My National Ride of Hope - transition from truck to trike

My name is Darragh.  I am a 52 year old truck driver and owner-operator from Ontario, Canada.  Last autumn, I was diagnosed with stage 3 prostate cancer.  After a successful surgery in December 2025, I am currently cancer free.  This summer, I am parking the truck and climbing onto a recumbent trike to cycle across Canada and help raise funds for cancer research.  

My ride is in Support of the Terry Fox Foundation and the Terry Fox Ride of Hope (Ride Your Way option).  Terry Fox has always been my hero, ever since I was 7 years old when I watch him on the news during his Marathon of Hope.  He is an enduring symbol of determination, perseverance, and selflessness.  I am proud to be doing this ride in honour of Terry Fox and everyone else who has faced a cancer challenge.  The medical advances that have taken place since Terry's epic run have been phenomenal, but there is so much more work to do.

The ride from Victoria, British Columbia to St. John's, Newfoundland will be about 8,000 km long (5,000 miles) and take about 2 months.  I will be riding a combination of roads and trails, often opting for the scenic option over the most direct route.

The initial stages of my ride through the mountains on Canada's west coast will be particularly challenging.  I'm not really in ideal physical condition yet following my surgery, but summer is the only time to make this kind of trip.  I'm still getting used to the recumbent trike which stresses different muscles than a traditional upright bicycle.  With the added weight of the trailer and all my gear, the combined mass of all of my equipment weighs more than me.  Hauling all that weight on level ground isn't too bad, but climbing hills and steep mountain grades will be tough.

We all know people who have been impacted by cancer - family, friends, co-workers.  I hope you will consider making a donation to help fund cancer research.  More research will help improve outcomes for future cancer patients.  All donations for my ride are made directly to The Terry Fox Foundation, a registered Canadian charity with an A rating from charityintelligence.ca

Donation link:       https://ride.terryfox.ca/page/darragh

For my supporters from outside Canada, please be aware that the donation link above processes donations in Canadian dollars and issues Canadian tax receipts.  You can still contribute from outside Canada, but your donation will be converted to your home currency by your credit card company and you might not be able to use the tax receipt in your country.  

As an alternative, it is possible to make a USD donation to the Terry Fox Foundation's partner organization in the USA and received a US tax receipt that would be valid for deduction on an IRS tax return.  To do this, mail a cheque to:

Friends of Terry Fox US

5900 Balcones Drive # 26587

Austin, TX 78731 

US donations won't automatically be attributed to my ride, so please send me a message and let me know the amount contributed to Friends of Terry Fox US.  You can email me at info@dnrh.org and I will forward the information to the Terry Fox Foundation in Canada so that they can adjust my tally of total funds raised.

Thank you to everyone who is able to support me, and remember to look after your own health.