Wounded Warriors Canada to tour the Italian coastline next June for the 2016 Battlefield Bike Ride
Last June, Wounded Warriors Canada took to the streets of Europe as a squad, riding from Vimy Ridge to Groesbeek Cemetery in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Last June, Wounded Warriors Canada took to the streets of Europe as a squad, riding from Vimy Ridge to Groesbeek Cemetery in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The occasion, as in past years, was the Battlefield Bike Ride, supporting the organization’s mission to help ill and injured Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans, first responders, and their loved ones.
As recently announced, that squad has a new destination in mind for 2016.
From June 10 to 18, 2016, the riders will trace a route along Italy’s Adriatic coastline, one of the most spectacular on the European continent. The ride starts in Ravenna, Italy, and proceeds en route to Monte Cassino, a trip close to 600 kilometres in length. While raising funds to support those with operational stress injuries — post-traumatic stress disorder, in particular — it’s also a chance for the squad’s participating cyclists to explore the terrain of history, remembering the role played by other Canadian soldiers on the same soil during the Second World War.
The guns of those battles long silent, the 2016 Battlefield Bike Ride is about supporting those who have put it all on the line, and whose own, personal battles continue in one way or another.
The Rides of the past two years, remarkably, have raised more than $800,000, funds put to use in aiding the delivery of various programs central to Wounded Warriors Canada’s mandate: to honour the fallen, and to help the living. For 2016, the organization has extended an invitation for all Canadians to participate. Registration for the 2016 ride — dubbed The Italian Campaign — opens on Oct. 26, beginning at 12 pm Eastern time. Cyclists interested in rolling out with 2016’s squad can do so online, once registration starts, and can find further information online at bbr16.ca.
