Ian Parker and Bill Slater, Yukon Fuel, are turning a passion of theirs into a charitable cause.

The two Yukon cyclists have been training since the fall for the B.C. Bike Race, an event they are using to raise funds for the Whitehorse Food Bank.

"It's a reflection of how fortunate we are in so many ways and we are conscious of that," Parker said. "To have the money to buy nice bikes and do stuff like this and to have supportive spouses and families, who understand we want to go off and train for hours and hours. That puts it in perspective."

Parker pointed to a recent national survey, which reported that 21 per cent of northerners are food insecure and 37 per cent of those are children.

2008 showed the highest ever increase in use of emergency food services by families with income from paid work, said the report.

Both cyclists have a previous history of involvement with the Whitehorse Food Bank.

Instead of buying a new bike this year, Slater purchased a pair of tires and then donated the remaining money to the non-profit organization, while Parker participated in the Food Bank Challenge back in the fall.

This won't be the first time Parker and Slater have teamed up for a bike race either. In the past, the two have raced together in the TransRockies Challenge. However, the B.C. Bike Race offers more of a technical course, which will play to both of their strengths.

The B.C. Bike Race is a mountain biking event where riders travel from Vancouver to Vancouver Island and Whistler, B.C. It's being held in August.

The race is made up of seven different stages on consecutive days and racers compete in teams of two.

It's expected each stage will last somewhere between four to seven hours, challenging riders with long climbs, fast descents, and lots of technical single track.

Final standings are based on each team's total time over the seven stages.

Yukon Fuel has set a goal of placing top 10 in the 80+ division (the division for teams who have a combined age greater than 80).

Parker said there is no more pressure than what he and Slater are going to put on themselves.

"We went into TransRockies I think not knowing how we would measure up, but I think we will be disappointed if we are not in the top 10 in our category," he said.

"We think we are capable of it, but you have to have a whole lot of things go in your favour. There's so many factors you can't control."

The team is currently seeking financial contributions from businesses and individuals to help raise money for the Whitehorse Food Bank, while also raising awareness of food security issues in the Yukon.

One of their fund-raising approaches is coming from the sale of jerseys. So far they have sold 30 out of 40, but Parker expects to order more if the demand is there.

"Our main thing is the jerseys," he said. "They are selling really well, people seem to really like them.

"Our goal was to have a jersey that people would want to buy because the money goes to the food bank, but also just a really sweet looking jersey that people would want to wear and we seem to have hit that balance."

More orders can be taken at the pre-race meeting for the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Race.

Parker said people in cycling community are behind them and some even purchased a jersey without even looking at it.

"I think it is a really good reflection as Whitehorse as a community, but also on the cycling community specifically."

The jersey was designed by a youth carver from Sundog Carving Centre.

Jersey sponsors include Tourism Yukon, Yukon Brewing and Boréale Mountain Biking.

Individual donations can be made by contacting the Whitehorse Food Bank or by emailing Parker at yukonparker@yahoo.ca.

As of last week, Yukon Fuel raised a total of $3,000, Parker said, adding the two hope to raise between $5,000 and $10,000.

Parker stressed that all of the donations will go towards the Whitehorse Food Bank and won't be used for either his own or Slater's costs for the B.C. Bike Race.

"All of the money we raise is going to the Food Bank," he said. "We just don't feel like people should have to pay for a couple of middle aged recreational cyclists to go ride their bikes."

Parker said one of the things he and Slater were worried about was the amount of time that is needed to get physically ready for this type of race.

"We were a bit worried about having the time to fund-raise and do a proper job of it. In the end whatever we can raise is more than not raising anything," he chuckled.

Parker said it's nice to use an event like this to help a worthy cause.

"It's such a huge expense in terms of your time to train for something like this," he said. " From my point of view it would be nice to think it was going to some greater good.

"Ultimately these events are pretty selfish endeavors, there's a lot of personal growth that takes place as I've learned. It's nice to think it's benefitting someone besides just us."