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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Bomber CEO's son finds ride inspiring

By: Matt Preprost

Posted: 06/16/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

Wes Bauer, halfway in his cross-Canada ride against cancer, chats with dad Lyle. (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

He's pedalled 2,300 kilometres so far, but Wes Bauer's sights are set on bigger goals than his odometer reading.

"If you asked me how many kilometres I've come, I couldn't tell you," Bauer laughed, after he got off his bike at Canad Inns Stadium to meet his family, friends, and supporters.

Bauer, son of Blue Bombers president and CEO Lyle Bauer, started his cross-country bike ride, dubbed "Chase the Cure," next to the Terry Fox Memorial in Victoria, B.C., in May to help raise money to support cancer research. He's raised $30,000 so far.

Bauer arrived in Winnipeg just before noon Monday, marking the halfway point in his journey across Canada.

Without a hint of exhaustion, but with plenty of enthusiasm, the 20-year-old was eager to share tales of inspiration that help keep him pedalling.

Bauer recalled a point in the trip when he stopped at Campbell Collegiate in Regina, where students led their own charge in support of cancer research. The school had brought Bauer in as a speaker.

At the end of the assembly, the 1,500 students wrote the names of loved ones affected by cancer onto balloons, and then released them into the sky.

"It was a surreal experience," Bauer said. "It was a nice moment for me, I found."

The balloon ceremony in Regina helped put into perspective just how many people in Canada are affected by cancer, he said.

"The people who are going through chemo or going through surgery, they're the real heroes," he said. "It's important to show them that Canadians are supporting them from coast to coast."

The support from young people on the trip as been tremendous, Bauer said.

"The cure to cancer lies in my generation," he said.

He was inspired to journey across Canada when he found out his dad, Lyle, was diagnosed with cancer in 2004. Lyle Bauer said he is proud of the impact his son is making and the support he's received.

"It's heartwarming," Lyle said. "Nobody chooses cancer. When you get into the community, you find there's a significant amount of people there to support you."

That support is what led Lyle to create the Never Alone Foundation, his organization that helps raise money and awareness for cancer research. Chase the Cure runs in support of the foundation.

matt.preprost@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 16, 2009 B3

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