TEXAS 4000 Take on 4000 Miles of Hope

TEXAS 4000 Take on 4000 Miles of Hope

Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent

Vegreville Fire Department (VFD) played host to 22 students from the TEXAS 4000 Riders team who were on their 46th day bike ride through United States and Canada where the first stop they met up in Vegreville was at the Vegreville Elks/Kinsmen Park on July 20.

Ride Director Dominic Beck said he was participating in this project to raise awareness about cancer because he has an uncle named DQ Garton who survived throat and prostate cancer. “When I heard about TEXAS 4000, I thought that was a way to honour him as he is an athlete guy and still has a love for life at 87 that inspires me and I think this is the type of journey he wishes he could go on if he was a younger guy.”

Beck said the journey has been excellent so far. “The most amazing part is the people you meet and the communities you encounter. We experienced a lot of windy conditions while we were biking through different places. There were no tornados but there were a few days that had hail. But we got through it.

The reason we do this is so we can help people with cancer have hope which is much more powerful than any storm can be. It is pleasure to do this. I hope that there will be an end to deaths from cancer eventually. If you look at the statistics from the 1950’s from childhood leukemia, there was almost a 99 percent death rate and you look at that today, the chances of a child surviving is almost in the opposite direction. The doctors who speak to you, speak on the power of hope and the difference that rides like this can make,” Beck said.

TEXAS 4000 with Vegreville Fire Department.

(Rosanne Fortier/ Photo)

Fire Chief Chris Jardine said, “When we left the park we escorted them to the station where we served them a lasagna meal, keeping in mind of dietary restrictions, then gave them the opportunity to partake in firefighting related activities such as vehicle extrication, flowing water from a fire hose and rides around town in the fire trucks.

Councillor Jerrold Lemko greeted and welcomed the cyclists on behalf of Mayor MacPhee and the Town of Vegreville. We also set up sleeping arrangements at the hall. In the morning we served them breakfast and then we escorted them out of town to the west as they continue their journey to Anchorage Alaska.

The overall experience was a fantastic one for both the VFD as well as the cyclists. The VFD has hosted the Texas 4000 every year since approximately 2014. Unfortunately the trip had to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID restrictions. It was an absolute joy to have them return this year and keep Vegreville on their list of stops along their way,” Jardine explained.

TEXAS 4000 team is comprised of students from the University of Texas. Their mission is to cultivate student leaders and engage communities in the fight against cancer. They share hope, knowledge and charity through leadership development, grant making, and their cornerstone event, a 4,000 mile bike ride from Austin to Anchorage.

TEXAS 4000 is a 70 day ride, making it the largest annual charity bike ride in the world. The teams go to Sierra, Rockies, and Ozarks routes and later reunite in Canada to ride the last nine days together in Anchorage.