CFB Shilo Captain Steven Sloat is well on his way to a close shave of his legs after just having his head shaved bald on Aug. 9 when he reached his mid-term goal of raising $2,000 for the Great Cycle Challenge, which supports kids’ cancer efforts. (Photo: K-J Millar/Shilo Stag Media)
K-J Millar
Shilo Stag Media
The next step for cyclist Steven Sloat is to have a close shave on his legs after reaching his interim fundraising goal of $2,000 on Aug. 9, when he was razored bald to help support the Great Cycle Challenge ride to fight kids’ cancer.
The CFB Shilo Captain is gearing up to pedal more than 1,000 kilometres in August to raise more than $2,500. He is just less than $500 off his focus. He wants the community to know that Aug. 14 is Kick Cancer’s Butt Day, where all online donations, up to $1.3 million, are equally matched.
Last Friday, he made good on his promise to go bald when crowdsourcing efforts reached two grand. His next commitment is to shave his legs to be hairless when the $2,500 target hits a bullseye.
To reach his distance goal, he has to ride an average of 35 km a day, which takes about 1.5 hours at 20 km per hour, he said. So far, he has accomplished 20 percent of the ride, with 210 km in the rearview.
Sloat started his 2024 fundraising efforts in June for the children’s cancer challenge when he laid down the gauntlet to incorporate some positivity towards the new CAF grooming policy to bead and hair length made effective on July 1.
This is the eighth time the captain has pedalled to meet a fundraising goal for the kids’ cancer organization. Ultimately, he would like to raise more than $2,500 in donations. Over the past seven years, he has raised more than $4,582 by cycling 5,740 km alone.
“This year, I started the fundraising early. I embraced the theme of making me more aerodynamic by shaving off my beard,” he said. With the beard gone and now a bald head, shaving his legs is the ultimate objective of his cycle mission.
“Right now, more than 1,700 children are diagnosed with cancer every year, and it’s the biggest killer of children from disease in Canada,” Capt. Sloat said.
For those who want to support the cause, donations can be made at: https://www.greatcyclechallenge.ca/Riders/StevenSloat
CFB Shilo Captain Steven Sloat is well on his way to a close shave of his legs after just having his head shaved bald on Aug. 9 when he reached his mid-term goal of raising $2,000 for the Great Cycle Challenge, which supports kids’ cancer efforts. (Photo: K-J Millar/Shilo Stag Media)
CFB Shilo Captain Steven Sloat is well on his way to a close shave of his legs after just having his head shaved bald on Aug. 9 when he reached his mid-term goal of raising $2,000 for the Great Cycle Challenge, which supports kids’ cancer efforts. (Photo: K-J Millar/Shilo Stag Media)