Cyclist raises over $17K for healthcare workers by biking up Mont Royal

Plenty of Montrealers were on the bike paths this weekend but perhaps none as impressively as James Piccoli.

Piccoli had set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for frontline workers by mirroring their “relentless 12+ hour shifts” on his bike by climbing Camilien Houde avenue as many times as he could in 12 hours.

The 28-year-old started his trek at 4:30 am on Saturday and had completed 100 laps of the mountain by 9:30 pm (after a few well-deserved breaks.)

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“We are raising funds to donate much needed masks and sanitary supplies (hand sanitizer, disinfectant) to facilities in need around Montreal,” reads Piccoli’s GoFundMe page. “Facilities will be selected based on need amongst CHSLDs, hospitals, and NPOs such as homeless shelters.”

In total, Piccoli’s campaign raised $17,101. He biked over 330 kilometres on Saturday, 165 of which were uphill.

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A post shared by James Piccoli (@jamespiccoli) on May 3, 2020 at 5:42pm PDT

“Words can’t communicate how touched I am after all of the wonderful messages, cheers, donations, and support that we’ve had over the last 48 hours. Yesterday was genuinely a day that I will remember for the rest of my life,” Piccoliwrote on his Instagram page. “Healthcare workers of the world: YOU are the real inspiration. Thank you for your hard work in the shadows and it was an honour to pay homage to you yesterday.”