Women, Get Ready to Ride — with the Help of RBC and the World’s Best Cyclists
March 8, 2024
Found in General, Tour de Cure
In honour of International Women’s Day, and the incredible things women have accomplished in cycling, the first 50 women to self-donate $100 to their Tour de Cure fundraising page and fill out this form will secure a spot in the Women’s Ready to Ride Clinic, presented by RBC — and gain unique, once-in-a-lifetime training from Canada’s best cyclists.
As an Olympic medalist, track and road cyclist Laura Brown is accustomed to pedaling alongside some of the most elite women athletes in the world. But in her first Tour de Cure, presented by Wheaton Precious Metals in 2019 she noticed less women riding than men.
“This is something that I have been passionate about changing. I hope to empower more women to take on the Tour de Cure,” she says of the Women’s Ready to Ride Clinic, presented by RBC — in which she and fellow Olympic cyclist Annie Foreman-Mackey are helping women take on the 200-km challenge.
Laura and Annie know what it takes to train for a new sport. Both athletes started out competing in different arenas, before representing Canada on the Olympic oval.
Annie Foreman-Mackey
Involved in gymnastics since she was three years old, Laura dreamed of twisting, tumbling and flipping for Canada at the Olympics one day. But a back injury in her teens required her to change track — literally, to track cycling. She was an alternate for the bronze-medal winning team in the London 2012 Games, and four years later raced in the Rio 2016 Games to bring home another bronze with her team.
Annie competed in triathlons at a young age, and while she trained for all three elements she exceled in swimming. She swam for her university team but then transitioned to cycling, joining Laura as a reserve athlete in Rio 2016. She made her Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020 where her team placed fourth.
Starting in April, Laura, Annie and other RBC Olympians will lead seven weekly in-person and virtual sessions, including two group rides in the Lower Mainland. Participants will learn cycling skills, nutrition, how to stay safe in the saddle (including what to wear and how to fix a flat tire), endurance training, goal setting and more.
Laura Brown
“We help build skills, knowledge and ultimately confidence that women can do it for themselves and for such a great cause — raising money for cancer research and care,” says Laura.
Open to riders of all levels — from novice to intermediate — Laura says the clinic is a safe space where “a group of women get together and share their highs, their lows, their challenges and their aspirations. Over the years, we’ve laughed, we’ve cried and we’ve learned together that something powerful occurs when women lift other women up.”
While there’s no medal at the end of the B.C.’s biggest cycling fundraiser to power cancer research, it’s a beyond epic, unforgettable experience, says Laura. “Seeing women get genuinely stoked for cycling and for such an incredible cause like the Tour de Cure keeps me going. I personally believe that bikes really do have the power to change the world.”
Until March 25, be one of the first 50 women to self-donate $100 to their Tour de Cure fundraising page and fill out this form, to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to get a head start in training for the two-day, 200-km event to provide hope to people in B.C. facing cancer.
