Penticton

A man riding across Canada on his bicycle will be making a couple of stops in the Okanagan this month.

Glen Baxby, a resident of Toronto, will be starting his fundraising ride in Victoria on May 15. He plans to ride his bicycle across the country, ending up in St. John's Newfoundland on July 14.

He is riding to raise money for cancer research in the name of his friend Scott who was recently diagnosed with a form of the disease.

His ride will bring him to two spots in the Okanagan, Penticton on May 18 and Vernon on May 19.

“I have been training for months for this ride. I plan to cover between 100 and 140 kilometres a day. I will be followed by an RV, which will be driven by my wife until we reach Calgary. After that, a series of volunteers will take the wheel,” says Baxby, who is a pilot with Air Canada.

He says all the money raised will go to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.

“So far we have raised more than $18,000 through the website and the ride hasn't even started yet. We are working with corporate sponsors who are providing funding for the trip itself, paying for things like gas for the RV, food and so on. We have about half the money we need from sponsors to pay for the trip.”

Baxby says anyone who wishes to speak with him about the trip or make a donations in person can do so at his Okanagan stops.

"I have been friends with Scott for 25 years. I wanted to do something to help him and I thought this would be big enough to get some attention because it's a big endeavor. Plus, I can't jog!"

He will be writing an online blog to keep people updated on his trip. The blog will be posted on the coast2coast2cure website, which also has links to allow people to make donations to the cause and send messages of encouragement to Scott.

For those wishing to meet Glen, or make a donation in person, he will be in Princeton at the Sandman In on May 17, in Penticton at the Ramada Hotel on May 18 and in Vernon at the Sandman Hotel on May 19.

Link: Coast3coast2cure website