LAKELAND - Between a busy work schedule and spending time camping with his young family, Matt Bednarchuk also finds time to lace up his runners and hit the road on his bike, raising funds to battle childhood cancer.
The cause is a personal one for Bednarchuk. His sister, Sarah, battled cancer for a number of years.
It’s been just over 13 years since Sarah passed away on July 22, 2010.
“She is and will always be my main inspiration,” says Bednarchuk.
After taking part in the Ride to Conquer Cancer for a few years, Bednarchuk decided to shift to a different format, joining the Great Cycle Challenge to Fight Kids Cancer.
On Aug. 1, Bednarchuk completed his first of many rides this summer, doing a 49.4 km ride to the Truman Bridge area, from his home near Glendon. In total, he plans to ride 300 km and raise $500 in August – but if he exceeds that goal, then he plans to keep on riding, riding up to 700 km in just one month.
And Bednarchuk likely won’t be putting his runners away any time soon, since he had already raised over $400 by Aug. 2.
While he rides both indoors and outdoors, when he does head outside, Bednarchuk often incorporates his rides into his family’s love of camping, riding around various lakes across the Lakeland, such as Lac Bellevue near St. Paul, Crane Lake, near Bonnyville, and Cold Lake. This summer, he will also ride in the Jasper/Hinton area.
“It's a good time to think and reflect on daily life as you ride,” says Bednarchuk, who tackles his long-distance rides on his own.
The benefit to taking on the Great Cycle Challenge to Fight Kids Cancer is that participants can complete the challenge on their own schedule, rather than dedicate a specific date and time and travel to a specific location to complete a ride, he explains.
And so far, Bednarchuk has been able to continue to push forward, keeping healthy and staying in shape while he completes the challenge for the third year.
When asked what his main reason for taking on the challenge is, Bednarchuk says he believes that “If we can eradicate the cancer in children, then we will cure cancer for everyone.”
The Great Cycle Challenge started in 2016, and after just 7 years, the event has grown to become one of the biggest cycling events across Canada, according to information from the organization’s website.
Over the past seven years, the community of riders from all 13 provinces and territories in Canada have ridden a total of 20,179,047 kilometres, and together they have raised $39,125,144 in support of research to develop treatments and find a cure for childhood cancer.
To donate to the cause visit https://greatcyclechallenge.ca/
