CREDIT: PROVIDED BY LERNERS LAWYERS
The Forest City Cycling Challenge is your chance to get fit while supporting the community.

Although the world as we know it was completely disrupted by the pandemic, if we open our eyes, we’ll find stories that fill our hearts with hope. There are people everywhere still fighting for what is good and having great ideas to keep the world spinning in the right direction. Thinking of that, one of the greatest (and newest) initiatives is the Forest City Cycling Challenge (FCCC).

If you like exercise and helping social causes, this is the perfect event for you. Happening this June and sponsored by Lerners Lawyers, the FCCC’s goal is to raise funds for youth mental health and promote healthy and save outdoor activities.

The event takes place June 5 to 13, coinciding with the beginning of “Cycling Month” in Ontario. Due to the pandemic, this year will be “virtual,” with subsequent years planned to be in-person. This means that cyclists will follow their own routes between pre-established checkpoints in the city, where you can record your arrivals with an FCCC passport.


The cyclists can start and end their rides anywhere in the city. At each checkpoint, that includes stores, tourist sites and cafés, you will find deals or discounts for the registered participants. There are also suggested routes provided by the organizers for all ages and abilities of cyclists. And that’s not all, the completion of routes and checkpoints also grant participants entries into draws for many prizes.

Besides being great fun, the event proceeds will go for an extremely important cause. The raised money will be used to support youth mental health through the Mental Health Incubator for Disruptive Solutions (MINDS), a fantastic project at St. Joseph’s Health Care London focused on finding new ways to improve care for youth facing complex mental health challenges.

MINDS provides support through programs and research to understand and help those impacted by mental illness in London-Middlesex. Your support of mental health initiatives is especially important during these times of heightened social isolation and uncertainty. According to Statistics Canada, preliminary surveys suggest 64 per cent of youth are experiencing a negative impact following physical distancing requirements. Also, youth are most likely to report symptoms consistent with moderate to severe anxiety. Therefore, every little bit helps.

The basic registration costs $25, plus transaction processing fees. All registered participants will receive an event kit and a t-shirt. If you raise $100 or more for MIND, and you receive an official event passport, which gives you the discounts at participating vendors and entries into draw prizes at the end of the week. Raising $300 or more, you receive all $100-level benefits plus a limited edition FCCC cycling jersey. The goal of the event is to raise at least $30,000 in total for the Foundation. The top fundraiser will receive a prize.

For more information and registrations, visit ridelondon.ca.