Military Police Officer spins for cancer

Cpl Adam Carruthers of the CFB Esquimalt Military Police will join 23 other riders on this year’s Tour de Rock.

Every year a team of Vancouver Island police officers and media professionals make an arduous journey through rain, snow, and wind all in the name of pediatric cancer research.

Joining them this year in the 2014 Tour de Rock will be Cpl Adam Carruthers, 28, from CFB Esquimalt Military Police.

 “I lost my grandmother to cancer in 2013, so I was looking for a way to help families who are in the same position that mine was. I’d only heard good things about the ride from co-workers, so when the time came around to apply I put my name in,” says Cpl Carruthers. “It’s such a great cause, and a once in a lifetime kind of experience. I didn’t want to miss my chance to take part.”

The bike rides spans 1,100 kilometres, from Port Alice to Victoria, in 14 days to benefit the Cops for Cancer charity.

With the start date for the ride still months away – kicking off Sept. 20 – Cpl Carruthers and his fellow teammates are already four months into training, with practice rides taking place Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday.

Training exercises alternate between hill nights, where riders practice extended uphill rides; speed training with a focus on acceleration, and distance rides where sheer distance is the name of the game.

“It’s been exhausting, but rewarding,” says Cpl Carruthers. “You really get a feel for what the actual ride might be like, but at the same time I know it will be so much more.”

For the ride, team members have been outfitted with special road bikes tailored to their specific attributes. These prototype bikes, donated by Trek Bicycle Store in Esquimalt, will see them through training as well as the 1,100 km journey, and Cpl Carruthers says it has been a godsend.

“They’re awesome bikes, when you get going it feels like you’re flying,” he says. “They’ve set everything up for each team member and I know they’ll serve us well on the ride.”

With the ride still months away and fund raising underway, Cpl Carruthers says all he can do is put his head down and put his time in. With a personal fund raising goal of $10,000, he’s still got a long way to go.

“It’s going to a big trip but with the training they’re putting us through I think we’ll make it,” he says. “I’m feeling pretty good, so it’s just a matter of time. I’m already so excited so I’m ready to go when they are.”

To donate directly to Cpl Carruthers, go to tourderock.ca and click: Make a donation, or http://convio.cancer.ca/goto/adamcarruthers, or donate during his 12 hour spin-a-thon at the Dockyard Main Gate on Aug. 11 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Shawn O’Hara, Staff Writer