Hundreds of local bikers revved their engines and hit the streets of Thunder Bay Saturday to fight for a good cause.
The ninth annual Bell Motorcycle Ride for Dad kicked off Saturday morning as over 300 riders roared their engines in an effort to stop prostate cancer, which is responsible for 25 per cent of all cancer in Northwesrtern Ontario men.
Event co-chair Bernie Blake said Ride for Dad has raised over $600,000 to date.
"This is Thunder Bay. You can talk about the giant heart," said Blake outside of event headquarters at the Keg. The giant heart is in the riding community as well."
After the bikers all rev their engines together, a short parade leads to a poker run, taking riders all over the city to get the best hand. Although its grown every year, Blake said he’s starting to see a plateau in the number of riders participating. He’s hoping the next generation of bikers will come out and support.
"We are starting to get them the sport bike riders. We’re starting to see more of them and hopefully they will help us grow in the future," Blake said.
Blake said as long as the event continues to fund prostate cancer research, education, diagnosis and treatment it will stay around.
"The more aware the community becomes the more involved they become," Blake said. "The bikers in this community just love to participate in this event."
All proceeds from the event go to the Northern Cancer Fund of the Health Sciences Foundation and stays in Northwestern Ontario.
