CANADIAN CYCLISTS CROSS CENTRAL MISSOURI TO RAISE MONEY TO FIGHT CANCER | KMMO

Roads along central and northern Missouri have become the latest route in an international fundraiser to fight cancer.

About 25 cyclists from Canada set off through Missouri on Wednesday, making short stops in Jefferson City and Marshall on the Wellspring Ride for Cancer Support. D'Arcy McDonald, chief executive of the charity, is one of the cyclists and expressed gratitude for the hospitality on the nine-state tour that began in Toronto last Saturday.

While Wellspring supports cancer patients in Ontario and Alberta, McDonald says the virtual resources are accessible to anyone.

The Wellspring Ride for Cancer Support is passing through Missouri for the first time. McDonald says the route has changed every year since Wellspring's first ride 13 years ago. He reflects on how he's contributing to a cancer fundraising tradition first started in the 1980s by Canadian athlete Terry Fox, who lost a leg and later his life to cancer.

McDonald says competitors are planning a grand finale in Boulder, Colorado, on Saturday afternoon.

This year's ride raised over CA$447,000 (US$330,000). Click here to visit the Wellspring Cancer Support website.