| Cst. Alain Castonguay has joined the Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley and will be biking 800km over the course of several days. (Submitted) |
Alain Castonguay says he always knew he wanted to be a member of the RCMP, and growing up, did everything he could to help his admission.
“You needed to know how to swim so I became a lifeguard,” said the 35-year-old constable. “I learned English because at they time they were looking for bilingual candidates.”
But in all his time prepping for the force, Castonguay never put much focus on bicycle riding. But now that he’s biking 800 kilometres across the Fraser Valley, he jokes that he wishes he had.
“I never biked on the road before this,” said Castonguay. “My body did not like it the first couple of rides. Every year I do (multiple) runs, but biking (hundreds of) kilometres a day for four days is a different sort of workout.”
Joining the 2018 Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley, Castonguay and dozens of others are riding to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and caring support programs.
“I always wanted to be a cop, and I’ve always loved kids,” explained Castonguay. “This seemed like the perfect vehicle to combine both of them.
“There’s also a good friend of mine who was diagnosed (with cancer) last September, and I’m also doing it for him. I want him to know we’ve not forgotten about him.”
As for the kids, Castonguay says the nearly three-dozen members of the Fraser Valley group has done a remarkable job fundraising for this year’s tour.
“We raised a lot of money this year as a group,” Castonguay continued. “Over $450,000—it may be a record for the Fraser Valley. We’ve got such a nice group of people, though. They’re awesome.”
Starting on Thursday, Sept. 13, and ending Friday, Sept. 21, the Cops for Cancer tour will be no easy feat as participants bike from Tsawwassen to Boston Bar.
And while he’s most scared “of the hills,” he’ll have to pedal, Castonguay says what he’s truly most excited about is the tour’s end result.
“It’s all for the kids. It’s for them to know that the police work so hard to help them heal and get better and be normal kids.
For more information about the 2018 Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley, please visit their website at Cancer.ca/en/get-involved/events-and-participation/find-an-event-near-you/cops-for-cancer-bc/?region=bc.
@SarahGawdin
Sarah.Gawdin@theprogress.com
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