I am inspired by the group of OPS and BPS employees who come together each year through a shared passion for cycling and commitment to raising funds for the United Way. The event is an amazing opportunity to meet others across ministries and agencies.

Ministry
Ministry of the Attorney General

What’s your day job?
Manager, Program Modernization and Appointments Branch, Policy Division

What’s your past biking experience?
I go on daily rides for fitness.  I participated in the 2017 B4UW.

What’s your inspiration for this ride?
My wife, who is also participating in this year’s B4UW ride, works for a United Way funded agency helping abused children and youth. I see through her agency the positive impact funding has on people in our community. I want to support the United Way and the agencies it assists.
 
How are you preparing for B4UW?
In addition to multiple rides per week, I am riding and hiking on our vacation in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia this summer.

What do you think will be your greatest challenge on the ride?
Riding long distances on back to back days. 

What do you like to do other than riding your bike?
Camping, skiing and hiking.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
I like to visit craft breweries when on our vacations. It is a very enjoyable way to experience local flavours.

 Ministry
MAG
 
What is your day job?
Provide information and support to victims of crime and tragedy to increase their participation in the criminal justice system.
 
How are you participating in B4UW?
In charge – SAG vehicle
 
How did you hear about the ride and what inspired you to get involved?
Read about B4UW on OPS site. I have been cycling all my life and that interest coupled with my love for fund raising and charity work inspired me to join B4UW.
 
What are you most looking forward to?
Meeting the riders, exploring the parks and doing fun things for a worthy cause…
 
What are you most afraid/nervous about?
Hope I don’t lose my way and make it to the designated spots before the riders…
 
Tell us a fun fact about yourselves
Camped in jungles of Africa and India. Hopefully this experience will be as exhilarating!

Name: Grant Karwacki
Ministry: MINES

Years doing the B4UW? Six with a hiatus of 1.  Back at it!

What’s your day job? MINES Senior Policy Advisor
What’s your past biking experience?   Toronto to Montreal Bike Rally with the Bike 4 Life
What’s your inspiration for this ride? I am riding this year to support the TransQueer Community in Ontario who are under siege and need our respect.  They face particular challenges in downtown Toronto that I cannot even begin to articulate.  The United Way provides some key supports that focus on social inclusion. 

How are you preparing for B4UW?  Indoor spin classes, lots of sleep.  And the Todd Eastman secret: NO POTATO CHIPS
What do you think will be your greatest challenge on the ride?  My greatest challenge will be “the wall” at 110km. 

What do you like to do other than riding your bike?  I’ve really enjoyed hiking through the Toronto ravine system this winter.  It’s like being in the countryside.

Ministry
Northern Development and Mines

What’s your day job?
I am a Trade & Investment Specialist in our ministry’s Trade, Investment and Marketing Unit. Our unit facilitates job creation, inward investment and trade for priority sectors in Northern Ontario.

What’s your past biking experience?
Two B4UW rides in my legs- North Bay to Toronto in 2013 and Circle the Park in 2014. More recently I helped my daughter skip the training wheel stage altogether right to her two-wheel pink bike!

What’s your inspiration for this ride?
A challenge. The journey. The reward. Ontario microbreweries. The changing landscape and time with fellow OPS colleagues around the campfire instead of over the telephone, in the cubicle or boardroom.

How are you preparing for B4UW?
Hmm- very, very carefully! I just committed August 31. Not much of a base to work from but intense short rides (20-50km) every other day and then two consecutive days of longer rides (70-100km). Bob recommends a rest day every other day- sounds good to me but certain ouch is in the future.

What do you think will be your greatest challenge on the ride?
Holding back and accepting that I am not a trained machine like CrossFit Tom. Slow and steady wins the race- or at least makes it to the finish line.  

What do you like to do other than riding your bike?
In no particular order- travel and trip planning, camping with family and friends, lake-time, golf, skiing, food and drink. 

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
Played Torrey Pines a week after the PGA tour was there and I really like potato chips, and donuts, and beer, and…

Wendy’s Stava Profile

Ministry: Treasury Board Secretariat

What’s your day job? Manager, Strategic Alignment (A)

What’s your past biking experience? Over the past few years, I have biked with a few cycling club groups and love tackling hilly cottage country roads.

What’s your inspiration for this ride? My inspiration is the energy, enthusiasm and cheer that my OPS colleagues bring to fundraise for United Way (through events and canvassing) each year. Bike for United Way will be a way for me to support United Way in a way that I enjoy – it’s a win-win!

How are you preparing for B4UW? Riding whenever I can…

What do you think will be your greatest challenge on the ride? Co-leading a small B4UW group in the Hamilton/Halton this year is a challenge I am looking forward to.

What do you like to do other than riding your bike? I spend a lot of my free time outdoors, all year round… on bike, hiking with my dogs, skiing (both downhill and cross country), etc

Tell us a fun fact about yourself: Cycling, to me, is a form of moving meditation.

Ministry
Cabinet Office

What’s your day job?
Product manager (digital)

What’s your past biking experience?
I’ve been commuting in the city off and on for many years, but just took up road cycling as a sport last season. I’ve been club riding since them and I’m loving every minute of it.

What’s your inspiration for this ride?
To do some good. It’s important to give back and this ride sounds like a perfect way for me to contribute to a good cause while doing something that I love. It’s a win/win for me.
 
How are you preparing for B4UW?
Carbo-loading. I plan to eat nothing but fettuccine alfredo and baguettes between now and September 15. What could go wrong?

What do you think will be your greatest challenge on the ride?
Pacing myself to go the distance. 100+ km rides aren’t out of the ordinary for me, but riding 4 consecutive days of riding will be a new challenge.
 
What do you like to do other than riding your bike?
Food and music rule everything around me. I’m always happiest when I’ve got some good eats in front of me or when I’m listening to some good live music.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
I’m laughably bad at packing for trips like this. I once went on a ski trip and forgot my ski jacket. I went camping this summer and forgot literally all of my clothes. So if you see me riding, camping and sleeping in the same kit for 4 days…you’ll know why. I always remember to bring good coffee though.

Paul is retired but has ridden a number of B4UW rides in past years. He has been a long time supporter and fundraiser for United Way.

Ministry: Mines

What’s your day job? Senior Advisor, Indigenous Relations Unit, Indigenous Consultation and Partnership Branch

What’s your past biking experience? Riding a bike has been a lifelong love…as a mode of transportation whenever feasible and then in late 40’s took up triathlon and some road racing followed by some touring including nine previous B4UW. I am looking forward to this ride as I missed the first T2T ride.

What’s your inspiration for this ride?
I have been riding 10 of the 12 B4UW rides and being a northerner I hoped to be able to ride.  As it turns out, I have not been on my bike enough to do the ride and so I am fully committed to supporting the riders.  I am driving the support vehicle for the full ride.

How are you preparing for B4UW?
I am attending planning meetings and contributing to support the effort. 

What do you think will be your greatest challenge on the ride?
Doing support for the ride will require significant attention to safety and the conditions of the riders and the road.  The challenge is being when and where the riders need us. 

What do you like to do other than riding your bike?
Spending time with Grandchildren…I dabble in pottery, love to swim, and gardening and travel.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

I did a solo bike ride from Nipigon to Sault Ste. Marie. I have also completed 1 full Ironman and 3 half Ironman races, plus many other events, running, biking and swimming. 

Ministry
Attorney General

 
What’s your day job?
I serve as the Executive Advisor and Manager of Communications & Public Appointments with the Safety, Licensing Appeals and Standards Tribunals Ontario (SLASTO).
 
SLASTO is a cluster of adjudicative tribunals that resolves and decides matters arising from over 35 statutes relating to human and animal protection, public safety and the public interest.

What’s your past biking experience?
In 2017, I completed Ironman Tremblant, a long-distance triathlon that included a 180 km ride. Before and since then, I have also completed various other triathlons.

What’s your inspiration for this ride?
Cycling offers a retreat; a pure sense of freedom in which one can feel the land.

While cycling, one feels every change in topography – enduring a gruelling climb, rapidly descending in a tucked position, or battling through a false-flat. One also feels every gust of wind and faces the elements that present themselves on a given day. It’s important to carefully watch one’s nutrition, heart rate and level of fatigue. And critically, one must be able to quickly adapt to physical setbacks, unexpected weather events, dangerous road conditions and potentially reckless drivers.

Cycling challenges one mentally, physically and emotionally. And through these challenges, one can take pause to reflect.

The B4UW provides a unique opportunity to challenge myself while also raising awareness about, and contributing to a wonderful cause.

 
How are you preparing for B4UW?
Training for triathlons offers unique preparation for B4UW.

While I am able to log a lot of kilometers on my bike, a structured cross-training program can help reduce injuries, accelerate minor injury rehabilitation, facilitate recovery and build aerobic fitness, power and efficiency.

What do you think will be your greatest challenge on the ride?
My greatest challenge will be ensuring adequate rest, recovery & nutrition over the course of four consecutive days of challenging terrain.

 
What do you like to do other than riding your bike?
I love to travel; to experience different cultures and languages; and to push myself past my comfort zone. And when I need to decompress, I enjoy noodling on my guitar.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
In 2014, I successfully hiked Mount Kilimanjaro. It was the most spectacular sunrise I have ever seen in my life. Puts things in perspective…