Kim Loeppky has come a long way on her road bike in just a few months.
The second-year Delta Police constable is among 35 law enforcement and emergency personnel that make up the 2022 Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley cycling team that hopes to raise $250,000 for life-saving childhood cancer research and essential support programs like Camp Goodtimes.
The nine-day journey starts Sept. 21 in Langley with visits to 14 other communities, including Delta on Sept. 28, covering 800 km across the Fraser Valley.
It was rave reviews on last year’s ride from Delta Police Const. Terra Schmuland that convinced Loeppky to sign-up. Schmuland is back for her second year on the team.
“Funny enough, I have never ridden a road bike before or used clip-in shoes ever,” smiled Loeppky during an interview with the Optimist. “I know how to ride a bike at least, but I like to challenge myself. I've never trained for anything like this before, so I just kind of looked at it as an opportunity to do something outside of my comfort zone. It was interesting learning like all the gears and stuff, but I think you get better the more you plug away at it.”
Loeppky, Schmuland and the rest of team have been doing plenty of training rides over the past several months, not only getting comfortable on their bikes, but building up endurance too.
“I like to think I keep a good level of fitness outside of this, but cycling is just its own unique thing and you have to practice,” continued Loeppky. “I feel like I’m 10 times better than when I first started in April. I'm super excited. We've got a really good team this year and we've had a good chance to bond over our training rides.”
Cops for Cancer, now in its 25th year, hosts four annual cycling tours across B.C. Participants engage local communities and schools en route to raise funds for life-saving childhood cancer research and a national support system for children living with cancer and their families and caregivers. Last year the program raised $1.2 million, despite logistical challenges due to COVID-19.
The fundraising initiative is the other major component as each rider has their own campaign. Events have been held throughout the summer including a spin-thon back in July at Thrifty’s in Tsawwassen.
A raffle is currently underway that offers several trips, including a two-day Rocky Mountaineer rail journey, valued at $5,000. The $10 tickets can be purchased here with the draw slated for Oct. 7.
“We've had numerous events just to try to hit our goal. Everyone has kind of committed to raising $6,000 per person. It's been good and I don't have a ton of fundraising experience so that’s been an interesting part of it too,” added Loeppky.
Anyone wanting to learn more about the program, pledge a rider or make a donation can visit www.tourdevalley.ca.
