Organizers of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Big Bike fundraiser say a team from La Ronge could make history Monday night.
Uranium mining company Areva has agreed to match funds up to $10,000 – which means the La Ronge team could raise a total of $20,000.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation says this could make La Ronge’s Wheezing Wheelers the top fundraising team in the province.
The big bike they’ll be riding is 30-feet long and weighs 2,000 pounds.
Money raised from the event goes toward fighting cardiovascular disease.
Mortality rates from cardiovascular disease in northern Saskatchewan are higher than both the provincial and national numbers.
Northern Saskatchewan’s Medical Health Officer Dr. James Irvine says higher diabetes rates in this part of the province are one of the reasons.
“One of the risk factors of heart disease and stroke is diabetes and with increasing rates of diabetes across the north, some of the same risk factors causing diabetes are the same things causing heart disease and stroke as well,” he says.
Irvine says higher smoking rates in northern Saskatchewan are another reason for the higher heart and stroke numbers.
He adds there are a number of other factors that can lead to and help prevent cardiovascular disease.
“Things like smoking, stress, our physical activity and healthy eating are influences on heart disease and stroke.”
A total of 18 people have signed up for the La Ronge team so far.
The Wheezing Wheelers will depart from the town office at 7 p.m.
According to information provided by northern Saskatchewan’s health regions, for the three-year period from 2005-2007 the average rate of mortality from circulatory disease was 197.2 per 100,000 people.
According to Heart & Stroke Foundation statistics, nine out of 10 people in Saskatchewan are at risk of cardiovascular disease.