The Manulife Ride for Heart may have closed down two major highways in Toronto Sunday, but the payoff was worth it.
The annual event to raise funds for Heart and Stroke research forced a shutdown of the Gardiner Expressway and DVP from 2 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Sunday.
The charity bike ride,billed as the largest single day cycling event in Canada, drew over 15, 000 participants and raised about $6 million.
By all accounts, the road closures did not impact greatly on traffic flow.
For CEO Avril Goffredo, who spoke to CP24 Sunday morning,the annual event is making an impact on the necessary Heart and Stroke research.
"We know that the work that we do does make a difference. 20 years ago 1 in 2 Canadians would die from Heart disease and Stroke, it's now 1 in 4 so progress is being made with the research that is funded by events like the Ride for Heart."
with files from Russ Courtney