Memorial Bike and Trainer Raffle

Before his passing in April of 2026, Brian Bourgeois donated his bike and trainer to raise money for the NB Ride Against Cancer. For Brian’s story, see below.

Trainer Specs
Saris H3 Trainer

Noise Level: 59 decibels at 32 km/h
Unit Weight: 47 lbs
Flywheel Weights: 20 lbs
Built-in Sensors: Speed, Cadence and Power 

Value of bike and trainer: $2,500

Ticket are on sale now and all proceeds go to the NB Ride  and selling as follows:

1 ticket for $5
5 tickets for $20

Let Brian’s Story Inspire You…

Brian Bourgeois was a quiet man, but when it came to cycling, he could talk for hours.

Brian Bourgeois had been a cyclist for many years. He knew a lot about bikes. In fact, when he bought his first bike from Sears as a teenager, the first thing he did was take it apart and put it back together, just to understand every component.

In late spring 2023, he and his wife, Dyane, put their house on the market and were getting ready to move out west to be closer to their children. On June 23, that changed when Brian was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his liver. On July 1, he had his large intestine completely removed.

​Brian was part of a group of cyclists who would go out on rides together on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Dr. Mohammed Harb, Dr. Balisi Bakanisi, and Stéphane Babineau were a few members of that group.

 Eight weeks after his surgery, he met up with his cycling group but wasn’t wearing his cycling gear. Dr. Mohammed Harb noticed this right away and asked what was going on. Brian showed his PICC line and explained that he was undergoing chemotherapy treatments and wouldn’t be riding with them for a while.

He had 22 lesions on his liver, and the doctors thought he might need a transplant, but he responded well to treatment and did not need one after all.

In 2024, just before he and his wife were set to travel to Kelowna, BC, for their youngest son’s wedding, Brian’s knee started to hurt. He went to see a doctor, was fitted with a brace, and told he was good to go on his trip. While in Kelowna, his knee began to swell, so he went to the ER, where they drained one litre of fluid from his knee.

When he returned from Kelowna, he saw Dr. Hervé David, who scheduled knee surgery for December 20, 2024.

That summer, from July 10 to July 13, Brian and Dyane embarked on Dr. Harb’s Elite Cyclist Ride, part of the NB Ride Against Cancer campaign, as volunteers, with Brian’s intention being to join the group as a cyclist the following summer. 

On December 20, Brian had his knee surgery. After the procedure, Dr. David told Dyane that he had found cancer in Brian’s bone that had eaten away at it. He had not expected this, so he did not have all the equipment and tools he would have liked, but he did what he could, removed the cancer, and reconstructed the bone.

Brian was now facing a year of absolutely no weight on his leg and regular injections to help the bone rebuild. That meant he could not ride or even volunteer for Dr. Harb’s Elite Cyclist Ride in July 2025. But he did not miss the opportunity to see the group as they returned from their four-day journey.

Brian did exactly what he was told for the next year, and in January 2026, after having scans, he was told the bone had completely rebuilt itself. However, because of the radiation treatments he had received for his bone cancer, his ligaments had calcified, and the original surgery that had been planned could not be done.

Brian was not about to give up, though. He still wanted to do the things he loved: cycle and ski. He wanted to modify his bicycle to be able to pedal with only one leg, and he wanted to modify his skis so that he could still ski. He said that if Paralympians could do it, he could do it too.

However, in February 2026, Brian went for a check-up and received devastating news. His cancer had returned, and the chemotherapy was no longer effective. His oncologist was very optimistic about a clinical trial that looked promising. The only problem was that Brian had to put on some weight.

Dyane, being a nutritionist, cooked more calorie-dense meals and made sure he would gain the weight he needed. But less than a week later, Brian could not keep anything down and was taken to the hospital for scans. These revealed that scar tissue had twisted around his small intestine, causing a blockage. The only way to resolve this was to go without food and hope the intestine would shrink enough for the scar tissue to untwist on its own. Brian went without food for four days, and the blockage eventually corrected itself.

Brian went back home but never really recovered from this. Lumps caused by the cancer became visible all over his body, and it became impossible for Dyane to care for Brian anymore. The difficult decision was made to move him to Albert House.

Before going to Albert House, Brian invited Dr. Harb and his wife, Rita, over to see him. He wanted to donate his bike and trainer—the same ones he had used for over 10,000 km in his basement (and only once outside) with the hope of joining Dr. Harb and the other members of his cycling family on the four-day group ride across the province as a cyclist –  to help fundraise for the NB Ride Against Cancer campaign.

One of his last wishes was to help others living with cancer live better.

Brian passed away on April 19, 2026, at 72 years young, but his memory will live on in his family and friends and in everyone who had a chance to meet him.

In honour of Brian’s wish, and to help carry his legacy forward, you can help make a difference by purchasing tickets for his bike and trainer.