Ride weekend
MYKA OSINCHUK
CEO, alberta cancer foundation. Osinchuk’s father has overcome prostate cancer. It is a singular experience. My weekend starts standing up at a podium addressing 2,000 people at 6:30 in the morning, and then as the riders go out, just watching everybody and the excitement that they have to get started on this really incredible journey. And then, of course, I get on the bike. I ride a tandem bicycle with my husband. For us, too, it’s kind of a family affair. For my dad, who’s going to be 77 this year, 2016 was his fifth year riding in the event as well. I think he’s been the oldest rider for the past two years.
MARIE-HÉLÈNE LARAMÉE
I’ve met people who participated in 2009 because they were told it was going to be their last year and they’re still here and they’re still riding as participants. Things have evolved so much over the years that people who could never have survived are now here riding every year and it gives them hope – it gives them something to look forward to.
SARAH ROTH
President and ceo, BC cancer foundation. Roth has relatives who have died from cancer. The beauty of this ride is that you get the entire spectrum: first-time riders, cancer survivors, teenagers, young adults, people in their 70s and 80s and everything in between. At the U.S. border crossing, the border agents know we’re coming. They put big signs at the border, even where the cars are crossing, they promote us and designate three full lanes and we whizz through. They have extra officers and line them up and we flag our passports and off we go.
ASHLEY ALLEN
Over came hodgkin’ s lymphoma stage 4 after a diagnosis in 2012 at age 20. This past year, 2016, I was asked by a couple of the organizers to make a speech at camp in Trois-rivières. Doing this in front of more than 1,000 people and really not knowing what to expect and what their reactions would be, I went up there absolutely terrified, but it was really special. I told them a bit about my story, how I was diagnosed, what my treatments were like; I mentioned how I was really thankful for everybody who supported me. I told them that this past year, I was dedicating it to people who had my kind of cancer and young people in particular. I got a standing ovation. All these people listening to my story and supporting me – it was quite something.
ASHRAF ABDEL-QADER
The whole ride to me looks like a celebration of success – all the training, all the hard work comes to fruition. The great people, the volunteers, people coming out of their houses to cheer us on – it’s a celebration that brings everybody to this event.