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Dennis will be riding in his 11th Tour de Cure in memory of his father’s legacy.

Photo courtesy Dennis Soriano

Richmondite joins Tour de Cure for parents

By Matthew Cheung

Published 10:35 PDT, Thu August 17, 2023

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Dennis Soriano, a Richmond local will be participating in his eleventh Tour de Cure on Aug. 26 and 27. Around 2,000 riders will be participating in the event, as they ride 100 kilometres each day from Cloverdale to Hope. Presented by Wheaton Precious Metals, the Tour de Cure is the largest cycling fundraiser in the province. The event begins in Cloverdale, riders will stop at a midway point in Chilliwack, before finishing in Hope.

Biking has always been a hobby that Soriano has enjoyed throughout his childhood. He would always bike around his neighbourhood with family and friends, more recently he decided to use it as an alternate method of transportation to work.

For Dennis, the Tour de Cure is more than just a way for him to fundraise for cancer research. The Tour de Cure was a way for Dennis to give back to the community that supported his mother’s fight with cancer. Soriano first started participating in 2012, his mother had been battling cancer and he came across the Tour de Cure as a way to help give back to the community that was helping his mother.

“Because my family had been directly impacted by my mother’s battle with cancer, I was immediately drawn to the Tour de Cure. I first heard about the event in 2011 and signed up for my first ride in 2012. After the first ride, I knew I had found a way to give back to the community of medical professionals, researchers, and organizations that help individuals and families affected by cancer,” said Soriano.

As the years have gone by, Soriano has continued to participate in cycling events across the province. He has taken part in the Langley Fondo and the BC Randonnuers Pacific Populaire event and will continue to ride in order to help fund cancer research and more.

“Meeting and hearing from so many others who share similar stories of how they, themselves, or their loved ones and families, have had to fight and endure the challenges a cancer diagnosis brings was such an amazing and inspiring experience. This feeling remains each and every year I have taken part in the ride. There are endless amounts of stories you come across every year,” said Soriano.

This year, Dennis will be riding for both the community that has helped his mother during her fight with cancer, and in memory of his late father. Last year, Dennis’ father, who had been one of his biggest supporters when he first started participating in the Tour de Cure, was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of esophageal cancer. He passed away, only a few weeks later.

“When I set out to fundraise for cancer research to give back to the community that had helped my mom during her bout with cancer, my dad instantly became my biggest supporter. He would actively fundraise for more through his social media, emails to all his friends and colleagues throughout the world, and even via word of mouth when meeting with his friends for coffee,” said Soriano.

In addition to helping fundraise, Dennis’ father also did his best to support him throughout the training process. He would often watch his grandchildren for Dennis during long training sessions, pick him up at locations when he encountered an issue with his bike, and always waited at the finish line to cheer Dennis on.

“Outside of fundraising, he would offer to watch the kids during long training rides, pick me up at a random location when we couldn’t repair an issue with my bike on the road, drop me off at early event starts and be at every finish line to cheer me on as I would cross the finish line. He did it as a way to give back to the community but also because he knew how much the event meant to me,” said Soriano.

For families who are currently going through what the Soriano family has gone through, Dennis shares this with word of advice with the readers. “All I can really stress is the importance of moving forward with the healing process and your lives. If anything, continue to move forward in your loved one’s memory by carrying on as you know they would do so. Family and friends are key in helping you through it all”.

To support Dennis’ Tour de Cure fundraising goal, visit tourdecure.ca/participant/2558285/4245