St-Lazare resident preparing to bike 300 kilometres to fight ALS

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Chantale Grenon-Nyenhuis wouldn’t call herself an athlete.

In fact, the first time Grenon-Nyenhuis, 45, took part in the Ride to Fight ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) in 2015, she recalled feeling “terrified out of my mind.”

However, like many athletes, she seeks new challenges, she said. So while the idea of biking 300 kilometres over three days was daunting, it was an opportunity she could not refuse. And after all, it was for a cause she cared for dearly, she said.

“It’s about coming together to raise funds and to help,” Grenon-Nyenhuis said. “It’s not about the performance per se.”

The Ride to Fight ALS is a fundraising event taking place from Aug. 25 to 27. The ride, organized by the ALS Society of Quebec, begins and ends at the Château Vaudreuil along Highway 40. This will be the 10th edition of the ride. Last year, the event and the society’s first-ever benefit dinner raised $430,000 — the highest amount amassed since the first Ride to Fight ALS in 2008. About 200 cyclists and volunteers are expected at this year’s event based in Vaudreuil-Dorion.

According to the ALS Society of Quebec website, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a deadly disease with a maximum life expectancy of five years after diagnosis. Symptoms for the degenerative neuromuscular disease are similar to those of Alzheimer and Parkinson’s diseases. As of now, there is no cure for ALS. Annually, the disease is “the most common cause of neurological death in Canada,” the website states.

Grenon-Nyenhuis, a St-Lazare resident, was first introduced to the Ride to Fight ALS by two of her four sons.

Dean Stock, brother of former Montreal Canadiens forward P.J. Stock, coached Grenon-Nyenhuis’ sons during the 2014-2015 minor hockey season. Coach Stock was diagnosed with ALS in 2014 and had decided to create Team Stock at the Ride to Fight ALS. Dean Stock died of the disease at the age of 39 last September.

“I started just talking to people around me, trying to raise funds for Team Stock and things were going pretty well so I was look for a way to be more involved and that’s how I ended up doing the Ride to Fight ALS back in 2015,” Grenon-Nyenhuis said.

Since then, she has met people from all walks of life, such as families with loved ones affected by ALS.  She said some of the participants that rode in last year’s event were battling ALS and will be partaking in the event again this year.

“I keep joking about how out of shape I am but to do this right, you know, with the additional challenge (of) living with a disease — (it’s) just really, really impressive.”

The Ride to Fight ALS is also an important event for her kids.

“For the two younger ones, Dean was their coach,” she said. “They really wanted to do something.”

This year, Grenon-Nyenhuis and her eldest son, who is 15, will take on the three-day challenge while her other boys, aged 9, 12 and 14, will only bike the first day. She has two goals: to raise $7,500 and simply “finish every day.”

That performance goal might change next year.

“My goal for next year is to get in shape and do the ride properly,” she said. “While I do have time constraints that make it difficult to work out and keep in shape, I am lucky enough to be healthy. So for next year, in honour of Dean, I will do this ride and not lag at the back of the pack.”