Ride to the Wall ‘07

Paul Levasseur, 3rd Officer with the Southern Cruisers Chapter 418 Copper Cliff, takes a moment to pose with his bike at the Memorial Wall on First Avenue in North Bay.

Members of the motorcycle riding club the Southern Cruisers Chapter 418 rode into North Bay Saturday for the 4th annual Ride to the Wall fundraiser.

The group’s 3rd Officer Paul Levasseur, says the group does a number of fundraising rides throughout the season, but the Ride to the Wall is the most significant.

“This ride is the greatest cause to us because it gives us a chance to show respect to our vets as well as honour those men and women who gave their lives for our freedom.”

“It allows us to show respect … it is dear to us, and this one means the most,” he tells BayToday.

The riders started out from their home base at the Copper Cliff Legion and braved the rain to ride to the Memorial Wall at Branch 23 of the Royal Canadian Legion on First Avenue in North Bay.

Levasseur said the ride usually sees double the 100 people that were in attendance Saturday, but he figured the weather might have played a roll in preventing some members from participating.

“The rain didn’t stop the majority of us,” he says.

“It’s just a little rain and it’s the least we could do to show respect for our veterans.”

North Bay City Councillor Maureen Boldt was one of four North Bay riders that took part in the ride. Boldt also brought greetings on behalf of the city during a special service that was moved indoors from the cenotaph due to the inclement weather.

“We’re a little wet but we have no complaints,” she states.

“This is a worthy cause as it honours the sacrifice our vets made. This is an acknowledgement of their sacrifices for our freedom.”

Each rider paid an entry fee to ride and as a result both the Copper Cliff Legion and the North Bay Legion received a $500 donation.