‘Power of a team’: Tour de Rock summits Malahat, nears Victoria finale
Published 4:39 pm Wednesday, September 30, 2026
The Malahat was the final major climb standing between Tour de Rock and Greater Victoria.
By late Wednesday (Sept. 30) morning, the 22-person peloton had made it over.
Day 12 of the 14-day journey saw riders cover 60 kilometres from Shawnigan Lake School into Greater Victoria, pushing their total distance north of 910 kilometres since leaving Port Alice on Sept. 20.
After nearly two weeks on Vancouver Island roads, the biggest takeaway for community rider Ashka Wirk has had little to do with the physical strain.
“Hope is a big theme,” she said.
That hope has come from meeting families along the route and hearing how funds raised through Tour de Rock are directly improving outcomes for children battling pediatric cancer.
“I always knew that it was going to be there, but just to hear it from the families has been amazing,” Wirk said.
The principal of Wirk Consulting joined the Tour as a community rider, stepping outside the traditional emergency services background. A mom of two and local business owner, she said she had virtually no endurance cycling experience when training began.
Her first time on a road bike came in March, where she took a slow-speed tumble on day one and needed four stitches.
The training and support team ‘wrapped a protective bubble’ around her, including one-on-one rides with Will Arnold of Experience Cycling to rebuild her confidence.
Six months later, she is conquering mountain passes beside 21 teammates.
Her motivation stems from her honorary rider, 14-year-old Olivia Lassam, who has spent over half her life battling cancer. Olivia and her brothers run an annual lemonade stand outside their Victoria home that has raised more than $60,000 for the cause since they began several years ago.
One moment during a visit with Olivia left a lasting impression on Wirk.
Tour riders wear necklaces to mark milestone moments throughout eight months of training and the tour itself. The beads are inspired by the milestone necklaces worn by young cancer patients undergoing treatment.
When Wirk showed Olivia hers, the teenager asked if she wanted to see her own.
Olivia fetched a massive pile of beads that stretched more than 27 feet when laid end to end.
“That’s all of her treatments, her rides over on the ferry to the hospital, nights spent in the hospital,” Wirk said. “So, anything that we’re doing is nothing compared to what the kids are going through.”
Wednesday’s Malahat climb offered another reminder of what the group can achieve collectively. Having never competed in team sports before, Wirk found strength in the peloton.
“To see the power, like actual physical power of a team, a peloton of bikes coming together and how consistently, strongly, quickly you can go when you work together in unison is actually a lovely metaphor for so many things,” she said.
On Thursday, the team will weave through the Saanich Peninsula, stopping at several schools before ending the day in Esquimalt. The 14-day fundraiser concludes Friday (Oct. 2), at Ship Point Pier at 4:30 p.m.
The tour has raised more than $431,000 for pediatric cancer research and support. Donations can be made on the Tour de Rock website.