Those fat-tire bicycles OPP officers were riding around on Sauble Beach last summer are about to be tried on an ice road.
A few local OPP officers arrived in Thunder Bay Thursday (6th) on their way to Red Lake to take part in their first ever Ice Road Challenge on Friday (7th).
The 110km ride from Red Lake to the Pikangikum First Nation is expected to take 8 to 9 hours and at the end, the community of Pikangikum will host a moose stew dinner.
It's a new fundraiser for a community building bike program that positively engages youth in the remote Northern Ontario village of Pikangikum.
Grey Bruce OPP Constable Adam Belanger has been working on a bike program in the community since 2016 in partnership with New Hope Community Bikes in Hamilton. (https://www.newhopecommunitybikes.com/pikangikum)
Since then, they have created a shipping container bike shop/bike library in the remote community.
Belanger says there are about four officers who work in the Grey Bruce/Collingwood Blue Mountains area who are doing the ride along with civilians and officers from around the province, making up a group of about 40 people in total.
OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique is also taking part.
Belanger says there's a 20km stretch that is actually an ice road over lakes.
Belanger says the goal is to raise $50,000 for the bike program. He says the money will go towards purchasing bikes, maintaining them, and employing youth in the summer to run the bike shop.
Belanger says there are ten bikes being ridden into the community that have been purchased with the intention of donating them to the community.
Belanger says it's great way for you to connect in the community, “Typically you're restricted to the weather on a bike” says Belanger, but fat tire bikes can be ridden in the wintertime too, “They have their fair share of winter up there in Pikanguikum.”
Until March 2nd, you can donate to the Pikanjikum Bike program on the New Hope Community Bikes website.
Thank you to those who registered for the sold out #IceRoadChallenge. Looking forward to a demanding 110km ride and supporting the youth bike program in #Pikangikum @NewHopeBikes https://t.co/1gYbAOmgiW
— Thomas Carrique (@OPPCommissioner) February 6, 2020