Pam Roy and Vidal Michaud love to ride – a lot.

So much so, the couple is entering the gruelling seven-day TransRockies race from Fernie, B.C. to Canmore next month, just for the fun of it.

“It came up and we decided to do it. Even if we’re last, we don’t care. There is amazing scenery and the ambiance will be amazing,” Roy said. “For us, it’s an opportunity to be part of something great.”

Roy and Michaud typically spend as much time as possible on their bikes when they aren’t working on the Parks Canada trail crew, and the race is a natural extension of something they love. 

“We always ride together,” Michaud said. “Even if we weren’t doing the race, we’d still go biking all the time.”

While other teams enter to win, Roy and Michaud are riding for a cause. They are raising money to help bring a hyperbaric chamber to Jasper to help children with autism, as well as people with other ailments. They’d like to donate 25 per cent of their sponsorship money to the cause and have a goal of raising $1,000.

“We learned more about it and will raise money for the Children of Autumn foundation,” Roy said. “It gives another sense of purpose to the race.”

This, partnered with a carefree attitude, will ensure they have fun for the week, the couple said. They have no support crew, will try not to argue over who has to wash the bikes, but have started taking a closer look at the route. They’re approaching the race as seven great rides through the mountains. Roy says her strength is single track, while Michaud is more of a climber. Both have been biking on a consistent basis for about 10 years.

“We’re looking at the long climbs to give us an idea of what we’re going to encounter,” Michaud said. 

 “We don’t have a strict training schedule, but we push ourselves hard when we go out.”

That includes frequent 100 kilometre bike rides, plus other training intervals. The couple want to enter more adventure races in the future.

For Roy, inspiration came from the people of Jasper, especially after her former physiotherapist and friend went from learning to mountain bike to TransRockies competitor in three years.

“You just get up and go. Amy (Guidinger) was an inspiration for the people in Jasper,” Roy said.

“Jasper has an amazing pool of athletes. Some people you’d never suspect are doing incredible things,” Michaud said.

The two didn’t upgrade their equipment for the massive, seven day race through the Rockies.

“I know my bike. It’s too big for me, it’s old and a hard tail,” Michaud said.

Living in Jasper has helped, as having a two minute trip to a trail head ensures there are no excuses for skipping a ride. Much of the new course is single track, which suits them just fine.

“We try to go for two hours a day,” Roy said.

To support Roy and Michaud, visit www.bikeforoxygenjasper.com