The Prince George Spruce Kings packed plenty of mustard in their ride to help kids with cancer but they couldn't top the New York Fries hot dog in the costume design category.
He stood out in the crowd of 12 teams who signed up for the inaugural Prince George leg of the Inside Ride, a cross-country fundraiser to send young cancer sufferers and their family members to summer camp.
"I hope this comes back every year, this is just awesome seeing everybody cheer for each other and it's all going to a great cause," said the New York Fries Prince George manager Dustin Snyder, wearing the hot dog mascot outfit.
"Me and Sandra [event organizer Blackwell] talked about the camp and she said not only is it a children's camp but it's where kids with cancer can just go and be a kid. That motivates you that much more to get behind it."
Teams of six riders rode as fast as they could for five minutes on stationary bikes to complete the ride and not surprisingly the Spruce Kings obliterated the competition, riding 19.53 kilometres in 30 minutes of riding in the gym Tuesday afternoon at the John McInnis Centre.
The event raised $15,615, with more donations still rolling in. The money will be sent to Camp Goodtimes, a Canadian Cancer Society-sponsored summer camp on Loon Lake near Maple Ridge. This year, kids from 16 northern B.C. families attended the camp, which is also sponsored by the RCMP's annual Cops for Cancer ride.
"Twelve teams is a very good start for a first-time event, it's very competitive but in a fun neat way and the Spruce Kings put a high standard on it," said Blackwell, assistant to annual giving with the Canadian Cancer Society. "I can't believe how much fun it was."
New York Fries captured the team spirit award, while the Neon Animals won top costume medals.
This is the third year the Toronto-based Coast to Coast Cancer Foundation has organized a national ride. The Inside Ride started Sept. 20 in St. John's Nfld., and will wrap up Saturday in Victoria. The event is expected to raise close to $600,000 for kids cancer camps around the country. Locally, Sterling Crane was the top team fundraiser, collecting $4,450.
