Abbotsford Police Const. Shane Wiens, a rider with the Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley team, brokers a hard bargain as he hands a can of silly string to seven-year-old Sidney Neufeld.

"I hear you were spraying all the riders last year," Wiens tells the junior member of the Cops for Cancer team.

"Now remember. The deal is you can spray whoever you want, just not me."

Sidney, garbed in a little wool cap and a multi-coloured riding jersey covered in the signatures of last year's cyclists, nods vigorously.

But the grin and look on her face isn't very convincing.

"I don't think she'll stick to that deal," observes Sidney's mother, Laura.

Mom and daughter attended the Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley last year.

The pair enjoyed meeting other parents and junior team members who could relate to the challenges they face.

Sidney also had a blast travelling alongside the team in an ambulance for a leg of the journey as law enforcement officers pedalled their way from Tsawwassen to Boston Bar over nine days to raise funds to fight pediatric cancer.

And Sidney deserves a good dose of fun and excitement, notes Wiens.

Diagnosed with brain cancer, or medulloblastoma, at age four, Sidney has undergone two surgeries to remove tumours and endured bouts of chemotherapy and radiation.

Wiens, one of five Abbotsford Police officers taking part in the tour, watches Sidney tear around the playground at Mill Lake.

"She's amazing. She has so much energy and gas in the tank, and she's been through more than I ever have," he says.

Wiens decided to join Cops for Cancer to honour his mother-in-law who lost her battle to cancer in January.

"I had hoped she'd see me ride," he says wistfully.

But now the officer finds inspiration in the courage displayed by junior team members like Sidney, who are either battling or have survived cancer.

Some of the funds raised during the tour are earmarked for Camp Goodtimes, which provides a summer refuge with fun and games for children with cancer, survivors and their families.

In 2010, the four Cops for Cancer tours in B.C. raised more than $2.4 million to help eradicate childhood cancer and its late effects through research.

Wiens, who has raised more than $15,000 in advance of the tour, credits his generous family and friends.

He's committed to weathering the 100-km days on his bike with fortitude.

"We'll see how it is after the end of nine days," he says. "But it will be a walk in the park compared to what's Sidney's been through."

- This year's Cops for Cancer Tour de Valley runs Sept. 22 to 30. For more information about Canadian Cancer Society Cops for Cancer tours visit www.copsforcancerbc.ca.

RBaker@abbotsfordtimes.com