A few years ago I met a man, who didn't look ill even though he told me he had Prostate Cancer. Over a period of...
About Us
Established in 2009, the Okanagan Motorcycle Ride for Dad has raised over $1,100,000 dollars for the fight against prostate cancer. The proceeds from our annual events are invested in ground-breaking prostate cancer research and life-saving public awareness campaigns of the disease and the importance of early detection.
Need a 2026 Pledge Form?
Okanagan Ride for Dad Group Ride
MotorcycleMay
31
7-9 am
SATURDAY, MAT 31, 2026
Starting location:
Banner Recreation & Marine
819 McCurdy Place, Kelowna
Registration:
7:00 am – 9:00 am
$50 or FREE with $100 collected in pledges.
Kick-Off:
10:00 am Sharp
Registration: 7-9 am Kick Off: 10 am Sharp
Starting location: Banner Recreation & Marine, 819 McCurdy Place, Kelowna
$50 or FREE with $100.00 collected in pledges.
2026 Top Fundraisers
Top Teams
Top Donors
Why We Ride
Ed Johner
Manitoba
In 2009 I met this amazing person after hearing his story and deciding we should start a chapter in Manitoba for Ride For Dad. Over...
Submit My Why
Charlie Pester
Kingston-Quinte
Author: Garry Janz
A few years ago I met a man, who didn’t look ill even though he told me he had Prostate Cancer. Over a period of time I got to know him better. He was always jovial and I thought PC can’t be all that bad. Then one day I was having coffee with him and before I left I said to him:
…What are you up to this afternoon Charlie? Well I guess he thought it was time to clue me in.
He said, Garry, if someone had told me ONE year ago about the PSA test, I wouldn’t be going home this afternoon to arrange my own funeral!
I was speechless!
Not until later did I find out about the PSA test and that it can be used as a tool to detect Prostate Cancer. I didn’t know then that a dozen men in Canada die from it every day!
Not long after, Charlie passed away.
Since that day I have been raising funds through our own organization, the PCFF.
Garry Janz
Co-Founder and President of Ride For Dad and the Prostate Cancer Fight Foundation.
Ed Johner
Manitoba
Author: Kirk Van Alstyne
In 2009 I met this amazing person after hearing his story and deciding we should start a chapter in Manitoba for Ride For Dad. Over the past decade, this man has inspired me and many others with his determination, courage and a great love for life. He has given countless days and hours each year, getting the RFD message and awareness out there will telling his own story of survival. He is one of the main reasons we all Ride for Dad.
Sean Secord
Yukon
Author: Sean Secord
I was invited to join the board without ever having been involved in any sort of organized ride. I’d recently bought a bike and was starting to ride, but it was more about my being a healthcare professional and someone who dedicates time to worthy causes. Each aspect of that has flourished. I am committed to this cause because I see the need and the difference we make. The more I learned about prostate cancer and Ride for Dad, the more I invested in doing more. I am part of an amazing board, community, and organization that loves what we do and continually strives to do it bigger and better. And I live in a part of the world that is gorgeous, and best viewed from a bike during an outing with great people.
Herb Arbuckle
Okanagan
Author:
I lost my father to Prostate Cancer December 13, 1990 at age 82, less than a year after he was diagnosed, and far too late to save him. In the Fall of 1989, he had been complaining of a sore shoulder. The reality was it was already in his bones, as was discovered just before Christmas of that year. When the Ride for Dad began in the Okanagan I was glad to pitch in and help support the fight to save others from the same fate. I don’t know why he wasn’t diagnosed earlier, but I suspect it was as simple as not regularly being checked by a doctor, when he badly needed to be checked, a factor we all now know as critical to successful treatment and survival.
What We Ride
Byron Smith
Ottawa
For the first 12 years with The Ride For Dad, I rode my ’86 Harley Davidson FLST Heritage Softail, red and cream For the last...
Pierre Allard
Yukon
The first photo is the way my bike looked when I first got it. It's a 1979 Honda Goldwing GL 1000. Aside from the cosmetics...
Submit My Ride
Byron Smith
Ottawa
Author: Byron Smith
For the first 12 years with The Ride For Dad, I rode my ’86 Harley Davidson FLST Heritage Softail, red and cream
For the last 8 years I have ridden my 2012 Harley Davidson FatBoy Lo, flat black.
Pierre Allard
Yukon
Author: Pierre Allard
The first photo is the way my bike looked when I first got it.
It’s a 1979 Honda Goldwing GL 1000.
Aside from the cosmetics that I changed to my liking; the engine cylinders needed to be bored out with all-new crankshaft and connecting rod bearings imported from Germany…!
Tom from Honda helped with the carbs and timing. Almost everything needed to be gone through like the brakes, suspension, cooling system, and electrical.
The second photo is the finished product, however, I am still finding stuff that needs doing haha.
Garry Janz
Ottawa
Author: Garry Janz
Too bad it took me so long to discover the BMW R1200RT!
It is a magnificent, powerful sport touring machine designed and built by German engineers. Features include Dynamic Electronic Suspension Adjustment, Shift Assist Pro (for both up- and downshifts), central locking system for the luggage and storage compartments, low and high seats, cruise control, and keyless ignition.
Other standard features include ABS Pro, heated grips and seats, Automatic Stability Control, Riding Modes (Road/Rain), Adjustable Power Windshield, On-board Computer Pro, height adjustable rider’s seat and LED lamps.
Pressing the INFO button scrolls through all the menus to setup the bike, including suspension preload (rider, rider with luggage, two-up), Electronic damping settings (Soft, Normal, Hard), travel information such as tire pressure, fuel consumption, fuel range, amazing audio system, and more.
Dan Gabert
Okanagan
Author:
2019 Indian
Herb Arbuckle
Okanagan
Author:
2005 Suzuki C50T Boulevard. Mechanically stock (805 cc fuel injected, liquid cooled, shaft drive), Added Highway Hawk risers, dressed up with Cobra chrome engine guards, Airlite engine guard chaps, light bar, chrome fender rails, chrome parcel rack, chrome frame and drive shaft covers, tool bag, Kuryakyn grips, waterproof liners for the bags, and sheepskin for my butt….hot or cool, I would never ride without it! I’m a 3-time cancer survivor (not prostate) and a post-surgery infection was treated with a drug that killed my inner ear nerves and I have a permanent vertigo disability (technical term is bilateral vestibular disturbance) so had to sell it in 2017. Loved that bike.
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