Personal stories
Why do you ride? |
Personnal stories: |
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Denis Lemieux, Via Rail TeamMS
In 1993, I signed up for my first Bike Tour to support a coworker whose two sisters, and later three, had MS.
My other motivations were a spirit of adventure and a passion for cycling, but through this experience, I got to know a number of other people who love the outdoors, as well as some extremely interesting people.
What can you say about Richard “The Tower” Lemire; his example of courage is inspiring and I always look forward to seeing him every year.
For 14 years, this event has enabled me to get together with some of my coworkers and friends in what has become a tradition for me.
I hope that someday this Bike Tour will no longer be necessary and that we can then cycle for another cause. In the meantime, you can count on the Via Rail team!
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Marc Daigneault, Croix Bleue Médavie TeamMS
What a find the MS Bike Tour was for me! I already loved cycling, but this annual event now enables me to share it with coworkers while supporting a cause that I feel strongly about because people close to me have multiple sclerosis. The Bike Tour has all the right stuff (scenic routes, safety, food...), year after year, to make the event a success and encourage participants to come back.
Of course, there is always the weather that you can’t control, but a bit of rain just adds to this great challenge. Congratulations to the whole organization!
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Josée Morneau, Team Captain, L'Équipe qui a du chien
My participation in the Bike Tour
dates back to 2000. What a wonderful
way to head into the new
century, when we will see a cure
for MS!
That first time, I went alone with
my handcycle. I didn’t want to get
my friends involved, since I didn’t
know what the organization was
like or how I would manage, given
that I could only ride about 20 kilometres
unaided.
Imagine how surprised I was to find that everyone was helping me take up the challenge. It was a
very emotional first experience and
I met some extraordinary people
who still ride with me. That’s when
I met the Dansereau clan, thanks
to whom I am able to travel the
maximum possible number of kilometres.
As early as my second year, we started to use a tandem bar, which enabled me to increase my kilometres, thanks to my
guardian angels.
Since then, we’ve changed the
structure and now three of us make
up one wicked trio: a tandem, followed
by me on my handcycle.
I moved from individual participation
to the formation of team
Cassiopée, named after my first
assistance dog. I was joined by
some loyal friends who are still
there eight years later.
There were seven of us. It was a
start.
The next year (2002), the team changed its name because Cassiopée had retired. That was when
we opted for L’Équipe qui a du
chien (“the top dogs”) since Héli,
my new assistance dog, accompanied
us.
As you can see, this is kind of a “shaggy dog” and MS story… In 2005, the team included four
cyclists on handcycles, three who
could pedal without assistance, the
pros and me, continuing on with
my guardian angels.
Little by little, the team grew until we had 50 members in 2007.
Friends, family members and coworkers
were recruited. As the
saying goes, the friends of our
friends become our friends.
In 2006, one of our team members
helped us to get cycling jerseys with our team name on them. It
was the start of a new era since
we could now recognize each other
and find each other easily, both on
the road and at the rest stops.
Then, in 2008, another member
provided us with little canopies,
which Bureau en gros decorated
with a banner with our team logo.
Every year, the team’s contribution
to finding a cure for multiple sclerosis has grown; from $1,000 the first year, we proudly handed over $30,500 this year.
Since 2003, we have added some
new activities. Since the team is
very active between cycling season
and ski season, we get together
for a potluck brunch, and everybody
brings food and stories. And
let’s not forget the draws that get
us ready for the next Bike Tour.
In
preparation for the Bike Tour, we
also join up for a one-day tour,
about two weeks beforehand. It
gives those of us who haven’t ridden
a bike since the last tour a
chance to warm up a bit, but the
main purpose is to have fun at a
wonderful picnic!
We stay in touch all year long,
thanks to the kindly efforts of the “den mother” of L’Équipe qui a du
chien.
Gabriel Gagnon, Team Captain, Solutions Partagées
Since I am an employee of Teva
Neuroscience Canada, which
manufactures one of the therapeutic
options available for people
with multiple sclerosis, I have the
privilege of working in an environment
that promotes community
involvement. That led me to get
involved in the organization of the Shared Solutions team, which
takes part in the Bike Tour each
year.
For 10 years, Teva Neuroscience Canada has had a team made up of associates and people who want
to take part in the Bike Tour. The
company pays the registration
fees for all team members and
allows us to organize our fundraising
efforts and solicit our suppliers
to sponsor team jerseys, which are
given to all members.
When I started out at Teva Neuroscience Canada, I didn’t really know about the event, though I
was aware of the cause. In 2005,
the team captain asked me if I was
interested in looking after the
team’s finances. In 2006, in response to a request by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, I volunteered
to look after accounting
for sponsorships for the St-Césaire
Bike Tour. It was a rewarding experience
and it gave me a new
idea: why not take part in the Bike
Tour as a cyclist?
For the 2008 edition, I had the
privilege of being team captain for
the first time. It was a real pleasure
to look after organizing the team.
Moreover, the Shared Solutions® team benefited from a tent to hand
out its jerseys, courtesy of the Multiple
Sclerosis Society of Canada.
The initiative was a big success and
it gave us an opportunity to meet
with all our members. More than
110 team members took part, raising
$40,000. However, I only managed
to complete the first day.
I
don’t have words to describe how
surprised—and more than that, impressed— I was by the people with
MS who succeeded where I had
failed. Ever since then, two words
keep coming into my head: strength
and courage.
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Medavie Blue Cross
Once again, Medavie Blue Cross took up the challenge of the 20th edition of the RONA MS Bike Tour, for the benefit of the MS Society, Quebec Division. Together, the 26 cyclists of Medavie Blue Cross raised 20 291$ to finance research and services offered to people with multiple sclerosis and their families. The participants defied wind and rain in Lévis region, on August 29 and 30, 2009.
Multiple sclerosis is the most widespread central nervous system disease affecting young adults in Canada. Although it is still incurable, eminent researchers agree that research has never made as much progress as during the last ten years. Medavie Blue Cross is proud to be associated with MS Society and contribute to helping to find a cure for multiple sclerosis.
Back, from left to right:
Philippe Prud’homme and Benoit Rondeau
Front, from left to right: Marc Daigneault, Carole Haywood, Chantal Poitras, Guylaine Piché, Monique Caron, André Vincent and Martin Legault.
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more information, you can contact Vélo Québec ÉVÉNEMENTS
at 514-521-8356 or 1-800-567-8356.
