Annual Cops for Cancer charity bike ride kicks off as cyclists hit the road in Fraser Valley, B.C.

Cops For Cancer Tour de Valley kicks off in Surrey, Sept. 15.

Eighteen B.C. police officers and first responders have laced up their cycling shoes, buckled up their helmets and taken to the road for this year’s Tour de Valley, with 700 kilometres and six days to go until they’re set to reach the finish line.

The annual Cops For Cancer bike ride fundraiser, now in its 26th year, kicked off Monday morning with an opening ceremony at the Surrey Police Service headquarters.

“Surrey Police Service was honoured to host the opening ceremony for the 2025 Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley,” said Chief Const. Norm Lipinski in a statement issued Monday.

“This is an event that not only raises important funds for childhood cancer research, but brings together law enforcement and emergency services personnel of all stripes. It reminds us that policing is not about the shoulder flash we wear, but about the work we do for our communities.”

Cyclists from 12 different law enforcement agencies and emergency services will battle it out for first place, with cyclists representing various RCMP detachments and police departments in the Fraser Valley region, BC Emergency Health Services, the Canada Border Services Agency and Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement.

The race begins Monday in Surrey and Delta, before travelling through Langley and White Rock Sept. 16-17, continuing on through Abbotsford and Mission on Sept. 18, passing through Chilliwack on Sept. 19, and concluding in Hope and Boston Bar on Sept. 20.

As the dozen cyclists gathered at the starting line Monday morning, it marked the culmination of months of rigorous training and fundraising efforts for the Canadian Cancer Society, with over $170,000 of the $285,000 goal raised thus far.

The funds will provide support for children battling the disease.

On Monday morning, as families and friends gathered to cheer on the start of the race from the sidelines, children from the society’s honorary families presented symbolic beads to each rider.

“Cops for Cancer is a cornerstone event for the Canadian Cancer Society, uniting our staff, the riders, first responders, the 14 communities we visit, and the children we support,” said Mathew Campbell, the society’s national Cops for Cancer director, in the statement.

“We’re thrilled to invite everyone to cheer on our riders as they cycle over 700 kilometres in six days to raise funds for and awareness of childhood cancer.”

In a brief step away from celebration, Abbotsford Const. Scott McLure, a member of the Surrey Police Service’s Pipes and Drums band, delivered a tribute song for a rider who was hit by a car while training for another Cops for Cancer charity bike ride, Tour de North, earlier this year.

Shane Kelly had been training with a Prince George RCMP officer when he was fatally struck in July.