When Barry Travnicek learned that his sister, Lynne, had MS, he immediately sprang into action and wanted to support her. He knew he couldn’t provide medical advice but he could raise money for MS programming and research – so that’s what he did. Back in 1991, he rode his first MS Bike event in Grand Bend, and since then, has never missed one.
Travnicek, 66, from Dorchester, ON., broke the $1-million dollar mark in 2023. He’s come a long way–the first year he rode it, he raised $750. Over the years, he’s found lots of clever ways to raise money.
When he first started, he threw car washes to raise money,
“You really look at everything and anything, when it comes to fundraising,” he explains.
“I’m so proud of everything my dad “Barry Travnicek” has accomplished on both a personal and professional level. He has always taught me “You sign up, you show up”, and “Finish what you start”. – Amanda Cooper
On behalf of Amanda & the MS Bike team #HappyFathersDay pic.twitter.com/bxkAOrrKnL
— MS Bike (@MSBikeTour) June 17, 2018
He also has held metal drives in Dorchester. “We would ask people to bring old lawn mowers, whatever metal they have that they aren’t using, and we’d sell it to scrap yards and add the profits to our funds for MS Bike,” He said. “Since the first year we did it, I’ve held it every year.”
He’s mailed letters out to companies, and gone door to door. Travnicek was always inspired to help raise money in honour of his sister. She died in 2018, and although she never attended an MS Bike event, he made sure to call her every Friday before the event weekend to let her know how much money he had raised.
As far as cycling goes, Travnicek has also come a long way. When he first began, he didn’t use cycling shorts. He hadn’t ridden a bike for decades, and he found himself more than just a bit sore after the rides.
After several years, he purchased some Lycra shorts with chamois and began proper training. That made the ride much more enjoyable as his fitness improved. Nowadays, he rides every other day on the trainer in the winter. During the summer, he’ll ride 30-50 km outside every other day.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, he continued to ride. Although some people opted to ride virtual editions, he would still head to Grand Bend and ride the course on his own.
One of the other benefits he’s also noticed, over and above raising money for MS research, are the new connections in the MS…
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