Poor air quality may have cut its 10th anniversary event short, but the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer saw a record number of participants and dollars raised in 2018. Okotoks resident Tanner Strangway said they managed to get about 70 km of the 200-kilometre ride finished before cyclists were picked up by bus and driven into Calgary. “It was a little disappointing,” said Strangway. “But it’s still something that was a positive for sure, with that many people out.” About 1,800 cyclists raised $8.12 million for the Alberta Cancer Foundation, which brought the total raised over a decade of racing to more than $74 million. However, riders were disappointed when a change in wind direction brought unexpected levels of smoke from B.C. wildfires into the Calgary area about an hour and a half into the ride. Due to health concerns, officials decided to cancel the ride for the first time in its history. This was Strangway’s 10th and final ride. He’s been participating in the Ride to Conquer Cancer since its inception in 2009. He rides in honour of his young cousin, Kali, who passed away at age five from brain cancer. “I was kind of looking for a way to honour her memory and I heard of the Ride to Conquer Cancer, which was a new event being put on,” said Strangway. “I decided to take a shot at it and that’s kind of how it started. With only casual mountain biking experience under his belt, Strangway purchased his first-ever road bike specifically for the event and took on a new challenge in his cousin’s name. The first ride was difficult, mainly due to weather conditions, he said. The entire 200-kilometre route headed straight south on Highway 22 that year. “The second day there was a pretty significant headwind, so it was a significant challenge that first year,” said Strangway. With each passing year the ride became less difficult, as he learned how to train effectively and prepare himself for the two-day battle. During the winter, when riding the road bike became a challenge, Strangway would use the stairs at his office to keep up his training. “I work in the Bow building in Calgary,” he said. “So I’ll climb the stairs here. Three or four times a week I’ll climb the stairs in the Bow twice, so 110 floors three to four times per week.” Despite how physically demanding the Ride to Conquer Cancer is, Strangway said he always enjoys it and looks forward to hitting the starting line. “It’s a pretty amazing experience and it’s always fun and it’s different every year, I would say, riding with different people,” he said. “There’s always that one person on the team who it’s their first year, it’s their first experience, so it’s interesting to see it from their perspective.” Strangway rides with a relatively small team – this year there were only three, as a couple of regular riders had to bow out due to injuries, he said. Though he’s always enjoyed the ride, he said it’s time to hang up his wheels. “I said to myself when I started it that I would do it for a decade, and this will be 10 years for me,” said Strangway. He doesn’t intend to walk away completely, though. Strangway said he’ll volunteer and partake in the ride festivities, but not do the fundraising and take on the route. Part of the reason is donor fatigue, he said. With no corporate sponsorship, Strangway relies on his friends and family to raise the minimum $2,500 to participate in the ride – not that they complain about giving, he said. “For me I think it’s just time to let other people take up the challenge and do that part of it, and I’ll sit in the background and volunteer from here on out,” said Strangway. The 2019 Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer takes place Aug. 17-18. For more information visit www.conquercancer.ca.
