Kenora, Ont. cyclist to ride for family, veterans in this year’s Battlefield Bike Ride
This June, as Canadian Cycling Magazine previously reported, a group of riders will take to the roads of Italy along the Adriatic coastline, tracing a route through some of the most historic landscapes of the 20th century.
This June, as Canadian Cycling Magazine previously reported, a group of riders will take to the roads of Italy along the Adriatic coastline, tracing a route through some of the most historic landscapes of the 20th century.
Kenora, Ont.-based cyclist Susan Evenden, the Kenora Daily Miner and News said, will be among them.
Evenden will be participating in the Battlefield Bike Ride, an initiative of Wounded Warriors Canada in support of veterans suffering from the effects of operational stress injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s a matter close to Evenden’s heart. Descended from veterans herself—her grandfather, the Kenora paper reported, was a member of the 40th Canadian Highlanders in Italy during the Second World War—Evenden’s son also actively serves with the Canadian Army, holding the rank of captain. With such a deep connection to Canada’s military history, the decision to take part in the ride, she said, came naturally.
Cyclists who participate in the Battlefield Bike Ride undertake their own fundraising, with a requirement to raise at least $4,000 for Wounded Warrior’s support programs. “I’m at the halfway mark through the very generous support of friends, family and my social network,” Evenden told reporters. She cites a deep, personal concern with the well-being of veterans as her motivation, saying that it’s needed when too many don’t receive the support they need after serving.
“If there’s one positive outcome,” she said, referring to the ride’s possible benefits, “it’s to foster a better understanding in Kenora that we have veterans of Afghanistan here.”
“Veterans,” she added, “will benefit from services provided by Wounded Warriors.”
As reported earlier this fall, the 2016 Battlefield Bike Ride—dubbed the Italian Campaign— will be a 600 kilometre tour, visiting the historic Italian battlefields of the Second World War where many Canadian soldiers fought. Riders will roll out on June 10, departing from Ravenna, Italy and proceeding to Monte Cassino, the trip wrapping up on June 18.
Further information can be found online at bbr16.ca.
