'Great experience': Tour de Rock riders meet with students in the Cowichan Valley

The Tour de Rock team was in the Cowichan Valley on Tuesday to mark day 11 of their 14-day ride to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society.

"The awareness that we're raising, and the children at schools learning what we're doing, it's a special thing," said rider Kenn Mount, Fire Chief for the District of Central Saanich.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, it's a great experience for sure," he said.

The team made stops at schools and community events where cheques and cheers were waiting for them.

Mount hopes the visit also inspires students to want to be scientists, police officers or "just to really give back to our community."

This year's donations will add to the $27-million that Tour de Rock has already raised over the past 25 years, which goes towards pediatric cancer research and to help send kids with cancer to Camp Good Times.

Island resident Kim Walters donated $400 to this year's tour in honour of her grandson who is now 14 years cancer free.

"The success rate now with children with early childhood cancer has increased immensely because of things like this where they can do the research that's needed," she told CTV News.

"Hopefully one day no child will have to go through this."

The tour touches a range of Vancouver Island residents and volunteers.

Support team member Simon Douthwaite's daughter survived leukemia.

"I'm really please to be here and to have the community support up and down the island," he said. "I just love Vancouver Island."

Riders are readying themselves for the home stretch of the tour, which ends on Friday.

CTV News will be live with the team on Friday, with riders hoping to raise more than $800,000 this year.