Singer Lulu Hughes is now a proud cancer survivor. She was very thankful that she was no longer there and had to give something to the cause. As ambassador of the Ride de Filles Foundation, she became its president and invites us to a magnificent event on July 8th.
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Lulu, July 8th is the Ride de Filles event to raise money for breast cancer. Have you always had a passion for motorcycling?
It’s relatively new in my life. It happened about a year after I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. I was going to go shopping in Saint-Bruno and there a woman named Dolorès stopped me to talk to me about Ride de Filles, which supports the cause of breast cancer. She asked me to sing there, and since I had just been diagnosed with cancer, I accepted. I went to a gig and gave my breast cancer survivor testimony. So the founder Sylvie Brisebois asked me to be their spokesperson. I hesitated because since I didn’t ride a motorcycle I wasn’t convinced that I was the right person.
Photo: Karine Levesque / TVA
But you cared about the cause, it was made for you.
It’s not bad what Sylvie thought. (laughs) She told me to get my motorcycle license, but again I wasn’t sure if I liked it. And then I’m a single parent; I didn’t have the financial means to do it. Sylvie told me she would get me a sponsorship for the course so I said yes but was convinced that wouldn’t happen. In 2018 I finally got my motorcycle license!
If you agreed to the lessons, was that because you already had some interest in motorcycling?
Not really, I mostly have the bitch! I said to myself at the time, “What are you doing here?” You’ve just got over cancer and want to blow your face on a motorbike? (laughs)
Did you need to regain a sense of freedom?
Complete! It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with motorcycling, so much so that my brother Rick and I rode Route 66 in 2019. It was intense because I had just gotten my driver’s license and had never been on Route 66 road yet. Also, I had just had surgery for uterine cancer three weeks ago, so I had to experience that, especially as I was going out with my brother. What a beautiful trip we had!
Photo: Karine Levesque / TVA
Did you buy a motorcycle for this adventure?
No, but Rick has been a true motorcycle enthusiast for years and being sponsored by Carrier Harley-Davidson in Saint-Hyacinthe he told them about me and this event. The Carrier team sponsored me on a beautiful Harley Davidson motorcycle. I was happy because I was no longer just a spokesperson for Ride de Filles, I had become a participant.
That’s a valuable helping hand!
Yes, really! Ever since I’ve worked with them, they’ve been exceptional. Among other things, Alain Carrier, the owner, is helping us to find sponsors for the July event, as it is very difficult in this post-pandemic period. His contribution is invaluable.
Photo: Karine Levesque / TVA
So now the motorcycle is really a part of your life.
Absolutely! I ride a motorbike now, I love it. I like being alone on the banks of the Richelieu or in the countryside. It’s really an exhilarating feeling and when I take a ride with my daughter behind me I feel very proud. Today I congratulate myself on getting my motorcycle license at 50, it’s never too late!
Tell us, when you became spokesman for Ride de Filles back then, was that a big rally?
In 2017 there were around 180 participants who raised $60,000 for breast cancer. This year we reached 1,000 registrations and closed them because it is difficult to manage a group of more than 1,000 bikes on the road. Since Ride de Filles is a non-profit organization, we work on this event on a voluntary basis.
And who will be part of this beautiful Girls Ride?
It’s mostly women, many breast cancer survivors, and fighters and bikers who support the cause. There will be mostly women on the bikes and of course there won’t be just rockers or just Harley-Davidsons. There are judges, nurses, teachers or cashiers who like to ride motorcycles, all sorts of models by the way. It’s open to anyone who wants to get involved because breast cancer affects everyone.
And how will this hike go on July 8th?
Departure is at 9am from the carrier Harley-Davidson in Saint-Hyacinthe. We will be around 1300 people traveling. On the way to Drummondville we pass through towns and villages. The community of Victoriaville welcomes us for dinner, then we arrive at the Centrexpo Cogeco in Drummondville at around 4 p.m. I invite people to come and see it. Believe me, it’s very impressive, both the beginning and the end!
A good meeting for the cause, but which must also convey the taste of a motorcycle…
It’s clear! To raise funds, a Harley-Davidson worth more than $25,000 will be raffled at the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation site. Tickets are only $20 so it’s worth it! Upon our arrival there will be dinner and a ceremony announcing the amount collected. Finally, at 8 p.m., there will be a show with Luce Dufault, Brigitte Boisjoli, Kevin Parent, Les Koristes from En direct de l’univers, my brother Rick and myself. Tickets are $30 and we plan to put on a great show!
It’s going to be a big event!
I think so, we worked hard to set everything up, we had exceptional staff, I am thinking in particular of a Drummondville jeweler, Emi, who had already made a ring for me for the event. She designed an amazing pendant for the foundation. It’s available on their website, and $15 from every piece of jewelry sold goes directly to the foundation. It touches me so much… Last year we raised over $300,000 and now we are aiming for $500,000. I cross my fingers!
Lulu, you’re not just a spokesperson anymore, you’ve also assumed the presidency of the foundation. Does it take a lot of time to get through all of this?
Yes, it’s really very captivating. Ride de Filles is a non-profit organization, I don’t get paid for it and in the last year I’ve spent more time on Ride de Filles than on my own album. It gives an impression of the amount of work! But I survived breast cancer, so that’s more than my business. I consider it my duty to engage in this way. I’m one of the lucky ones to have gotten away with it and I understand what this disease means to women and men who have it – and we tend to forget that 2% of breast cancer cases are men. Research has worked wonders, 40 years ago 30% of women survived this disease, today it is 80%.
As you wait for July 8th, what trip would you dream of taking on a motorbike one day?
I’d love to ride Route 66 again, otherwise western Canada must be great, but if I could one day explore Italy or Greece I wouldn’t say no. (laughs)
Lulu Hughes invites us to the Ride de Filles 2023 on July 8th from 9am. For motorcycle raffle tickets, visit toribbonpink.org/boutique. You can catch up on the singer’s latest updates on her website: luluhughes.ca.
• Also read: Lulu Hughes sends message to women for Breast Cancer Awareness Month