Haines to Haines relay offers perfect test for Yukon pair

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There’s no shortage of reasons why each year hundreds of cyclists take part in the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay.

Each cyclist simply has his or her own motive.

For some, the race from Haines Junction to Haines, Alaska offers them a chance to test their cycling abilities and endurance, while for others it’s just an excuse to take in some beautiful scenery.

However, for Yukoners Nathalie Mather-Dugas and her eight-year-old son, Liam, this past weekend’s relay proved an opportunity to raise awareness for juvenile diabetes and put months of training to the test.

Both Liam, who was diagnosed with Type One diabetes when he was five years old, and Nathalie are planning on taking part in the Cyclebetes tandem bike relay, scheduled to take place in August.

The relay will go from Halifax to Victoria and features teams of 10 riders in each province (five adults and five youth riders affected by juvenile diabetes).

Nathalie and Liam will be on a group that will make its way across Quebec, raising awareness for funds and a cure. The two are the only Yukoners and Liam is the youngest diabetic rider in the cycling event.

Both rode together on their tandem bike in the Kluane Chilkat relay, completing the first and last leg.

“For us it was a kind of a training run, so it was really nice,” Nathalie said. “(Liam’s) very excited about the whole event (in August). He’s looking forward to it and I think I can say this weekend was a good test.

“The Haines to Haines he did really well, so I am not worried about him.”

Nathalie first heard about the Cyclebetes a couple of years ago during a brief stay in Vancouver.

She continued to stay in touch with the group through a blog update and this past November found out about a tandem relay event being offered for the first time. Nathalie said she knew Liam would be interested.

“He loves biking,” she said. “He spends a lot of time on his bike, so I knew that he would be thrilled to be a part of that.”

Nathalie, who was born and raised in Quebec, said if the relay made its way through the Yukon that would have been her first choice.

So far Nathalie and Liam have raised $2,500, which is half of their goal. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Donations can be made by emailing .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).