Ride for dementia

• Published date: 15 March 2023
• Publication title: West Coast Messenger, The

Unfortunately David had to withdraw from the ride on March 2 in Taumarunui due to a bad virus, so Pete has been riding alone since then, which he said was challenging at first but is happy to be on his own now

The ride is in memory of his wife Joanie Sommerville, who lost her battle with dementia in January 2022.

Pete's ride is to raise awareness of Dementia in New Zealand and to raise funds for Dementia Canterbury.

"There are five reasons for me doing this ride. It's a ride to remember Joanie, I'm keen to give back to Dementia Canterbury as they helped both of us so much, there's good evidence that exercise can help reduce the risk of dementia - what's good for the heart is good for the head.

"I'm already a keen cyclist, so I love adventures and I love a challenge, and lastly I was living with dementia with Joanie for a decade and now it's time to draw a line in the sand and move on." Despite it raining from Maruia to...