Nanaimo RCMP’s Josh Waltman enjoying Tour de Rock, so far
Published 2:00 pm Friday, September 25, 2026
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Josh Waltman said he was having fun after five days into the 2026 Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock.
Waltman, an RCMP officer with the Nanaimo detachment, and the other 22 riders in the annual fundraiser to help kids with cancer pulled into Parksville after a long day of riding on Thursday, Sept. 24, just when rain began to fall after a long day of riding.
He said his butt hurt for the first two days after leaving Port Alice at the beginning of their long and arduous 14-day, approximately 1,200-kilometre bike-riding odyssey to Victoria on Saturday, Sept. 19, but his body quickly adapted.
“It’s been an incredible ride so far, and I’m loving the views and all the people that we’ve been meeting along the way,” Waltman said.
“It’s great to hear the kids screaming at the schools that we’ve visited from blocks away as we approached them. The cheques are pouring in, so we seem to be making lots of money for kids with cancer.”
First set in motion in 1997, Tour de Rock typically raises one-million dollars each year, and has raised more than $30 million to date.
Each participant is encouraged to raise a minimum of $5,000 which goes directly toward supporting children living with cancer and their families, pediatric cancer research, and helps send children with cancer to Camp Goodtimes in Maple Ridge each July.
Waltman said he was amused and pleased to see large pictures of Tony Trozzo of Black Press Media, one of the participants on the Tour de Rock this year, being waved high on sticks as the riders entered Trozzo’s home town of Qualicum.
“Apparently, his mother provided the photos,” he said.
The Tour de Rock is scheduled to arrive in Nanaimo on Sunday, Sept. 27 after riding to Ucluelet, and Waltman said a Gala Dinner is planned in the city, as well as a number of visits to local schools and cheque presentations.
“It’s going to (be) really special and I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“I’m also looking forward to riding into Ladysmith, where I live and my family will be waiting for me. It’s been lots of fun so far and I’m enjoying riding with a super-solid team.”
robert.barron@nanaimobulletin.com