Biking for his brother
Bill Webster will pedal 230 kilometres for his brother Jerry and cancer research
The furthest he’s biked is to Fort Erie. He lives in Chippawa.
That’s about 24 kilometres. Next month, he will pedal a bit more — some 230 kilometres from Niagara Falls to Hamilton and back, over two days.
With his sister as a passenger. In a Velo Taxi, a cross between a covered rickshaw and reclined bike. Yes, it has a small motor, but most of the power will come from the legs — and heart — of 67-year-old Bill Webster, a retired electrician from Niagara Falls.
He will be one of thousands of cyclists to participate in the Ride to Conquer Cancer, a fundraiser for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
Bill is riding in honour of his brother, Jerry, 72.
Jerry was diagnosed with cancer five years ago, and given two years to live. The tumour that was found on his hip and kidney has since spread to his bones and lungs. He was supposed to ride with Bill, but a change in his chemotherapy schedule prevents him from tagging along.
He plans to be at the start and finish in the Falls. Their sister, Lynne Wallace, will sit in the passenger seat instead.
The ride takes place across Canada and in a virtual world, beyond. In Ontario, some 5,000 cyclists participated last year across multiple routes. Cyclists riding in The Niagara Turnaround will start along the Niagara Parkway, across from the Niagara Floral Showhouse on Saturday, June 9, and travel
cross-country to the finish line at McMaster University. The next day, June 10, they will ride back to the start.
The route includes a couple hills Bill describes as “impressive”, including one along Metler Road where the elevation changes 25 metres in just over a halfkilometre.
Bill knows all this. He’s driven parts of the route to assess the difficulty.
And he’s still determined.
His brother is facing a challenge head on. So can he.
“It will be a heck of an experience,” says Bill. “It just seemed like the right thing to do.”
Last year, he watched cyclist after cyclist cross the finish line, including Jerry’s 30-year-old son, Jamie, an experienced road cyclist. This will be Jamie’s fifth year as a participant; he will ride beside Bill.
“I was really impressed,” says Bill.
And then he thought: “Why not? I’m as good as the next guy.”
At first, his wife was skeptical. Then, unexpectedly, her brother and his wife each died of cancer within two weeks of each other. That fuelled their determination to support a ride that has raised some $378 million overall for the cancer research centre since it began in 2008.
Bill is realistic. Humble. He has a good sense of humour.
He’s been working out at a local gym pretty much every day since January. Riding a stationary bike and strengthening his legs on a circuit of weight machines.
“When I joined, they asked about the last time I’d been in a gym,” says Bill.
“I told them 1969, in high school.
“And that’s the truth.”
It’s not that he’s completely out of shape. After retirement, he worked for a local hotel, chauffeuring tourists back and forth in a Velo Taxi, up and down Clifton Hill.
His strategy is simple: “It’s gotta be done, so we’ll do it.”
Bill and Jerry are close. They share a positive life attitude. A mutually understood excitement for a challenge.
After one past Ride to Conquer Cancer event, Jerry joined his son in a photograph at the finish line. Cyclists are traditionally photographed against a backdrop, holding up their bike in victory.
He needed to share that moment. Father and son.
“I know he’s doing it for me,” says Jerry.
“Same as Bill, I know he’s doing it for me.”