Velo-ciraptors pushing hard to the finish!

The SRDC Velo-ciraptors are in the final stretch of the 2025 Great Cycle Challenge.

OUR TEAM'S GOALS:

- Fundraising: We exceeded our ($2,500) goal and have raised $3,726 for SickKids Foundation!

- Mileage: So far, we have logged 1,673 kms – that’s 827 kms from our 2,500 kms distance target.

RECOGNITION AND MILESTONES:

- Congratulations to David G and Patrick for reaching both your fundraising and mileage goals! You two alone have raised over $1,300 and cycled over 450 kms. Your dedication is inspiring!

- Congratulations also to: Julie, Jillian, Arij and Deanne on reaching your fundraising goals!

- A few raptors are within 25 kms of reaching their mileage goals. You can do it: Julie (8 kms to go), Arij (24 kms to go), Masashi (18 kms to go) and Shawn (20 kms to go)!

- Several cyclists found creative ways to ride daily, turning errands and commutes into kms towards their goals. Kudos to Shawn for logging 26 bike rides in August!

FINAL WORDS TO OUR MIGHTY VELO-CIRAPTORS:

- Tonight and tomorrow, consider taking a quick evening cruise, an early morning ride, a midday two-wheeled escape and/or a fast spin at the gym. Even a 20-minute ride can energize you, refresh your mind, boost your mood and reduce your stress through endorphin release, and improve circulation for the rest of your day.

- Log any kilometers you’ve cycled in August but have not yet logged.

- Consider sharing a ride photo on our team page as additional inspiration for other raptors.

SUPPORT THE VELO-CIRAPTORS:

Thanks to our enthusiastic cycling team and generous supporters, we’ve surpassed our fundraising target … but we’re not done yet. We have just two days left to close the gap on our mileage goal and raise awareness for SickKids Foundation. Funds raised will help the foundation “lead the fight for the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), one of the world’s foremost paediatric health-care institutions.” You can read about SickKids’ important work and achievements on the GCC website.

If you haven’t yet, you can still support our SRDC cycling team by sending words of encouragement or making a donation here on our team page. Every ride and donation, big or small, helps us reach our collective goals.

The SRDC Velo-ciraptors’ energy and commitment, our supporters’ kindness, and the community spirit have carried us this far – we just need one final push so we can finish strong.

Thanks kindly for your support. Be safe and have fun cycling!

Elizabeth

Feeling grateful and pedaling hard!

Woohoooooo!

We have exceeded our $2,500 fundraising goal! CONGRATULATIONS to our amazing Velo-ciraptors on raising $3,115 for SickKids Foundation and THANK YOU to all our kind supporters, including the Garron Family who generously matched donations on August 13th.

Many of us have started riding towards our individual goals, while some have not saddled up yet (or maybe just haven’t uploaded their rides yet). So far, we have collectively cycled 889.6 kms. We have 1,610.4 kms to go – with 12 days left, that means we’ll need to cycle about 134 kms a day. Can we do it? Yes, we can, but we will all need to pedal hard for the rest of the month. Let's go, raptors!

If you haven't yet, please consider supporting this important cause by donating to our team.

Be safe and have fun cycling!

Elizabeth

The raptors are on the move!

The SRDC Velo-ciraptors are rounding the corner of the first lap/week of the 2025 Great Cycle Challenge. Well done to all our 16 cyclists: Patrick, Lindsay, Masashi, Haley, Julie, Arij, Arunika, Deanne, Dianna, Jasmine, Jillian, Kim, Shawn, Vicki, and David. Thank you all for signing up.

So far, we have biked 251 kms. That’s roughly 30 kms per day. We are 10% towards our 2,500 km mileage goal. We definitely need to ramp up our cycling if we want to reach our goal by the end of the month. If you haven’t yet, now is the time to get out on your velocipede!

However, after just one week, we’ve raised $1,058 for SickKids Foundation, which means we’re 42% towards our $2,500 fundraising goal. This is dino-mite! Leading the charge are Patrick and Lindsay with $685 and $114 in donations, respectively. Patrick has also already logged almost 100 kms (91.4 kms). You two are giants – just like the Argentinosaurus, which was apparently the largest sauropod dinosaur ever to have existed. :D

Currently, we are in 142nd position in the National Team ranking (out of approximately 1,000 registered teams) and 26th place in our Corporate Teams category (out of 95 teams).

Some reminders:

1. You set your own mileage goal for the Challenge, this could be anything (5kms, 50kms or 500kms).

2. There are two ways to log your mileage. You can sign in and manually enter your kms cycled, or if you install the GCC app, whenever you are out on your bike, you can just select “Track Outdoor Ride” and it will automatically log your kms for you. When you stop cycling (and end your ride in the app), it will record the distance and show a map of your route on your GCC page.

3. You can enter each ride as you go (manually or through the app) or you can manually enter multiple rides at once.

4. You have the option to include a fun note and/or photo for each ride.

5. You can ride anywhere in the world, including indoors on a stationary bike.

We will be sending team shirts to all riders next week. Wear them proud, Raptors.

Have fun and be safe on your bikes in Week 2 of this awesome challenge!

Elizabeth

Are you with us?

The Velo-ciraptors are ready - are you?

In just two weeks, we begin a month of cycling in support of SickKids Foundation. Our little but mighty team of SRDC cyclists has participated in the Great Cycle Challenge every August for the past six years. We have set our 2025 mileage goal and fundraising goals: we're aiming to ride 2,500 kms and raise $2,500.

So far, we have 10 cyclists on board. We're hoping more SRDC'ers will ride with us. You can cycle anytime, anywhere, at your own pace. Logging your rides is easy with the GCC App - it does it all for you. It's a super way to stay active and it's for a great cause. Please consider being part of our fun and fierce team - sign up to ride with us today and help fight kids' cancer.

Let's ride and roar together for SickKids!

Elizabeth

(Oh, and all riders will get swag and cookies! :)

The countdown is on!

The Great Cycle Challenge starts in 44 days.

Don't wait - tune up your bikes and sign up to ride with our 2025 Velo-ciraptors cycling team!

Elizabeth