Southern Alberta senior cycling 1,000 kilometres for kids cancer charity

A 71-year-old southern Alberta man is embarking on a lengthy mission to cycle 1,000 kilometres this August, both for fitness and for a good cause.

Dave Laycock of Stirling is one of 20,000 participants in this year’s Great Cycle Challenge Canada (GCC), and is looking to raise $500 dollars to go toward SickKids Foundation for childhood cancer research.

He said he initially began cycling to get in shape.

“I was overweight last year. I weighed 265 pounds, and in the interim I lost 70 pounds,” Laycock said.  “And I feel so much better.”

Laycock said he learned about GCC through Facebook. In 2020, he rode an impressive 348 kilometres, raising just over $500. His monetary goal is the same this time around, but he’s looking to push his cycling limits.

1:52 Scotsman and dog walking across Canada for charity

“My goal is 250 (kilometres) a week, but I want to exceed that. There’s no harm in doing better,” he said.

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“I really love kids. They need the best circumstances to grow up in.”

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Laycock also hopes to inspire others to take up cycling, no matter what age they may be, and hopes his wife will join him in the Great Cycle Challenge next year.

“What I found at first was it was really tough on my leg muscles,” he explained. “But the more you get into it, the less it becomes an issue.

“If I can just get one more person to do it, that would be perfect.”

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Jamie Lamont, director of special events and sponsorship at SickKids Foundation, said the money raised will go toward a variety of avenues, including research and programming.

“We’ve been very focused on making sure that the money raised on a national basis is definitely benefitting the national programs that are available at children’s hospitals across Canada,” Lamont said.

With participants from every province taking part this year, Lamont said it’s encouraging to see all ages taking part as well. He commends Laycock on his ambitious goal this year.

“That’s no small feat,” he said of the 1,000 kilometre ride. “He’d actually go for some pretty long rides, I can actually see his rides tracked on his personal page. I’m a rider myself, and Dave is doing a great job.”

The GCC is in its sixth year, and has so far raised upwards of $20 million.

“It would be amazing if we could get to at least $8 million this year,” Lamont stated. “I see that the rally of this community is going to get us there.”