Wanda Kim Lilley with her husband Rob at the 2024 Chamonix Tour de Fox.
Wanda Kim Lilley didn’t expect a bike ride to reshape her relationship with Parkinson’s. It was 2015, three years after her diagnosis, and she was still keeping the reality of the disease at arm’s length. Having watched her father live with Parkinson’s, she’d recognized the signs early — but hearing the diagnosis herself at age 52 was still a shock. Coming to terms with it would take time.
That shift began when Wanda was invited to The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s (MJFF) Tour de Fox cycling event in Sonoma, California. Curious, she and her husband stopped by the post-ride festival at Kendall-Jackson Winery. “I had no idea what to expect,” she said. “But I was overwhelmed by the joy. People with Parkinson’s were doing things I thought would be impossible for me and their overall lack of self-consciousness helped me to get over my awkwardness with my own diagnosis.”
That day gave her something she hadn’t yet found: a community that understood, and a new way forward. “The alchemy of joy, achievement and community — with the unspoken recognition and understanding of individual struggle — helped me move from ignoring my Parkinson’s to learning how to live with it. And live well.”
For several years after, Wanda continued to follow MJFF's Tour de Fox from afar but didn’t join in herself. That changed in 2022, when the event became virtual and people could join from anywhere — even from their own exercise bikes. She happened to be in Chamonix, France, and saw an opportunity.
She had always wanted to bring the benefits she’d found through MJFF to a broader community in Europe. On a bit of a whim, she asked some local friends who were avid cyclists if they wanted to form a team. They said yes and the Chamonix Tour de Fox was born.
That year, about 20 Chamonix Foxes rode from France into Switzerland, climbing steep alpine passes while Wanda participated indoors on her bike. Together, they raised around $15,000 for Parkinson’s research. “We had so much fun that year, that in 2023, over 40 Chamonix Foxes joined together to raise enough to place us at the top of the leaderboards.”
Wanda thought she’d simply field another team in 2024 — until MJFF’s Team Fox staff asked if she’d consider starting a cycling event in Chamonix. What convinced her was the opportunity to be part of the fundraising for Team Human Powered Potential (HPP) — and the historic 3:1 match from an anonymous donor.
“Team HPP had a member living with Parkinson’s — Patrick Morrissey — and his incredible bravery to row for 41 days across the Pacific Ocean made my efforts to organize a Chamonix Tour de Fox easy by comparison,” she said.
As her relationship with Parkinson’s evolved, so did her connection to Chamonix itself. “For many years, I considered Chamonix to be my husband’s place, as he had been a skier and a mountaineer for most of his life,” she said. “I never shared his passion for the mountains and actually felt the limitations of my Parkinson’s more acutely in an area surrounded by fit, healthy superhuman athletes.”
That contrast was hard to ignore. “I remember looking at the beautiful Mont Blanc range and just glaring at the mountain. I felt it mocking me and saying, ‘This is no place for you. You can’t walk, much less ski or climb. Why are you even here?’”
But then, something shifted. “I realized that I really had to get over myself,” she said. “That mountain was not jeering at me. It just is. Its symbolism is whatever we project onto it. So now I look at Mont Blanc full in the face and I smile. I say, ‘I have a mountain of my own and it is bigger than you are. I climb that mountain every day. Without fail. Without (much) complaint. Without end.’ And Mont Blanc tips its head to me.”
That perspective — of ownership, strength and community — is what Wanda hopes others will find through the Chamonix ride. “I hope that people will see that we might be doing something we love, but by directing some of our energy to supporting research, we will be helping millions of people around the world at the same time,” she said. “When people come together with intention, we can become a force for good. Team Fox provides incredible support to turn ideas into reality, so I would encourage anyone with a fundraising idea to take the plunge.”
This September, you’re invited to be part of it. Whether you ride, cheer or simply show up in support, join Wanda in Chamonix and help move Parkinson’s research forward — one pedal at a time. Learn more and register at chamonixtourdefox.com.
