A team of cyclists who began their journey in Victoria in the Spinning Wheels Bike Relay to End Parkinson’s will ride into Saskatoon tomorrow afternoon, before getting back on the road on their way to Ottawa. Two of the riders have Parkinson’s and they ride about 100 kilometres a day.

Chair of the Saskatoon Parkinson’s Support Group, Jeannine Alain, who also has Parkinson’s, says the goal of the relay is to raise awareness about the disease, and the fact that it is on the rise in Canada. She explains the main reasons are an aging population and exposure to environmental toxins. More than 100,000 Canadians live with Parkinson’s and 30 more are diagnosed every day. Alain adds that experts have said intense exercise can help alleviate the symptoms of the disease, which she says the team members believe is true. There are three teams across Canada.

The western team is the one arriving in Saskatoon. The eastern team which began in St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador, will meet them on Parliament Hill on September 28th, along with a team that is cycling from Dawson City, Yukon to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories. Click the link with this story online to find out more and to follow along on their journey.

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