\u2018It would be so much harder on your own\u2019: Tour de Rock reaches Campbell River<\/p>\n
Published 9:20 pm Tuesday, September 22, 2026<\/p>\n
A trip north has given one Tour de Rock rider more than sore legs and long days in the saddle.<\/p>\n
Derek Chaloner, a Victoria-based RCMP officer, joined the 2026 Tour de Rock team for two reasons: a family history with cancer and a desire to see more of Vancouver Island.<\/p>\n
Three years after moving to Victoria from Calgary, where he spent six years with the Calgary Police Service, Chaloner said he knew he would not make it to the North Island without a reason to push himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really wanted to see the Island,\u201d he said. \u201cI knew that I wouldn\u2019t go up north if I wasn\u2019t pushed to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
That push has taken Chaloner and the rest of the 22-person team through communities across the North Island before arriving in Campbell River on Tuesday (Sept. 22), following a 96-kilometre ride from Sayward.<\/p>\n
What has stood out most has not been the distance, but the people along the way.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy biggest takeaway is just how tight knit the communities were and how much they supported us and each other,\u201d Chaloner said.<\/p>\n
He said it was \u201cmore than amazing\u201d to see communities rally around families dealing with cancer, something he said he did not see in the same way while living in Calgary.<\/p>\n
Chaloner has his own family connection to the cause. Both of his grandparents on both sides of his family died from cancer, although he said there have been no children affected by cancer in his family.<\/p>\n
Meeting families who have been directly helped by Tour de Rock fundraising has also changed the way he sees the campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore this, it was kind of this elusive number that we were just trying to reach,\u201d he said. \u201cBut now you actually see that it is affecting people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those encounters have made the fundraising goal feel more tangible, with families approaching riders on the roadside to share their experiences.<\/p>\n
The cycling itself has presented its own challenges.<\/p>\n
Chaloner sold his car in Calgary during the COVID-19 pandemic and began cycling year-round, continuing to commute by bicycle as much as possible since moving to Victoria.<\/p>\n
Still, he said riding as part of a 22-person team has been an adjustment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re going on the downhill, you want to rip down,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re climbing, you kind of want to go at your own speed, so it\u2019s hard to keep the pace of everyone on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the same time, he said, riding together provides its own motivation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be so much harder on your own.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tour de Rock continues Wednesday (Sept. 23) with stops throughout Courtenay and Comox as the team continues its 14-day, 1,200-kilometre journey across Vancouver Island in support of pediatric cancer research and support programs.<\/p>\n
To donate to the cause, visit their website.<\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE: North Island communities make a long day on the bike worthwhile<\/a><\/p>\n