When he retired after 46 years as an anchor at TVA, Pierre Bruneau stressed that he would devote himself entirely to his “mission of a lifetime”. Two weeks later, he will ride his bike for the 26e edition of the Tour CIBC Charles-Bruneau.
Starting Sunday, 35 cyclists, including Pierre Bruneau and actor Paul Doucet, will leave Matane by bike with the goal of returning to Boucherville six days later.
These cyclists will therefore have to cover nearly 800 kilometers in order to raise funds for the foundation, which is dedicated to research against cancer in children.
“I trained quite a bit. Well, I think I still have enough energy. I’ve always loved cycling, so it stays in my genes,” assured Mr. Bruneau in an interview.
“Of course I don’t have the ardor I had when I started doing this trick 26 years ago, but I’m still happy to be able to do it. And honestly the goal is not to do everything for me, it’s to do as much as possible. I am capable of doing it all. »
But today, the Tour CIBC Charles-Bruneau has much more than the 35 cyclists who will make the long journey between Matane and Boucherville.
In total, more than 1,000 participants will join the various routes organized during the week across Quebec, not to mention those who will add their contribution in virtual mode.
The scale of the event flatters the man who was the face of news on the TVA network for decades, but who never spared his efforts towards the foundation he created following the death of his son. , Charles, in 1988.
“Everyone really has my respect. We have 200 volunteers in the team, so that’s to say that it mobilizes a lot of Quebecers over the next few days, and we are very proud of it. Really,” Mr. Bruneau insisted.
Great reunions
To kick off the week of the tour, a symbolic departure ceremony took place on Saturday morning in front of the Charles-Bruneau Cancer Center of the CHU Sainte-Justine.
Most of the participants on site stressed that they took part in the challenge in order to support all the families who have to go through the difficult ordeal of learning that their child has cancer.
The cyclists then boarded a bus that will take them to Matane, in anticipation of the big official start which will be given on Sunday morning.
But the moment Pierre Bruneau is most looking forward to is the big party that will close the challenge on Friday in Boucherville.
“It will allow us, once again, to celebrate the end of the pandemic – even if it is not quite over. It will also mark the resumption of our activities at the foundation because, let’s be honest, we haven’t had a lot of activities for the last two years, so I think it will do a lot of good. »
Even with a reduced number of activities, the Charles-Bruneau Foundation has not given up during the pandemic. Last year, the Tour CIBC Charles-Bruneau raised $4.7 million, bringing the total amount collected since its inception to $38 million.
Always closer to the goal
After all these years of commitment, Pierre Bruneau remains convinced of the importance of continuing to work with his foundation, despite his retirement from the world of information.
In children, cancer remains the leading cause of fatal disease, he recalls.
“The mission is really to put in place the best elements to allow young people to have the best chance of recovery. We work for a childhood without cancer. We hope that one day we will achieve it. »
However, the statistics are encouraging. When he was diagnosed with leukemia, Charles Bruneau had a 30% chance of recovery, but this rate has risen to almost 85% today for certain forms of cancer.
Pierre Bruneau believes, however, that we must always push this figure upwards.
“Every day, a family learns that their child has cancer. And every week, we lose another one. So there is still a lot to do, but it is progressing. »