2025 will be the 17th edition of the Enbridge Tour Alberta for Cancer, and Calgary’s Geoff Ruffle is excited to be back for the ride. Ruffle, who works for RBC as a Manager, Credit Structures, Private Banking, RBC Wealth Management, has been riding the Enbridge Tour Alberta for Cancer since 2018. If you asked him the year before if he could manage a weekend that would total 200 km, he wouldn’t believe you.
“I was riding my mountain bike a lot when someone asked me to do the event, a colleague. When I heard 100 km a day for two days, I thought, ‘no way,’” he says. “But I went to the bike store, got some road pedals, and dove in.”
Choices for all levels
Still, the event is for all levels of riding, and you have plenty of choice. For 2025, there are a few additions to the event. There’s a challenge route has been upgraded from 140km to 160km, for those who want an even tougher day on the saddle.
This new route offers a Saturday only option with a longer distance for riders looking to push their limits. Participants still have the choice of the regular routes, with a Short (~65 km) and Long (~100 km) option available for all levels of riders. There are pit stops every 25 km providing hydration, nutrition, rest areas, and bike maintenance, with sweep vehicle crews along the route. The post-ride festival features hydration, nutrition, participant support (massage, yoga, cool-down areas, showers, camping, beverage gardens).
Ruffle has come a long way since his first Tour. He’s one of the co-captains of Team RBC, and since 2012, Team RBC has participated with teams ranging anywhere from 22 to 44 riders. 2024 was one of the strongest years for registered riders and fundraising, with over $200,000 raised for the 2024 ride, bringing Team RBC’s overall total fundraising to over $1.2 million.
“Cycling means the world to me now, but knowing that I can use my bike to help fight cancer is even more important,” he says.
The personal importance of the ride
Like so many Canadians, Ruffle has lost someone to cancer. Nancy Barnes, the late wife of Ruffle’s coworker Russell, rode the Tour with Team RBC, along with her three sons. She rode it six times, despite being afflicted with the disease.
She died in March of 2022, and her family, including her husband Russell, and Ruffle, continue to ride in her memory.
“I met Nancy after initially meeting Russell, and both individuals were such strong supporters of both the ride and all riders in the…
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