Corkie’s charity ride a big success

The event was Corkie’s Casuals Annual One Hundred Mile Ride for Charity which took place on Sunday. This year the event was sponsored by regional mobile telecommunications company, Digicel.

Digicel’s Sponsorship and Promotions Manager, Marita Laurent, explained that Digicel didn’t hesitate to work with Corkie’s Casuals.

“The organisation has made a name for itself by giving back to the community,” Laurent said. “This is what Digicel aims to do, not only in Trinidad and Tobago but in the other Caribbean countries in which the company currently operates.”

The Corkie’s Cycling Challenge started 30 years ago when a group of friends decided to get together for a one-way ride for fun and fitness.

They would ride to remote areas of the country, where family and friends would meet them and there they would cook and lime and then drive back home with the bikes on racks at the back of their vehicles. Today the ride has maintained that sense of camaraderie but its focus has changed in that the proceeds go to charity. This year the beneficiaries are the Rainbow Rescue Home in Belmont and FEEL.

A total of 255 cyclists registered this year, organisers said and about 145 completed the entire route.

Digicel representatives were at the finish line at the Nestle Compound to greet those who completed the challenge and presented them with medals.

The youngest participants were eleven year old Terron Nagar, 12-year old Kevin Forde and 13-year old Zachary Wong.

Top among the seniors was 63-year-old Joey Nunes.

Cathy and Lindsay Loogar came out in front as the first husband and wife team to reach the finish line, and Johnny and Matthew Charles got first place in the father and son category. The most outstanding female was Sueyen Edghill.

This year like previous years, the event attracted regional interest. There were participants from Guyana, Jamaica and for the first time, Barbados.

Debbie De Gannes, whose husband Corkie De Gannes is the person who founded the event, says she is grateful for the continued support which the Corkie’s Challenge has been receiving over the years.