TORONTO, Ont. – More than 13,000 cyclists pedaled along a traffic-free Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway Sunday morning, raising more than $5 million for heart and stroke research.

The total of $5 million is the highest ever for a ride, and comes on the 25th anniversary of of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Becel Ride for Heart.

“We’re thrilled, absolutely thrilled with the public support this year,” said Teresa Roncon with the Heart and Stroke Foundation. “We just want to say a big thank you to all the public, and everybody who has supported us in the past couple months.”

The funds raised will be used to raise awareness and support cutting-edge scientific research on strokes and heart-related disorders.

“The money that we raised here today goes toward life-saving research, advocacy and health information,” Roncon said. “In the past 25 years, Ride has raised $35 million if you count this year, so it’s really important.

Brian Campkin was among the cyclists riding along the two major arteries.

For Campkin, the ride holds special significance. Five years ago, while warming up for a tennis match, he experienced shortness of breath and his wife insisted he go to the doctor.

“It ended up being a life-saving decision, because as it turns out, five-weeks of tests later and an angiogram of my four main arteries, three were clogged at 100 per cent,” Campkin said.

To accommodate the event, major sections of both the Gardiner and the DVP were closed from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Click here for more information on the event.