Ben’s involvement in this event was definitely a family affair! Riding alongside him were his daughters Haley and Emerey, and his sons-in-law, Simon Elzen-Hoskyn and Josh Koehli. But cycling was only one facet of this heroic weekend. There were dozens of opportunities to help plan, organize and run this year’s Tour, as the rest of Ben’s family can attest to. Abbey, another of Ben’s daughters, served as the Bike Tour Manager, while her sister, Marney, graciously gave her time as a volunteer, as did Ben’s wife, Susan. And although not part of Ben’s family, but part of the Cormode & Dickson family, Andre Eilers joined the bicyclists, adding his efforts to the cause.
The two day event began in Leduc and wound its way into Camrose on day one. Day two was simply the reverse route—Camrose back to Leduc, for an impressive bicycling total of 172 km (107 miles)! The long ride was made much more enjoyable by exceptionally good weather. This was a big deal to the riders since the weather for past three years of the MS Bike Tour sported not only rain, and wind, but hail as well! The SPOKESPEOPLE powered through the ride, ending as the 7th top fundraising team. Their kind hearts and able bodies raised a total of $31,560 for the MS Society!
Ben, riding for his fourth year in a row, was the 5th top individual fundraiser for 2013, and this year, the 6th top individual fundraiser, bringing in $15,630 for the MS Society. Way to get those quads to make wads for an important cause! This year, thanks to people like Ben, his family, Andre and hundreds of others, MS Bike raised nearly $2 million for the MS Society. Kudos to you all! And please, consider joining the festivities next year as a cyclist, volunteer, or sponsor when the 2015 MS Bike Tour once again comes to town.
