Three Comox Valley Grandmothers are preparing to ride over 275 kilometres by bike from Campbell River to Victoria to raise money for the annual Grandmothers for Africa Cycle Tour.

Lisa McKenna, Janet Saunderson and Joanne Wiens are gearing up for the long ride, which will help raise funds for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. This is the 18th year of the tour, wherein 30 cyclists will take on the ride between the two communities. The ride will take place between Sept. 6 and 8. Over the past 18 years, the tours have raised 1.2 million dollars.

McKenna, Saunderson and Wiens are all from the Comox Valley Glacier Grannies group, and have been training hard for the event.

One of the organizations receiving funds from the Foundation is Grandmothers Against Poverty and Aids (GAPA) in South Africa. GAPA was formed to support grandmothers who had lost their sons and daughters to an AIDS-related illness (prior to the advent of anti-retroviral drugs), many of whom were left to care for their orphaned grandchildren. GAPA continues to provide programs to address the needs of grandmothers and their families.

On Friday, September 6 the Glacier Grannies will be hosting a lunch for all the cyclists and their support team at Union Bay Hall. For those who would like to attend, meet the riders and cheer them on, check out their website for details: .