THUNDER BAY -- There was a middle path on the last organized bicycle ride of the season,
Sunday's Caribou Ride has traditionally had a 50-kilometre and 100-kilometre race but this year, organizers added a 75-kilometre race due to popular demand.
The title sponsor has always been Fresh Air Experience, the May St. company that lost its inventory to a fire on Aug. 28.Some doubted the company would participate but Fresh Air took registrations at a tent in the adjacent parking lot all day Saturday and the event went off as planned.
""The staff and owners of Fresh Air came forward and said, 'you know what? We've had this occurence. We're still going ahead with it,'" said Caribou committee member, John Sims.
"They had tents out yesterday at the old location and there has been no doubt."
Sunday's weather was refreshingly cool compared to cold rain last year. Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre executive vice president Dr. Mark Henderson said prospects looked good to add to the $200,000 the ride has raised for cancer care over its six-year run.
"First of all, it gets people out exercising and luckily they've got a very nice day today as opposed to last year when it was miserable," he said.
"It does raise a considerable amount of money for the cancer care programs at the regional cancer program itself and for that, we're extremely grateful and we're supportive of the event."
