10-year-old cyclist plans to ride 100 km for cancer research

Inspired by Canadian legend Terry Fox, a Cambridge youth is embarking on his own journey to raise money for cancer research.

Having only been riding a bike on two wheel for less than five years, Euan Bingham's cycling schedule is not that of an average 10-year-old kid. 

Starting at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, Bingham has made it a yearly routine to ride his bike long distances and raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation. 

"I love riding my bike and I love Terry Fox, so I just put them together," said Bingham. "The first year I was turning seven so I did 70 km and every year I add 10 km."

For this year, Bingham is turning 10 so his goal is to bike 100 km from Cambridge to his favourite cupcake shop Kelly's Bake Shoppe in Burlington.

His journey kicks off on Sat., July 8. 

He is hoping to complete his ride in under five hours, beating his time of five hours and 22 minutes from the previous year.

Support from the community has been pouring in to Bingham and his Ride of Hope campaign. Each year he raises money for the Terry Fox Foundation and each year he rolls past his goal.

The first year they only looked to raise $300 and they raised $500. The second year their goal was $500 and they reached $1,000. Last year with a goal of $2,000, they managed to raise $4,000. 

With the response Bingham was getting from the community, they decided to up their target to $5,000. At the time of this article, the Bingham family have managed to surpass their goal and raise nearly $6,000 for cancer research. 

Bingham's mother Kelly describes her son as an average kid who only really rode his bike around the neighbourhood, and to her shock in 2020 he asked to bike over 70 km for his birthday. 

"He biked maybe a little above average for a seven-year-old, but not 70 km above average," joked Kelly. "When he came to us we thought it could never happen, but as a good parent you have to support their dreams." 

The most he ever rode at once was around 20 km before kicking off his first 70 km mission. 

Looking back after three years and coming up on their fourth ride, Kelly wouldn't have changed a thing and is happy they took a chance and went for the ride. 

"I'm just proud of him for doing this and coming up with it completely on his own," she added. "It's rare that someone this young would be doing something introspective."

To practice for the upcoming 100 km journey, Bingham goes on long bike rides around the neighbourhood and city with his parents. He also trains at the Kitchener Waterloo Cycling Academy. 

"I have to keep up with my cycling so I can still do these long rides," he added. "We also have a training bike in the basement for the winter." 

The Ride for Hope will continue to be an annual event to raise awareness and money for cancer research. Bingham is happy he can help the Terry Fox Fondation and inspire others in the community at such a young age. 

"It doesn't matter how old or big you are, you can still make a difference," said Bingham. 

More information about the Ride for Hope and to donate to Euan's Big Ride, visit their website.