4 grandfathers pedal through Calgary during fundraising ride across Canada for wells in Africa
A bike ride of 10,000 kilometres, scheduled to last 65 days to raise funds for 65 water wells in Africa, rolled through Calgary Thursday.
Estimates are that 785 million people on this planet do not currently have access to clean water and, on average, a person dies every 90 seconds from a preventable water-related disease.
"We are grandfathers," said cyclist Mike Woodard, "It would break our hearts to have to watch one of them die. We just thought, lets make a difference in the lives of people in villages in Africa."
The ride — which is carving a path across Canada from the Arctic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean — has encountered numerous challenges to this point, but the motivation is strong to keep the team rolling on.
"Like today, when you’re riding through the rain, you think this is hard," Woodard told CTV News. "This is hard, but it would be a lot harder to watch your children die if they didn’t have clean water."
The group says a donation of $8.50 can help provide clean water for a person for a lifetime. Each well that is drilled services about 1,000 people and it costs about $8,500 to drill a well.
Donations are being accepted at Cycling 4 Water. The website also offers updates on the group's progress.
The team of cyclists are raising funds in partnership with the Global Aid Network (GAiN).
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.