How the Alberta Ride to Conquer Cancer turned a rider’s life around

Allie Roy participates in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer

Allie Roy (left) and her squad Team Beers and Gears prepare to start the 2016 Alberta Ride to Conquer Cancer

Allie Roy rides the 2016 Alberta Ride to Conquer Cancer

In Allie Roy’s last year of high school, she lost her best friend Cameron to cancer. The loss was a struggle for Roy that lasted years. She knew she needed to make changes and getting healthier was one of them. It was around that time that Roy heard about The Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer from a friend. The Ride would not only complement her healthy lifestyle changes, but also give her the chance to find closure while honouring Cameron’s memory.

“The Ride to Conquer Cancer gave me the opportunity to look back and realize how far I have come,” Roy explains. “I realize I am doing it for other people. You know others who are riding have had many of the same emotions—the ups and downs, being angry and crying. The Ride reopens these emotions, but allows you to be happy at the same time.”

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Roy was not a cyclist before committing to the Alberta Ride in 2014. In fact, she didn’t buy her bike until February, months before she was set to ride the 200-km two-day event. She started with short rides, sometimes only going around the block, to get used to the position and clipless cycling shoes. Once spring came, she started with some 20-km rides. After a few months, she was riding a little farther. “I remember my first 70 km. I was so excited,” Roy said adding that she totally bonked with that effort.

Now she is an avid cyclist; riding is an important part of her routine. “I cycle all the time. I joined a spin studio to ride through the winter,” Roy says. “I spin almost every day at the gym and in the summer I take the bike out as much as possible. It’s nice to get outside the city. I am really into living a healthy lifestyle, working toward a better self, and cycling allows you to clear your head.”

Living in Calgary, Roy goes on rides that take her out of the city on roads that head toward the Rockies. “Riding toward the mountains is unbelievable. I often ride the same routes. It’s so beautiful,” she says.

While it took some time for Roy to build up her fitness for the Ride, the fundraising she was doing was something she immediately felt the impact of. “During the opening ceremony the first year I rode, there was a seven year old who spoke about the trauma of being diagnosed with cancer at such a young age. It was heartbreaking,” she recalls. “He was thanking everyone for raising money to help with his treatment. It was pretty unreal and I have kept that moment in my head. It keeps me going.”

Participating in the event has also changed her perspective, helping her to better sympathize with the struggles other people are going through. These realizations were a big part of Roy’s decision to become a teacher and pursue a career in which she hopes she can help people.

Last year when she rode, her sister and a close friend joined on Team Beers and Gears. Her sister was convinced to sign up at the finish line the year before, which is when Roy always signs up. Over a couple of glasses of wine a friend of hers also decided to join for the 2016 Ride.

“Teams are great for training because you know you always have other people to go out for a ride with,” she says about the benefits of making a team, even if it’s small. “It also helps with fundraising. As a team, you get more support from sponsors, like local stores or restaurants, and you can do fundraising together. It also provides a good support system with more experienced members being able to offer advice.”

In 2017, Roy will ride the Alberta Ride to Conquer Cancer—which benefits the Alberta Cancer Foundation—for the fourth time. Throughout the past three years, Roy has helped to raise $12,000. She says that the 2016 Alberta Ride alone raised $6.35 million shows how the efforts of the participants can have a significant impact.

Get involved with the 2017 Ride to Conquer Cancer. Sign up now.