The answer is "rain or snow, we're gonna go". We will carefully monitor weather conditions, and of course we will do what is necessary to safe-guard our cyclists, but the bottom line is that we ride regardless of the weather.

Registration opens at 8 am for all RIDE locations. Next, RIDE routes open at 9 am with rolling departure times for groups of riders every 15 minutes (or as needed). Teams are welcome to leave together with an understanding that if you have team members who signed up for longer distances, those members will need to leave early enough to finish their RIDE by 3 pm. All riders must be off the road by the 3 pm deadline. NOTE: As a rule it takes 1.5 hours to complete 25 km/15 miles at a leisurely pace, 3 hours for 50 km/30 miles, and 4-5 hours for 100 km/60 miles.

On RIDE Day, registration opens at 8 am in all locations. Bring your pledge sheet with all cheques, cash and coinage, being sure to carefully review your sponsors for legible names, email, and credit card information. You will be greeted by some friendly RIDE Registration Volunteers and sit with them for a few minutes while they check over your pledge sheet (and hand out rider rewards where applicable).

Visit your location page, and scroll down a little - there is a route map at the bottom, along with route details and a bunch of other helpful information. These pages are updated regularly, so check back soon if your city has not yet posted the routes.

Yes! The Ride for Refuge requires all participants to wear approved cycling helmets. Cyclists under 18 are required by law to wear an approved bicycle helmet when riding a bike on a roadway or sidewalk. Other kinds of protective helmets (such as hockey helmets) are not acceptable. NOTE: We will enforce this rule for all riders, no exceptions.

All riders are expected to do a "once-over" on their bicycle before the RIDE begins. However, we will have some tools on hand, and we encourage RIDE Team Captains to organize one of their mechanically-minded team members to bring along a few wrenches and screw-drivers.

Each RIDE location organizing team will have already given notice to local authorities about the RIDE date, route, number of expected riders and where appropriate, "intersections of concern" where local police presence might be welcome. Emergency contacts for each location will liaison any communication in the event of an accident - don't worry, you'll be taken care of.

No, you don't - you may end up staying together for part or all of the RIDE, but although we all begin in large groups, we often end up riding in small packs with riders of similar physical conditioning. But you can still be friends with them if you want.

You bet. Approximately every 10 km/5 miles you will find a rest area that includes a porta-potty and water. Snacks such as fruit and power bars etc are available at the 20 km/10 mile rest stop, as well as the starting line. Many cyclists enjoy a nice rest along the way - be sure to take time yourself and remember, it's not a race... it's a RIDE.

We party... some of us in spite of a lot of pain! Each RIDE location will host a celebration lunch where all volunteers, riders and friends of the RIDE are welcomed. Each location will feature a very short announcement time where teams are introduced and appropriately recognized for their hard work. And in most locations we also enjoy looking at the great and funny snapshots taken by the RIDE's official photographer projected on a large screen.

Yes. If you have joined a team, your fundraising and sponsor totals will be reflected in both your team total and the overall event total.

Once you register as a rider or team captain, you can sign in to your personal RIDE page and have a pledge form emailed to you immediately. You may also download it directly from the Rider Tools page.

Yes, have them made out to "Ride for Refuge" with your name or team name on the memo line. These can be brought with your pledge forms and any cash you collect for registration on RIDE day.

Anyone can give with a valid credit card. However, only Canadian donors will receive an eligible charitable receipt when donating to a Canadian RIDE, and only American donors will receive an eligible charitable receipt when donating to a US RIDE.

Sign in to your personal RIDE page and click on "Manage Cash and Cheques", then fill in the form below, including (where possible) the email of the donor as well as the amount of pledge, cash or cheque, then click "Add Donation".

Make sure the username and password you are using does not contain any spaces. For example, if you are using your full name as your username, enter it as 'firstnamelastname' with no spaces.

Any U.S. or Canadian cheques that come in to you (late sponsors, or people still owing you money) that are payable to Ride for Refuge or International Teams, please mail to:

Canada: International Teams Attn: Janelle/The RIDE, 1 Union Street, Elmira, ON, Canada, N3B 3J9

USA: International Teams USA, Attn: The RIDE,
411 W. River Road Elgin, IL 60123

If you receive cash or cheques made payable to YOU, please go onto your Personal Fundraising Page, under "Manage Cash and Cheques" and enter in the donor information there. You then have one of two choices:

Pay the donations online with your credit card and keep the cash/personal cheques. By doing so, you deem your donations "complete" and nothing else needs to be done or sent to us. OR...

Bank the cash and personal cheques and mail us a cheque from YOU, payable to Ride for Refuge, in the amount of your total funds received. Mail to address above with your completed pledge form.