After 27 years of riding in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) fundraiser bike event, Patrick (Pat) Potvin has faced plenty of kilometres on two wheels.
This year, he also faced plenty of rain.

“It was the wettest year ever riding,” says Potvin, who completed another MS Bike ride this summer. “In the 27 years that I’ve ridden, it was the wettest one.”

The weather was enough to keep many cyclists away.

Pat Potvin takes on his 27th MS Bike ride this summer. Potvin personally raised $8,105 for MS Bike. He says that the feeling of community, of commitment to a cause of helping others who need support from them is an important endeavour. Photos courtesy of Pat Potvin

Of the 799 riders registered, just over 400 decided to take on the challenge.
Potvin and team Des were among them.

The two-day ride on June 27 to June 28, 2026, took cyclists from Leduc to Camrose and back, covering 90 kilometres on the first day and 97 kilometres on the second.
For Potvin, those 187 kilometres came after weeks of preparation.
He started training May 17 and logged 617 kilometres before his final training ride in June.

“Lots of work, but it’s worth it,” he says. “It’s for a good cause.”

Rain followed the cyclists through much of the weekend. Potvin says it became especially heavy near the end of the second day.
“It rained so hard you couldn’t see like two blocks down the road,” he says.
Still, Potvin kept pedalling.

He says one of the biggest highlights was seeing how people continued encouraging each other throughout the ride.

“Everybody’s there for a reason, for MS, to help,” he says.

That included making sure teammates were not left behind.
When one Team Des rider struggled during the first day, Potvin stayed back and finished with him.

“I don’t like going ahead, while leaving somebody behind,” he says.
Team Des had 11 registered participants, with 10 taking part in the ride. Together, the team raised $20,732.

Potvin personally raised $8,105.

Across the event, riders raised $1,263,736 and counting, with 164 volunteers helping make the weekend possible.
Despite the rain and long kilometres, Potvin is not finished.
After completing his 27th year, his next goal is to reach 30 years of MS Bike.
By then, Potvin says he will be 73.

And after that?

He hopes to keep going until 75.

“You stay young,” he says. “The more exercise you do, the younger you stay.”
Potvin also thanked everyone who donated and supported him.

He also wanted to thank Team Des along the way, saying that support is what makes it possible for him to continue taking part in MS Bike year after year.
Without the people behind him, he says he could not do it.

Team Des riders take part in the MS Bike ride this summer. The team raised $20,732 for MS.

Julia Magsombol
Lakeside Leader