Fifteen years for Frédérickduguay
The Annual Frédérick-duguay bike tour supporting Muscular Dystrophy Canada is just under two weeks away at this point, but there is still room to sign up for anyone who might be interested. Now in its 15th year, the fundraiser organized by the Sherbrooke fire department is looking to add another $30,000 to the $475,000 raised for muscular dystrophy research since it got started in 2003.
“Frédérick Duguay had an unwavering determination,” said retired Sherbrooke Firefighter Bruce Porter, who has been a member of the ride’s organizing committee since 2005. “We try to capture that spirit over the three days of our cycling tour.”
This year’s tour will take place from August ninth to eleventh in two segments covering a total of 365 kilometers. On the ninth, a group of seven cyclists will set out from Sherbrooke and bike north to Victoriaville before returning via a slightly different path the following day. On day three, the ride opens up for additional riders on a 100km loop.
“This year we dropped it down to 100 km to try to get more people involved,” Porter said, explaining that in past years the single day loop had been slightly longer.
Retired Drummondville police officer
and firefighter Jacques Fafard recalled that the bike tour was founded in 2003 by Sherbrooke firefighter Stephane Marois. Since that time it has covered 5,000 km across southern Quebec and visited 50 different communities in the name of supporting Muscular Dystrophy Canada. The link between the disease and firefighters, he added, goes back to a partnership formed in Ontario in 1954.
“The goal is to eliminate neuromuscular diseases,” Fafard said, noting that even a powerful firefighter is powerless to stop the effects of the degenerative disease without initiatives like this bike tour. “We want to give these children their lives back.”
“It only affects the muscles,” Porter said. “You could be the smartest person in the world, but your body simply stops working.”
Fafard and Porter are the only participants in the tour who have been consistently involved since day one, with the latter being the only one who has been a cyclist in all 15 tours. Looking back, Porter reflected on how difficult it was to watch Duguay succumb to his condition.
“I had the chance to see Frederick for the 11 years that he was with us,” the rider said. “His condition degraded over the years from a young kid walking in crutches around me to finally ending up in a wheelchair because the muscles in his legs stopped working.”
Though Duguay died in 2015 at the age of 21, the tour has found a new ambassador in 15 year old Alexandre Lemaire.
“I am happy to participate,” Lemaire shared at the launch of the 15th edition. I want the tour to continue to exist.”
Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of five, the young ambassador doesn’t let the fact that he is wheelchair bound prevent him from living his life. Instead, the boy has become a talented artist and a competitive boccia player.
“I participated in a study and it worked a little bit,” Lemaire said. “People should continue to support research.”
Registration for the one day loop of the Frédérick-duguay bike tour remains open to the public until August 1. Those seeking more information about the event can find it at www.tourcyclistefrederickduguay.com or by contacting Bruce Porter at 819-560-2545.