'I have no words to express my gratitude': Military Sgt. bikes from Manitoba to Lethbridge raising money for charity
Sgt. Rob Nederlof wrapped up a gruelling trek that involved cycling from Wawanesa, Manitoba all the way to Lethbridge on Thursday afternoon.
But what seemed like an exhausting task for most didn't have Sgt. Nederlof all that fazed at all.
"How are the legs feeling now? Actually, they're still feeling pretty good! I could bike a little bit further if I had to," Nederlof said in an interview with CTV News.
The goal of the 'Prairie Thousand' ride was to raise $5,000 for Wounded Warriors Canada and the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Support Dog Program.
By the end of the ride, Rob and his wife Marina had raised roughly $7,000.
"I was actually amazed that we made $5,000 and then people just kept on donating," said Sgt. Nederlof.
"It's overwhelming. I was just amazed."
Sgt. Nederlof has completed three tours of duty throughout his military career, one in Bosnia and two in Afghanistan.
Having seen the impact PTSD has had on his brothers in arms and then watching how much of a difference support animals make in helping veterans and first responders adjust to everyday life, the Nederlofs said it was an easy decision to support Wounded Warriors.
The goal of the 'Prairie Thousand' ride was to raise $5,000 for Wounded Warriors Canada and the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Support Dog Program. By the end of the ride, Rob and his wife Marina had raised roughly $7,000.
"He's seen what their life kind of crumbles into when they have PTSD," said Marina Nederlof.
"These dogs give people their life back. They allow the veterans to function in society, allow them to be in a crowd, allow them to enjoy life again, and that's very important to us."
Despite dealing with a fierce headwind for the first two days of the effort, Nederlof said the people he was fortunate enough to meet along the way helped him power through to the finish line.
His journey gained the attention of first responders and local police departments along the way with some even offering him a police escort through town.
Even after he passed the finish line, donations kept rolling in, including a $1,000 cheque from the local Order of the Eastern Star Lethbridge chapter just moments after the excursion wrapped up.
"I have no words to express my gratitude. It's amazing," said Nederlof.
The Nederlofs are planning on pushing the envelope next year for the second fundraising effort in support of Wounded Warriors Canada, biking all the way to Edmonton instead of Lethbridge and upping their fundraising goal.
To make a donation to this year's fundraising campaign, visit the Prairie Thousand website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.