Bandits, Bananas and Pandas!

YYC comes together to raise over $10,000 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation

On July 25, three teams —WestJet, Air Canada, and The Calgary Airport Authority— went head-to-head at the Big Bike Showdown, raising funds and awareness for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. The race consisted of an exhilarating ride on a 29-seat bike around the Departures Roadway, up and down steep inclines and over speed bumps. The YYC community was able to watch all the action at the Big Bike BBQ hosted by HMS Host, the Delta Hotel, and North Cariboo. This year the teams competed in 3 divisions: Fundraising, Race Time, and Team Spirit.

The Calgary Airport Authority had a first place finish in both the fundraising and the race division, raising $4,985 and completing the race at a speedy time of 4:03.  

Air Canada took home a gold medal in the Spirit Division, dressing their team and bike in a Panda theme to commemorate the Calgary Zoo’s newest arrivals. The lucky winner of the BBQ 50/50 draw also went to Air Canada Customer Service Agent, Joy Reyes. Congrats Joy!

This is the sixth year that The Calgary International Airport community has participated in the Big Bike Challenge, raising more $110,000 since 2012. This year alone we managed to raise a total of over $10,426.

Thank you to all who participated and donated their time and money. The Heart & Stroke foundation is a leading funder of life-saving research, which has led to breakthroughs such as heart transplant surgery and a revolutionary stroke treatment that cuts the death rate by 50 per cent. For more information please visit heartandstroke.ca