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All in a day’s work

RCMP officer to bike for 24 hours for charity

To raise money for Cops for Cancer, a Whistler RCMP officer has decided to take on the challenge of riding a stationary bike for 24 consecutive hours this weekend.

Constable Afzeel Yakub will mount the bike on Friday, Aug. 15 at noon and cycle through the day, night, and day again until noon Saturday, Aug. 16.

Yakub is only going to take breaks to go to the washroom, at which time another RCMP officer will fill in for him. He even plans to eat all his meals on the bike during the 24-hour period.

While the longest bike ride Yakub has completed to date was between eight and nine hours during last year’s Cops for Cancer bike ride, the RCMP officer does not seemed worried about getting the job done.

“I am going to find a way to do this,” said Yakub. “That bike is going to be running for 24 hours. If it needs to be a team effort, it needs to be a team effort, but certainly I’ll try to push it to that 24 hours.”

He added that he has not undergone any training or eaten a special diet in preparation for this weekend’s mammoth bike ride.

“I wish I could say that I was, but I was not,” he said. “It is business as usual until Friday.”

Yakub decided to complete the daylong ride after Crankworx organizers offered him a space in the village during the busy mountain-biking festival for his Cops for Cancer charity.

A guest bike will be set up on the RCMP’s festival site for anyone who wants to join Yakub during his ride. The bike will be a Norco road bike and will be put up for a silent auction.

RCMP officers will also be selling Avalanche pizzas during Yakub’s bike ride at the Village Plaza, and Village 8 Cinemas has donated movie passes that will be given away to people who make a donation of $50 or more for Cops for Cancer. Anyone who donates more than $100 will also be entered into a draw for a six-month movie pass.

“We are hoping it is going to be a fun event,” said Yakub. “It should be a fairly relaxed ride, and it is just more for the awareness than anything else.”

Over the past summer, Yakub has raised more than $2,000 for Cops for Cancer. He plans to raise even more funds through the Sept. 20 Regimental Ball.

The ball is sold out, but Yakub has saved the last eight tickets, which he will put up for auction. The minimum bid is $1,000.

For more information about the Cops for Cancer charity, contact the Whistler RCMP at 604-932-3044.