An amazing journey

Mission

2024-10-01 10:54 PDT

Click here for large photos: The Tour riding through a tunnel; Alex Poirier standing inside a school, Alex Poirier being honoured by the Leq'a:mel First Nation.

When Acting Corporal Alex Poirier from the Mission RCMP detachment first signed up to ride in the 2024 Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley, he was excited to be a part of the renowned event, he was excited to help raise money for pediatric cancer research, and he was excited to meet people in communities all along the Tour. However, he had no idea about what an amazing journey it would turn out to be.

Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley is an annual event put on by the Canadian Cancer Society, where police agencies and other emergency service personnel join together to cycle nearly 800 kilometres over 8 days, to help raise funds for pediatric cancer research and support programs like Camp Goodtimes. This year, Alex Poirier was the rider selected from the Mission RCMP to participate in the Tour.

Alex started training in the Spring, as riding 800 kilometres over 8 days is no small feat – especially when you include the hilly geography in the eastern Fraser Valley and through the Fraser Canyon. Alex trained individually and on a number of team rides, where riders learned how to ride in the peloton, cycling two abreast, and within inches of the rider in front, at sustained speeds upwards of 30 km/hr. In addition to training, each rider is also responsible for fundraising as well. Alex personally raised over $16,000, which helped the tour as a whole raise nearly $200,000!

But it was on one of those training rides that Alex realized the real meaning of the ride – that was the day the riders visited Camp Goodtimes. Camp Goodtimes is a kids camp at Loon Lake in Maple Ridge, where kids who have been diagnosed with cancer, and their siblings, can stay free of charge in a supportive setting. The camp gets them away from the stresses related to their health, and helps them to have fun, experience personal growth, and just be kids. It was seeing the smiles on their faces, and feeling the joy from their hearts – all the while knowing the baggage they were carrying deep down inside – that really helped Alex to understand what the Tour was all about.

The Tour officially started on September 13, and travelled through Delta, Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Mission, the Leq'a:mel First Nation, Chilliwack, Hope, Spuzzum First Nation, and Boston Bar. Along the way, the Tour visited many schools and community groups, and was supported by multiple volunteer organizations. Alex, whom is Mission RCMP’s Indigenous liaison officer, received the special privilege of being honoured by the Leq'a:mel First Nation for his ongoing collaboration with their community.

Other highlights for Alex included: riding through the Cabelas store in Abbotsford to thank them for their support of the Tour and the funds they raised; riding through the tunnels of the Fraser Canyon; and reaching eye-watering speeds of over 75 km/hr on some downhill stretches of highway!

Mission RCMP’s Officer in Charge, Inspector Ted Lewko, is very supportive of the Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley Ride, and says: Mission RCMP is proud to have Alex as an officer with our detachment. He did an incredible job fundraising and training for the ride, and he embodies the values that we strive for everyday while we are serving our communities. We hope that the efforts of Alex and the other riders will make a real difference in the lives of some of the children that need it the most.

Alex’s final thoughts? While I thought this journey was amazing – and it was, and is one I will never forget – what I’m most excited about is the journey the kids are on. I’m excited for the one child, or ten, or a hundred, that will benefit from the cancer research these funds help to support…the research that will allow those children to one day be told that they don’t have to worry about cancer anymore, that it’s gone, that they’re healthy, and they can just be kids again. That’s what this is all about – helping the kids get back to being kids, helping them to move forward to a new chapter in their lives, and helping them to start achieving their dreams along their own amazing journey.

If you would still like to donate, just search Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley, and click on the Canadian Cancer Society’s website. Next year’s Tour will start training in the Spring, so cheer on our riders if you see them around town!

Released by:

Email: mission_media@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Website: mission.rcmp-grc.gc.ca (English only)

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