From the Open Road to the Boxing Gym: How the Spinning Wheels Tour Inspires Our Rigid Fighters Community | Reflections by Jennifer Huggins
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Photo credit: Andre Budrevych
From August 8 to September 27, 2026, the Spinning Wheels Tour brought riders and communities together across Canada to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson’s disease in partnership with Parkinson Canada.
Its message of movement, connection and hope resonates deeply with our Rigid Fighters Boxing & Strength Program at Kingsway Boxing Club, and witnessing the riders’ homecoming made that connection even more meaningful.
Over the weekend, I experienced my first Spinning Wheels Tour finish line, and I’m still on a high.
Hundreds of supporters gathered to welcome home the riders following their cross-Canada journey to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson’s disease. Standing among them, I felt immense admiration for the commitment that brought them there and the community that stood behind them.
Through Kingsway Boxing Club and Fight To End Cancer, I’ve seen how a shared purpose can bring people together. This homecoming resonated particularly deeply because of our Rigid Fighters Boxing & Strength Program at Kingsway Boxing Club.
About the Spinning Wheels Tour
Founded in 2022, the Spinning Wheels Tour brings together cyclists living with Parkinson’s and their supporters to raise funds, build awareness and encourage active living. Through cross-Canada rides, community stops and shared experiences, participants challenge assumptions about the disease and help others feel less alone.
In partnership with Parkinson Canada and local Parkinson’s charities, the tour raises support for research, programs and services for people affected by Parkinson’s.
The 2026 tour ran from August 8 to September 27, connecting communities across thousands of kilometres before culminating in Toronto. Its mission centres on movement, connection and hope—encouraging people living with Parkinson’s to stay active, engaged and supported.
The Spinning Wheels Tour connects communities across thousands of kilometres. Its riders, including people living with Parkinson’s, share their experiences, challenge assumptions and help others feel less alone. Funds raised also support partner charities delivering programs and services for Canadians living with Parkinson’s.
Watching them arrive, I thought about what it means to have people beside you—encouraging your efforts, celebrating your progress and making space for you to participate.
That belief is at the heart of Rigid Fighters.
Bringing The Fighting Spirit Into Kingsway
Our program combines boxing technique, strength and conditioning, cognitive drills and PWR!Moves®.
Through pad work, bag rounds and purposeful movements, participants work on posture, weight shifting, rotation and stepping in a supportive environment.
Each session is followed by a social gathering with coffee and snacks. That time together gives participants an opportunity to build friendships, share experiences and connect beyond the workout.
As a coach, I want people to feel welcome and supported in pursuing their own goals. Everyone brings different abilities and challenges; our responsibility is to listen and create meaningful opportunities to participate.
The tour’s homecoming reinforced how much those opportunities matter.
Jennifer Huggins | Kingsway Boxing Club Founder & Program Director of the Rigid Fighters Boxing & Strength Program
Jennifer Huggins is the owner and senior coach of Kingsway Boxing Club in Toronto and the creator of the Rigid Fighters Boxing & Strength Program — a specialized initiative designed to help individuals fight back against neurological challenges through boxing. Under Jennifer’s leadership, Rigid Fighters provides a structured, empowering environment where participants work on strength, balance, coordination, and motor function, combining strength training, yoga, and boxing-based movement to support overall health and quality of life.
With decades of experience as a boxing coach, international referee, judge, and advocate for community-focused programming, Jennifer brings a deep belief in movement, purpose, and support to Rigid Fighters. Her personal connection to the impact of neurological conditions, informed in part by her own family experiences, has helped shape the program into a space where members don’t just train — they connect, improve, and thrive together.
Jennifer’s broader career includes leading Kingsway Boxing Club, involvement at national and international levels of Olympic-style boxing, and founding initiatives that use sport to create positive community impact. Through Rigid Fighters, she continues that mission, helping participants use fitness and strategy to confront physical challenges with strength and resilience.
Supporting People Living with Parkinson’s
According to Parkinson Canada, more than 120,000 people in Canada live with Parkinson’s. Its effects vary and can extend beyond movement to sleep, energy and emotional well-being. Exercise and therapies can play a valuable role in supporting quality of life.
Parkinson Canada also estimates that 5–20% of people with Parkinson’s are diagnosed before age 50, underscoring the importance of looking beyond familiar assumptions about whom the disease affects.
Behind these numbers are people adapting their daily lives, families finding their way forward and communities working to provide support. Initiatives like the Spinning Wheels Tour bring those experiences into public view while creating practical ways for others to help.
Carrying the energy forward
To the riders, organizers, volunteers, donors, sponsors and everyone who welcomed the tour along the way: thank you. A journey of this scale reflects an extraordinary collective effort, and witnessing its finish was a privilege.
I returned to Kingsway Boxing Club with renewed motivation to continue building our Rigid Fighters community and to ensure that the encouragement I felt at the finish line is reflected in the welcome people receive at our gym.
I encourage my network to learn more about the Spinning Wheels Tour, share its message and consider supporting its work. If you or someone you know is looking for a welcoming place to move, train and connect, I also invite you to explore Rigid Fighters at Kingsway Boxing Club.
I’m grateful to have witnessed this homecoming—and inspired to carry its momentum forward.
About the Spinning Wheels Tour
The Spinning Wheels Tour is a Canadian cycling initiative dedicated to raising awareness of Parkinson’s disease, encouraging active living and building connections among people affected by the condition.
Through journeys across the country, it brings together people living with Parkinson’s, their families, care partners, cyclists and supporters to raise funds and share a message of hope.
The tour began in 2022, when Steve Iseman, Jim Redmond and Mike Loghrin—three cyclists living with Parkinson’s—set out across Canada with support from Darlene Richards-Loghrin, who accompanied them by RV. Their goal was to reach others living with Parkinson’s and encourage them to explore the possibilities of physical activity and community participation. The initiative grew from connections within the Rigid Riders cycling community.
Since that first journey, Spinning Wheels has developed into a broader national effort. Its 2025 tour was co-chaired by Lloyd Taylor, Jim Redmond and Mike Loghrin, all of whom live with Parkinson’s. Teams travelled from Canada’s east and west coasts and the north, meeting in Ontario before completing their journey together in Toronto.
At its heart, the tour combines awareness, connection and fundraising. Riders share their experiences, open conversations about life with Parkinson’s and encourage others to find ways to stay active and engaged. Community stops and opportunities to join individual stages allow supporters to participate without undertaking the entire journey.
Through its partnership with Parkinson Canada, the tour raises funds and awareness in support of Canadians affected by Parkinson’s. Its fundraising also benefits partner charities that provide programs and services within local communities, extending its impact beyond the route itself.
The 2026 tour ran from August 8 to September 27, bringing riders and supporters together across thousands of kilometres before its Toronto finale.
The Spinning Wheels Tour’s enduring message is that people living with Parkinson’s deserve opportunities to participate, connect and pursue meaningful goals. By sharing their journeys publicly, its riders help build understanding and a community where others can find encouragement and support.
Learn more, get involved or support the tour at spinningwheelstour.ca.
Because behind every successful athlete is a community that believes in them.
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