Baycrest

BrainMatters • Spring/Summer 2023 • 19 Enjoying the scenic DVP at a speed where I could appreciate the beauty of the surrounding greenery and camaraderie of thousands of cyclists with no cars in sight!" ALFRED: "We live in Markham. The best memories actually took place before the ride. Those of us from the suburbs all got up before 5 a.m. and then raced south to The Ex [Exhibition Place, site of the starting line]. Once you hit the major roads like Highway 7, you would begin to see a few more vehicles with bikes on their racks heading in the same direction. We all travelled together and then saw more vehicles like ours when travelling down highway 404, and then everyone dispersed at the 404/401 intersection (because of the DVP closure) and found their way downtown. Most of the vehicles arrived at Lakeshore Boulevard at about the same time and we saw each other again at The EX parking lot. Later on, we saw each other again at the DVP/Don Mills Road rest station up north, this time on bikes instead of in cars." WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE 2023 BIKE FOR BRAIN HEALTH? JUP: "More of the same but hopefully, with more friends, both old and new, joining us on the ride! The biggest draw for this ride, outside of the fact that it's for a great cause, is that this is the ONLY time one can bike on the DVP and Gardiner in the summertime and in a car-free environment. This ride is great for experienced riders and, more importantly, for newer cyclists." JAY: "I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on the DVP again and riding with a much bigger group in the club. I can't wait to see all the cool and unique bikes people are riding this year!" LYNDON: "Looking forward to increased participation from BikePeopleDem members and other cyclists from the Black cycling community in the GTA." ALFRED: "My dad and I doing the 75km ride again this year." WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT BAYCREST THROUGH YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE RIDE? JUP: "I knew that Baycrest had facilities for aiding older patients… but I did not know the degree of research and innovation in this area until I looked deeper into the website when recruiting fellow riders and donors." From top left: Jay Lacambra and the NomadsCC Team, Alfred Sung and Tommy Sung, Lyndon Burrell, Jup Bhasin with his nephew Devyan Sahney (photo courtesy Salina Abji) JAY: "I learned how supportive the cycling community is in the city for a good cause. There are many different clubs in Toronto [and] when we all ride together, we push and support one another." LYNDON: "I learned dementia impacts nearly every family, whether we want to admit it or not. It's real. We have no way to know if we will be affected. We have no way to avoid it. There needs to be more research done to find ways to prevent, treat and hopefully, reverse dementia. We need to collectively raise more funds to make this a reality." ALFRED: "Apart from frontline care services, Baycrest is also a very important player in the brain health research field. I didn't know about its research role before the Mattamy Homes Bike for Brain Health." The Mattamy Homes Bike for Brain Health returns on Sunday, June 4, 2023! To learn more or to register, visit: bikeforbrainhealth.ca

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