Windsor man launches round-the-world bike ride for Alzheimer's awareness

A Windsor, Ont., man has kicked off a round-the-world bike ride to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease and money for the Alzheimer Society of Windsor and Essex County, along with other Alzheimer societies worldwide.

Don Martel set off on Canada Day from underneath the Canadian flag on the Windsor waterfront.

His journey will take him across the upper plains of the United States to California; then he'll fly to Australia and travel across the country and onto Malaysia and Thailand. 

"It's the biggest trip I've ever done," Martel said.

"I'm a little bit nervous. But nervous is not a bad thing."

Honouring his mother's memory

Martel said he won't decide on a route through Asia until he's on the ground and has spoken to locals about the safest journeys.

He then plans to travel through France, Spain and Portugal and fly from Portugal to Newfoundland.

Alzheimer's, a chronic neurodegenerative disease that destroys brain cells and leading to a decline in thinking ability and memory, is the most common form of dementia. According to a 2024 Statistics Canada report, about 750,000 Canadians were living with Alzheimer's or another form of dementia and Alzheimer's was the ninth leading cause of deaths in Canada in 2022.

Martel chose to raise money for Alzheimer societies because his mother passed away from dementia in 2022. 

"They [the Alzheimer Society of Windsor and Essex] were a huge help in the last year or so," he said.

"I have many friends that have, you know, husbands or wives, and it's a very tough disease. You're locked in; you're working 24 hours a day with somebody with dementia or Alzheimer's. … and [the] Alzheimer Society will give you respite time where you can run to the grocery store, just give you a break. And of course, we'd all like to see it cured."

Martel is no stranger to long-distance bike trips.

The 66-year-old has ridden both east to west and north to south across Canada. 

His new adventure will see him spend more than a year on the road — a pace that will allow him to "enjoy the sites" — and cover approximately 30,000 kilometres.

He hopes to raise $100,000 in the process.

'I think it's amazing'

That money will go directly toward client services such as day programs and in-home respite, said Tara McBride, the office administrator at the Alzheimer Society of Windsor and Essex County.

"Oh my God, I think it's amazing," she said of Martel's ride.

"He's been mentioning it for years with us. He's done both cross-country tours for us, and when he mentioned this one, we were just amazed.:

Martel's friend, Ann Shannon, called his ride "super brave, courageous and a little crazy."

She said she's worried about him but also believes he has planned responsibly. 

"He seems to have a lot of safety protocols in place," she said.

"He's got a satellite phone, and he's going to be checking in. So I think he's being smart about it."

Martel is also travelling with five cameras, a sleeping bag and a GPS tracker, he said.

Asked where he plans to sleep, he replied, "I don't know. That's half the fun of it."

He has a tent with him, "but often people will invite you to stay at their house [and] feed you. It's amazing … And of course with real junky weather, I will grab a motel."

Martel's brother, Joe McParland, was also on hand on Canada Day to send him off.

He said Martel has always been an adventurer and has always had a heart of gold.

"There's been a lot of dementia in the family," McParland said.

"So all my heart … goes with him."