Name: Martin Lacelle
Age: Turning 30 in 2010!
Occupation:High School Teacher, École Secondaire Catholique La Citadelle
Hometown: Hawkesbury, Ontario
Family: Married
Biggest physical accomplishment to date: 2006, 2008 and 2009 Tour For Kids EPIC Rides
A loss has become a my greatest motivator
I started cycling as an adult when a friend invited me to ride Tour for Kids in 2006. I bought my first road bike and watched Tour de France everyday in July. It didn’t take long that I got hooked on the sport. As for my first Tour for Kids experience, I had my first bike crash ever on the third day. I was extremely lucky to come out of it with only bruises. It became clear to me that no pain from that accident will stop me from a 200km Sunday ride; that my pain would be temporary compared to the motivating testimonies that I heard every morning of Tour for Kids. It has since been part of my summer vacations before going back to work.
What is your connection to the cause?
I became personally connected to this cause when I lost a friend to skin cancer in 2009. I was blessed to not have been exposed to cancer until later in my life. As a teacher, I had only seen what a child goes through when his parent is affected by this disease. I could only imagine what it must be for the parent of a cancer child.
Why you are doing this ride?
I am doing to ride to raise awareness of children’s cancer. It is seldom thought of as a disease that children can develop. Who knows, maybe they will become the next Lance Armstrong, Nelson Mandela, Kylie Minogue or Steve Jobs. (All cancer survivors)
What excites you most about doing this ride?
Seeing the smiles of the children when we stop in hospitals to show them that all of us are riding so that they can get better, sooner. It’s all about the kids!
“I thought of that while riding my bike.”
Albert Einstein - On the Theory of Relativity.
“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.”
Lance Armstrong
