‘A special day:’ Tour de Rock wraps up in downtown Victoria

Published 7:21 pm Friday, October 2, 2026 A team of 23 cyclists, including Victoria News’ own Tony Trozzo, has completed the two-week, 1,200-kilometre ride around Vancouver Island for the 29th annual Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock. On the eve of Friday, Oct. 2, riders completed their last leg of the tour and ended up at Ship Point to meet their families and celebrate their achievements over the two weeks – meeting with community members and raising over $700,000 for childhood cancer research and support services at the Canadian Cancer Society. “14 days ago, on Sept. 19th, the 2026 Tour de Rock team officially started in the beautiful community of Port Alice,” said 2024 rider Mary Griffin at the event. “Since then, this team has ridden more than 1,000 kilometres. They’ve ridden up mountains, they’ve ridden in everything. Along the way, stopping at dozens of communities, schools, businesses, community centres, up and down and across the island.” “And they did it all for the kids,” she added. VicPD Deputy Chief Jamie McRae, a rider in the ’99 tour, pointed at the “ripple effect” from the event, as kids at schools across the island are fundraising and learning more about charity, and the problems that affect children and families across the globe. “They might not even understand clearly the cause, but they’ve raised money, and they’ve done something for somebody else that they’ve never met. You’ve helped influence that. They’ve seen you volunteer your time. They’ve done things to contribute to this cause, which will have a ripple effect throughout the course of their lives,” he said. For Trozzo, it was an emotional journey that’s hard to put into words. “I expected it to be emotional for a lot of different reasons. But seeing the people in the communities, especially up north, was really impactful,” he said. “Heading into it, I wasn’t necessarily sure how those were going to go. And then you meet the families of the kids impacted. It really puts things in perspective. With all that being said, it was a pretty special two weeks. I’m never going to forget them.” Originally from Qualicum Beach, he recalled growing up and driving through Highway 4 thinking how “sketchy it was,” so cycling through it was an incredible experience. Another highlight was “epic” stops at his elementary and high schools – a full circle moment. On their last day, it was their shortest trip, however, they made 18 stops throughout the South Island – making that final stretch downtown all the more special. “Your legs get tired after a while. The final stretch, we were coming down Broughton Street, past our place of work, and made the trip down. The streets were lined with people. It was really, really special,” he said. “I miss playing team sports mightily. This was as close as I’m going to get to that, in the greatest way possible. It was a special day and a very, very special two weeks,” he concluded. Over the two weeks, Tony Trozzo wrote extensively about his travels, and the experiences of his teammates and the folks he met along the way: ‘A whole new purpose’: Tour de Rock hits the road after Port Alice sendoff North Island communities make a long day on the bike worthwhile ‘It would be so much harder on your own’: Tour de Rock reaches Campbell River Big numbers, bigger hearts as Tour de Rock lands in Courtenay ‘I can get a buzz cut’: Paramedic shaves head for cancer as Tour de Rock hits Parksville ‘A sense of hope’: Tour de Rock reaches halfway point in Port Alberni ‘It renews my hope in humanity’: Tour de Rock reaches Nanaimo ‘If you can do this, do it’: Tour de Rock nears finish in Shawnigan Lake ‘Power of a team’: Tour de Rock summits Malahat, nears Victoria finale