Follow Ramesh's Journey

Today was one of only three days since we hit the prairies that there was no easterly headwind to battle. What a treat! It rained all day, but the western tailwinds helped me hand cycle 89 km in 3 hrs and 29 min.

We crossed over the Saskatchewan/Manitoba border around 1 pm, and with that came a real sense of accomplishment. I’d like to thank the people of Saskatchewan for hearing our message and supporting Cycle to Walk. Please band together to keep the message – and the fundraising – alive within your communities. We need to keep polio in the minds of all Canadians so we can finally eradicate this deadly and paralyzing disease.

The Cycle to Walk team is excited to be in Manitoba spreading the message of polio eradication, education, and rehabilitation. We arrived in the community of Virden and were welcomed immediately by Mayor Bruce Dunning. There was an opportunity for a photo and an interview with the Virden Empire-Advance before we checked in to our rooms at the Virden Motel.

Because of the favourable tailwinds, we chose to push on to Oak Lake before driving back to Virden for the night. To our surprise, Mayor Dunning arranged a private meal with the team and his family at the Dragon Inn Buffet. Thanks so much to Bruce, Suzanne, Luke and Ashton for the great hospitality, and thanks to Jane Wong at the Dragon Inn for opening the restaurant just for us.

The kindness we experienced today went above and beyond what we could have hoped for. Thanks to everyone we met in Virden for making us feel so welcome. It was wonderful to visit with our new friends, and to share the message of Cycle to Walk over such a delicious meal.