Paris cyclist raises more than $5,700 for kids with cancer in 850-km ride

Riders in the R4 Campfire Circle Challenge gather at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, one of the key stops along the 850-kilometre fundraising journey in support of children living with cancer and serious illness.

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

A Paris cyclist has pedalled more than 850 kilometres to Quebec City as part of the R4 Campfire Circle Challenge, raising over $5,700 to help children living with cancer and serious illness.

Sandra Piccoli, who last year completed the R2//NYC ride to New York, said the 2025 event brought both scenic highlights and tough moments.

“Getting out of the city at the start was the most difficult,” she said. “We had police escorts for a bit so didn’t have to stop at lights. Once the police left it was a real challenge with all the stop and go of the traffic lights and the heavy traffic.” She added some sections of rough pavement also tested riders.

Piccoli said her favourite stretches included Day 3 from Odessa to Ottawa and Day 5 along the St. Lawrence River

Her training earlier this year included 450 to 550 kilometres a week, though illness set her back shortly before the ride. “In the end I guess my intense training through the spring and summer was enough because I got through the ride well. It was challenging but I felt good,” she said

The event raises money for Campfire Circle, which runs camps for children with life-threatening illnesses at no cost to families. Piccoli volunteered at both the Kids-Only Muskoka Camp and Family Camp at Rainbow Lake this summer.

“Whenever things got challenging during the ride, we would always say out loud, ‘It’s for the kids,’” she said.

Piccoli set a goal of $5,000, the same as last year, and surpassed it by bringing in more than $5,700.

As for whether she’ll attempt another long-distance fundraiser next year, Piccoli said she is still recovering. “What’s certain is I will continue to ride and I will continue to do what I can to help support Campfire Circle, help kids be kids regardless of their diagnosis”