When Lloyd Taylor takes off on an epic bike ride from Victoria across the nation as far as Churchill, Man. he knows there will be challenges, but there will also be stunning scenery and friendly faces.
Many of those people he鈥檒l come across are among the ones he hopes to help with the Spinning Wheels Tour, a two-month, cross-Canada bike ride that sees teams travel from both east and west.
鈥淚t is a beautiful country, but more importantly it is the people I meet. In 60 days on the ride last year I met at least one person every day who had a lasting effect on me. Canadians are so kind and I can鈥檛 wait to meet people again this year,鈥� he told Victoria News.
The ride brings awareness to the more than 110,000 people in Canada living with Parkinsons, a disease which has no cure. It spans all 10 provinces and three coasts, raising funds and awareness while supporting programs directly within the communities the riders visit. The tour highlights the powerful role of exercise in managing Parkinson鈥檚 symptoms and reminds Canadians living with Parkinson鈥檚 that they are not alone.
鈥淚t's a disease that causes people to hide. To retreat from life. We are trying to spread the message through community and awareness and exercise. You can live a full life despite the challenges of Parkinson鈥檚,鈥� said Taylor, now the tour co-chair who first participated in 2022, right after his own diagnosis.
He wasn鈥檛 a cyclist, and figured getting on a bike was like 鈥減utting an egg on a spoon鈥� but after assurances, took on the challenge. In a positive twist, the activity eased his symptoms. The persistent tremor diminished, and his plan to ride one day stretched to 21, right to the finish line in Newfoundland.
Last year he cycled 6,000 km in 60 days through the Maritime provinces, then from Dawson City to Tauck and through the Arctic Circle, stopping at the Arctic Ocean.
So this year, he knows to expect the unexpected.
鈥淥ver the course of the ride, we will get lost, we will get flat tires. We will run out of energy and we will get discouraged. But we ride as a team and we support one another, and the people we meet along the way make all the difference,鈥� Taylor said.
鈥淧eople approach us everywhere we ride with their own stories. And sharing their experiences and sharing our message with them gives us the energy and the motivation to keep going. We take it one day at a time, one pedal stroke at a time, and the rest takes care of itself.鈥�
The community is invited as Taylor and fellow rider Li Jiang take leave Saturday, Aug. 2, from the Parkinson Wellness Projects parking lot, 2680 Blanshard St. with an event from 9 to 10 a.m.
The tour finishes Sept. 13 in Toronto. Follow the ride at .
