The Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley team was joined by some special guests - two junior team members - earlier this week.
The two youngsters, both waging their own battles against cancer, rode with the support crew and made appearances at many of the stops. And there were many stops on Tuesday.
We visited 11 different schools in Abbotsford throughout the day - a new tour record for one day.
The energy that comes from those school visits is almost electric. It's truly been an awesome experience to ride into a gym full of cheering kids who are so excited just to see you. We all kind of secretly feel like rock stars.
The stars of our day, however, were the two junior team members who shared the day with us.
The junior team is a small band of children fighting cancer that take part in many Cops for Cancer events.
As riders, we were honoured to meet them and their families. They helped bring extra inspiration to our ride.
There was one tiny moment from the day that stood out for me. Above the noise of the riders interacting with students, I heard a little girl laughing. It was the sound of pure, unadulterated joy and it rose above all the other noise.
I looked over to see the junior team member running in circles, being chased by a rider, her head thrown back and a huge smile on her face as she giggled like only a little girl can.
She didn't sound like she was sick or had cancer. She sounded like a regular little girl. Hopefully, in that moment and throughout the day, she felt like one.
The team finishes its nine-day, 800-plus-kilometre journey today.
Delta police constables Catherine Fiddick, Shane McLaughlin and Dave Ogilvy, and reserve constable Carlye Towne, are all taking part in the ride.
The riders made a number of stops in South Delta yesterday, including a visit to Ladner's Delta Secondary, where three girls - Ashley Hughes, Mirren Smillie and Jessie Lynes - shaved their heads.
Delta Optimist reporter Jessica Kerr is the media rider with the 2011 Canadian Cancer Society Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley team. You can follow the journey at www.deltaoptimist.com or on her blog at www.mybigride.wordpress.com.
