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The Province,
Fifty cyclists ride trail Tip to Tip for
Guardian reporter Mary MacKay joins group on four-day fundraising ride.
This afternoon
more than 50 cyclists from across the Maritimes and as far away as
The gloomy
long-weekend weather forecast hasn't darkened the mood of Tip to Tip for Africa organizer Martha
Deacon of
"This
thing is just going to be incredible," Deacon says.
"You
should see the sweatshirts, it's worth the ride just
for the sweatshirts! They're a gift from Mark's Work Warehouse. And if there's
rain today Gordon MacQueen (of MacQueen's
Bike Shop) has volunteered rain ponchos."
The ride is in
aid of the Townships Project, co-founded by Deacon in 1998. The project
provides small loans for poor people in the townships of
Of the $400 Tip
to Tip for Africa participants have raised for the ride, $350 will be funneled
directly to the Townships Project.
"We are
privileged to have four days of shepherding, three overnights, 10 meals, four
venues of entertainment, a fabulous sweatshirt and numerous bus rides for the
princely sum of $50, due to the incredible generosity of our many hosts,"
Deacon says.
Guardian
reporter Mary MacKay will be along for the ride as well. Having completed the
Confederation Trail last year all by her lonesome, she's looking forward to
doing the Tip to Tip for Africa run, this time with more than 50 other
cyclists to chit-chat with along the way.
"I loved
it so much last year, I didn't just buy one bicycle after it was over, I bought
two," she says.
"But the
biggest after-effect of last summer's ride was that I quit smoking because
puffing a cigarette on the trail for me was about as awkward as tossing back a
plate of fries with the works during an aerobics class. Who knows what will
happen with this one!"
The first of
MacKay's stories on the trip will be published in Saturday's Guardian.
Illustration(s):
Mary MacKay
Category: News
Uniform subject(s): Aircraft accidents and safety
Length: Medium, 324 words
© 2005 The Guardian (