Lake Ride cycling event raises money for Southlake, community safety

Aurora Banner
May 21, 2014
By Brea Bartholet

Be prepared to share the road if you’re traveling along McCowan Road and Warden Avenue in northern York Region Sunday morning.

More than 200 cyclists are expected to hit the streets for the fourth annual Lake Ride in support of Southlake Regional Health Centre and York Region Centre for Community Safety.

Ride founder and avid cyclist, Phil Allan, said everyone is encouraged to participate, regardless of athletic ability.

“This is not a race, it’s a ride,” he explained.

“We want people to come out and enjoy what they’re doing and for everyone to feel good about participating.”

The idea for the event stemmed from a conversation between Allan and close friend Jerry Schep, a physician at Southlake.

Schep had been discussing his interest in funding an endoscopic ultrasound program at the hospital - a technology primarily used to take images inside the body to better define problems found in the stomach tract.

Since inception, the ride has provided sufficient funding to help the program thrive at Southlake.

The streets of York Region are great for cyclists such as himself and partner, Sue Marshall, said Allan, owner of Apple Storage in Aurora.

“You wouldn’t know it, but there’s a huge cycling community, especially in this area,” he said. “The roads are so well suited and drivers are becoming used to sharing the roadway.”

“It’s also great for all of us to come together for such a good cause this weekend,” Marshall added.

The ride will begin and end at the York Regional Police Association, 600 Stonehaven Rd., Newmarket.

This year’s event features 100- and 60-kilometre rides.

Riders will follow a scenic route along Lake Simcoe, followed by a lunch buffet at the finish line.

The ride will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m.

Race kits will be available Friday, 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bike Sports in Aurora.