This year will be the 10th that Stephen Carleton does the Kids Cancer Care Ride of Courage. It’ll be the third year for his son, Ben. July 10 to 12, cyclists will take to the Alberta foothills, testing their endurance for the cause on either a three-day, two-day or one-day journey. Dollars raised send kids affected by cancer to Kids Cancer Care’s Camp Kindle in Water Valley, Alta. The older Carleton’s decade-long commitment started with a boy named Joel. “I was a youth pastor to an incredible family and their son,” he said. “(Joel) had cancer when he was a child—around 10—and he ended up having his cancer come back. “We journeyed extensively, just walking with him through his treatment again.” Stephen called the bond he and Joel shared “incredible.” They played golf. They cycled. They went and did Shave Your Lid for a Kid. “He ended up cancer-free,” Stephen said. “But then the following year, just before he was about to start Grade 12, the cancer came back again. “Joel passed that October.” Stephen said he “wanted to do something.” That ended up being the Ride of Courage’s pre-COVID iteration, the Tour for Kids. He said it was “gruelling and intense” and brought out “a lot of emotion.” He also said when it was over, he “wanted to do it again.” Since 2016, he has always left it wanting to do it again. One day a few years back, his teenage son said, “Hey Dad, I’ll ride with you.” “I’m like, ‘Hey, let’s give it a shot—let’s come support my dad, let’s come support the family that we were super close with,’” said Ben, now 17. “I had fun with it, I enjoyed the environment and I’m probably going to stick with it for a really long time.” His first two years on the ride, Ben did the one-day trek. The plan this year is to do two days—the longest two days. “When I get on a bike and I just ride, it’s peaceful,” he said. “No matter how long the distance is, you don’t even notice how much time has passed. “You just enjoy it.” Stephen said for him, “It was definitely easier 10 years ago.” But he doesn’t see a time where he won’t want to do it again. “I fight through it. I see the purpose in it,” he said. “If I can keep doing this—keep helping (kids)—I’m all in.” Registration for the 2026 Ride of Courage is open, and more information is available at kidscancercare.ab.ca. The tour of the foothills includes accommodations, meals, a jersey and more, Kids Cancer Care said. Key among the “more,” Stephen and Ben agreed, are the friendships they’ve made. Those’ll last a lifetime. “It’s more than just the ride,” Stephen said.
