Stavely cyclists raising funds, awareness to help kids with cancer

By Rob Vogt

Kids should be living life, not fighting for it.
That is the motivation Stavely cyclists Margaret Malchow and Ruth Sherry have to ride in the 2025 Great Cycle Challenge, a national SickKids Foundation fundraising initiative, whose motto is “Riding to kick cancer’s butt!”
This is Malchow’s fourth year doing the ride. She started two years ago after being introduced to the event by her sister Janet Robertson. She lives in B.C., has been doing the ride eight years, and was in Stavely last week to ride some of the Calgary bike paths as well as in and around Stavely.
Two years ago, Malchow got Sherry involved.
The Great Cycle Challenge is not a race on a particular day over a particular distance. Instead, it is a month-long challenge where participants set a goal and ride whenever they like to meet that challenge, while raising funds for the SickKids Foundation.
They download an app to their phones that will track the number of kilometres they ride throughout the month.
Malchow has set a goal of cycling 300 kilometres and raising $1,000; Sherry has set a goal of riding 100 kilometres and raising $2,500; and Robertson has set a goal of riding 500 kilometres and raising $1,000.
Last week, Malchow and Robertson rode 50 kilometres on consecutive days, around Stavely then Calgary. Their goal was 50 kilometres a day too.
“Everybody in the town has seen us ride around,” Malchow said.
Robertson lives in Surrey, and rides to and from work three times a week, which helps achieve her goal.
Sherry said she would like to ride the Coal Trail between High River and Longview as part of her journey.
Last week she needed just four kilometres to reach her challenge goal of 100 kilometres, but is not close to done.
“I’m going to up my goal 50 kilometres at a time,” Sherry said.
She likes riding early in the morning when there is no wind or heat.
Yet, whatever she has to face, is not as daunting as what the kids face who all three cyclists are riding for.
That is Sherry’s motivation.
“I’m happy to help at least one kid get back on his bike or learn how to ride a bike instead of lying in a hospital bed,” she said.
“It is so sad to see them,” Malchow said. “It is difficult to see.”
It is also motivating.
“It just makes you want to do your part,” she said. “It feels good doing this.
“It’s like nothing compared to what those kids are going through.”
Robertson had a co-worker whose daughter had cancer at three years old, and they worked with the SickKids Foundation.
“They spoke very highly of the organization,” Robertson said. “They do a lot for these kids.”
That’s why she has been participating in the challenge for eight years.
“I’d like to do my part,” she said. “I think the SickKids Foundation needs the donations to keep doing what they’re doing.”
Last year, the challenge raised more than $7.27 million across Canada, with 13,445 riders participating.
Since the challenge started in 2016, participants have ridden 27,961,719 kilometres and raised $54,249,870 in support of research to develop treatments and find a cure for childhood cancer.
Anyone interested in more information, or donating to the challenge can visit https://greatcyclechallenge.ca (no dashes or spaces). People can still sign up and do their own challenge too.
People can donate by searching the names of Margaret Malchow, Ruth Sherry and Janet Robertson on the website.
They can also provide cash or cheques. All donours will receive a tax receipt for their donations, as well as a letter of thanks.
Malchow can be reached at mgmalchow@telus.net, and Sherry can be reached at ruthshermac@gmail.com.
Sherry and Malchow plan to continue the Great Cycle Challenge too, and for a simple reason.
“Kids should be living life, not fighting for it,” Malchow said.