The Drayton Valley
A community
remembers
15
Pictures from the
Drayton Valley
Remembrance
Day ceremony
Outdoor rink
proposed
A resident
committee has
formed to judge
the community
interest in the
development
of an outdoor
skating rink
4
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Vol. 47 No. 46 $1.25 Incl. GST
Western Review
www.draytonvalleywesternreview.com
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Honouring hard work and determination
Impressed by his
determination and
love of riding, the
community foundation
donated a racing bike
to Roger Hermanrude
Lesley Allan
Western Review
If you live in Drayton Valley, or visit
on a regular basis, chances are you’ve
seen Roger Hermanrude riding his bike
around town.
A fan of biking, Hermanrude took
part in this summer’s DV100 Bike Race
using his daily mode of transportation,
a mountain bike, and his determination
in the race made members of the Drayton Valley Community Foundation
(DVCF) want to give him a surprise.
“We came up with the idea because
he participated in the race and he was
riding this very heavy bike, and he had
many layers of clothing on. It got pretty
warm, but he just rode his heart out,”
says Michael Ferrey, vice-chair of the
DVCF. “We thought that first of all if
he had a lighter bike and a better bike
he would be able to finish the race,
and secondly that since he puts on an
incredible amount of miles around
town, who better to give a new lighter
bike to, a bike he can go faster with.”
“So everyone was unanimous with
saying yes let’s get a bike for Roger,” he
adds.
To show the moment and honour
Hermanrude, organizers announced
the donation of the bike on Nov. 9 during the foundation’s annual general
meeting. Unaware of what was going to
happen he couldn’t believe what happened.
“Basically just shocked,” shares Hermanrude as to how he felt when the
Lesley Allan Western Review
Roger Hermanrude had no need to wait until spring to test drive the brand new racing bike he received thanks to the
Terry Grinde Endowment Fund on Nov. 9. Inspired by his spirit and drive, the Drayton Valley Community Foundation felt he
deserved the surprise after seeing his will to compete in the DV100 this past summer despite only owning a mountain bike.
surprise was announced. “Just a big
thank you for doing this.”
A big fan of biking, Hermanrude uses
the mode of transportation to help stay
healthy, and took part in the inaugural
DV100 because he thought it would be
fun.
Unsure of what the race would be
like, he did the best he could using his
own bike, but experienced challenges
along the way, that resulted in him
being unable to finish to race due to
timing.
“It was quite difficult because a lot of
the hills were a lot steeper and with my
bike I was having a lot of problems not
shifting properly and it was breaking
down,” he explained.
Despite the challenges he faced
Hermanrude completed an impressive 85 kilometre ride, something he
knows he can beat using the bike that
was donated to him thanks to the Terry
Grinde Endowment Fund, and new
riding gear sponsored by Mud Sweat
and Gears.
“I’ll most definitely [take part] and I’ll
be using this bike,” he says. “It’s going
to make a big difference because my
other bike, the one I used in the race,
has wider tires, it’s a mountain bike.”
Encouraging everyone to take part
in next year’s event Hermanrude was
all smiles while testing out his bike, and
chatting with people about the race,
while those who know him couldn’t
stop smiling as well.
“He’s got tenacity,” says Ferrey. “Everybody’s seen him around town and the
miles he puts on and he just wouldn’t
give up at that race so it tells you a lot
about his character.”