Welcome!

Hi there, hope all is well! Thanks for stopping by my Tour of Courage member page. My name is Mark Bowlan, I am a resident of Stratford, PEI, Canada where I live with my beautiful wife Rhonda and our boys Chandler and Connor. I also work in the town of Stratford, as one of the co-owners of Great Hobbies.

Like many other people, I thrive on setting personal goals and meeting challenges. For example, last year I decided to become more fit. To this end, I took up running and did more cycling than in previous years. I was successful in achieving this goal by finishing my first marathon. Better yet, however, is the fact I am now reaping the benefits of a healthier and more active lifestyle, as I continue to run and cycle today.

This year, I have undertaken an exciting new challenge! It is quite different from last years goal and has the potential of helping many others, rather than a single person!

The Fight Against Cancer!

The purpose of this site is to help keep you up-to-date with what's going on and how you can help with our quest to raise money for a great cause, cancer research.

The Event

Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion, returns to Calgary this September with the Tour of Courage. It will mark an unprecedented third visit to the city in 22 months. His return to Canada will assist in completing the necessary fund raising, and increase the awareness of "wellness and fitness" as a tool for cancer research and treatment. It will also facilitate the establishment of a new centre, consisting of state-of-the-art labs, which will enable research into the biological mechanisms involved in cancer causation and progression.

In less than two years, largely through Lance’s previous two visits, the Tour of Courage has raised $5.4 million of the $6 million required to fully fund this cutting edge cancer research. The success of this project speaks volumes to the inspirational magic of Lance Armstrong. True to his form, he has committed to seeing this project through to the finish line.

This year’s Tour of Courage event, scheduled for September 22-24th, will consist of Lance leading a group of thirty cycling enthusiasts on a two day ride through Alberta’s majestic Rocky Mountains. Each of the thirty Tour of Courage members will be donating/raising $35,000 to the Tour of Courage Society with all proceeds going to the new cancer research facility.

How You Can Help

I feel very fortunate to be one of the Tour of Courage team members for 2005. The opportunity to meet one of the greatest and most inspirational athletes in itself is amazing. However, the more I talk to people who have beaten cancer, and meet those who are fighting this disease, the greater and more personal my desire to make a difference has become. The task now at hand is doing my part to raise the required $35,000 over the next four months. Like the Tour de France, this endeavour will not be a one man show, but rather a team effort involving many different fund-raising events, great volunteers and your generous support! Most people know someone, or have a close family member, who has been touched by Cancer. I believe that if everyone contributes a little, together we can do a lot to meet and exceed our goal and help to win The Fight Against Cancer!

I thank you for your support!

Mark Bowlan
2005 Tour of Courage Team Member