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Perth County Cycling Tour returns with new signature route

The annual tour returns earlier than usual, in order to help raise money for Optimism Place's Building on Hope Capital Campaign

The Perth County Cycling Tour (PCCT) is gearing up for this Sunday.

The PCCT returns a little earlier than usual in 2023. The annual cycling tour is usually held in September, though this year it is being run this Sunday as a fundraiser for Optimism Place, the county’s only women’s shelter. 

The PCCT is organized by Paul MacPherson and Kathy Vassilakos. Having previously been involved with other cycling tours outside of the City of Stratford, the husband-and-wife team thought that Stratford could be just as scenic as other areas.

“We often came back from those events and thought, ‘you know, there seems to be a void on the map for cycling in Stratford,’” MacPherson explained. “We really just thought that it should be something that should fly in the Stratford area.”

The first PCCT was in 2019, hosted by Cycle Stratford and MacPherson and Vassilakos. Over time, the two of them began to host the tour themselves. 

This year, two routes will be available: the new Perth County South West Ride, which is 75 km, and a 25 km one-way route to St. Marys, which will have a bus to return cyclists back to town.

The Perth County South West Ride is one of the county’s ‘signature routes.’ Recently, the county published a cycle map that includes routes on county roads and routes within the City of Stratford and the Town of St. Marys. 

MacPherson said that they have always taken great effort to pick the routes and this year’s cycle map was an excellent resource and a great thing for cyclists in the county.

MacPherson stressed that this year the routes will be mixed, with some paved and gravel roads. Riders will have to be prepared to ride on public roads and have the proper bike to ride in gravel. 

Cycling for Hope … 

As Vassilakos told StratfordToday, they wanted to raise money for Optimism Place, but also to raise awareness of a resource that may not be known by some in the community. 

“Optimism Place doesn’t have the community visibility,” Vassilakos said. “I don’t know how many people I run into that don’t know what it is and what it does. One of the things that during this campaign we want to do is support education and public awareness.”

Optimism Place is celebrating 40 years of service. It announced last September its Building on Hope Capital Campaign, which will go towards an expansion that will more than double its occupancy. 

The campaign’s goal is to raise $1 million by August, the reason why this year’s PCCT has been accelerated. 

Even with a tight deadline, Vassilakos is sure that they will meet that goal.

“This community is incredibly generous,” Vassilakos said. “I am confident that by the time the building is ready for occupancy, we will have reached our fundraising target.”

Riders for the PCCT are encouraged to get donations. Registration is $60 per rider and can be done here