The Ride to Conquer Cancer
The Ride to Conquer Cancer was created in 2008 as a "mega-event" annual fundraiser in support of cancer research at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Ontario, Canada. Funds raised from the Ride benefit people from across Canada and around the world. The Ride is non-competitive cycling adventure that sees thousands of riders travel more than 200 kilometres over two days. During the inaugural year in 2008, $14 million was raised for Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Following the success of the first Ride, the event was licensed out to cancer charities in Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. Importantly, 100% of the License Fees went back into a National collaborative clinical trials initiative. The original event agency supporting the Canadian edition of the Ride to Conquer Cancer took the program to Australia in 2011 where the event lasted four years. The previous Canadian charity partners decided to launch their own local bike ride fundraising initiatives in 2021 and are no longer associated with the Ride to Conquer Cancer. Today, The Ride to Conquer Cancer is an aspirational epic ride fundraiser benefitting Princess Margaret with participants coming from all 10 provinces, two Territories, 17 states and 7 countries worldwide. Over the 14-year history of The Ride, over $220 million has been raised in Ontario and over $410 Million across Canada. It was the number one Peer-to-Peer fundraising brand in Canada from 2014 to 2019. Differing from other fundraisers, the event focuses on having a relatively small number of participants who raise considerably more money in support of cancer research. Historically, each participant was required to raise a minimum of $2,500 in order to ride. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was cancelled in Montreal and postponed in Vancouver. In Ontario and Alberta, the Ride pivoted to a virtual experience where the fundraising minimum and registration fee were removed, and riders chose their own route and distance. Organization Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is one of the top 5 cancer research centres in the world. With 3400+ staff, and the largest roster of cancer surgeons in Canada, over 200+ types of cancer are treated at Princess Margaret. In 2019, the cancer centre saw 17,433 new patients. Among the services provided in 2019, we delivered 6,387 surgical procedures, 88,555 radiation therapy visits, 52,949 systemic therapy & transfusion visits and 485 stem cell transplants. The clinical trials program also continues to grow in volume and breadth with 2,765 patients enrolled in clinical trials. Through ongoing research, education and innovation, Princess Margaret continues to be on the frontiers of medical, surgical and radiation oncology, embracing the latest technology and international best-practices and setting standards for patient care. Ontario The Ride is an EPIC, 2-day, 200 km+ cycling event where thousands of participants from across Canada and around the world ride between Toronto to Niagara Falls. Cyclists seek the support of their networks, friends and family to fundraise in support of research being conducted at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Since 2008, the Ontario Ride has raised