for two people and a vehicle between Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii on BC Ferries.

Third Prize, A night in the "Treat Suite" of the Crest Hotel in Prince Rupert.

There are only 500 tickets available as part of the raffle draw

The Tour de North events for Prince Rupert wrap up with the Riders' Dinner on Thursday evening at the Wheelhouse Pub.

More on the Tour de North, including the progress of their fundraising efforts can be found from the events home page.

You can follow the Tour de North through their twitter feed

Some notes on the Tour de North can be found below:

Prince George Citizen-- Jail n' Bail raises $15,000
Prince George Citizen-- Jail n' Bail set to raise cash for cancer society
HQ Prince George-- Cops for Cancer gearing up for Tour de North
Prince George Citizen-- Cops for Cancer tour gathering steam