The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) annual "Ride Don't Hide" bike ride was a good success at the 108 Heritage Site on June 23.
"We had 69 riders, so we were thrilled with that," says organizer Valinda Boyd. "We just had a fabulous day and the weather was absolutely perfect."
While it is not a race, plenty of spectators showed up to cheer on the teams, she notes, and many visitors sightseeing at the 108 Heritage Site wandered over to see what the crowd was all about.
Three players from the 100 Mile House Wranglers championed the event and headed up the 10-kilometre ride, which she notes brought some celebrity status to the event.
"They were great ambassadors for their team."
The 20-km ride, which Boyd explains needs leadership to stay on course, was led by Steve Law and Tish Emery.
Several teams masquerading in attention-grabbing attire included Del's Angels, mimicking the Hell's Angels, and Cops and Robbers, who she notes were current and former members of the 100 Mile House RCMP detachment.
At the end of the day, Boyd says Cops and Robbers won the Golden Spoke award for having the most creative costumes.
The door prize of a child's bicycle was won by Lauren Bock who, Boyd adds, generously donated it back to CMHA to provide to another family's child who needs it.
The total funds raised from the entry fees, donations, pledges, concession and the province will likely be tallied within a couple of weeks, Boyd explains.
South Cariboo Search and Rescue was on site to offer support, she notes, and other individuals helped out wherever needed, such as cooking, registration and handing out water bottles to riders.
"We are so thankful; we probably had close to 30 volunteers out there. It is overwhelming the support you get in this community when you put the call out."