Ride to Conquer Cancer - Day One

OK, I don't even know where to begin. I lack the words to describe an event like this. There's a huge part of me that just wants to note, "Bike: 160km", and call it an entry, and save myself the embarrassment of trying and failing to capture this weekend in words. But that would be a disservice, to myself, to the people who put this together, to all those who supported me, and to everyone who this weekend is dedicated to. So let me start at the beginning, Saturday, 7:00am.

No, let's start before that. Let's go back a few months and tell the whole story.

Last fall, I got a notice about this event in the mail, probably as part of a mailing list with OCA. At first, it got tossed to the side, as these things usually do, but then I started thinking about, and checked out the website, and suddenly, I was signed up to ride 200km over a weekend, as well as raise a minimum collection for Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. I knew the riding wouldn't be a problem, getting money from friends and family was much more of a concern. I won't go into all the details here, but like most people, my life has been touched in numerous ways by cancer, so my support will always go to these charities, and I knew that I would do what I needed to raise the money. Luckily, I'm friends with some of the nicest, most giving people in the world, and it was easy for me to raise not only the minimum, not even my goal, but over $1000 beyond my original goal. Thinking about their generousity is yet another time this weekend will make my eyes water.

Today began bright and early, meeting at the CNE grounds at 6am. We had gone through check-in and bike drop-off the day before, so all I had to do was drop off my luggage, grab my bag and a small bite to eat, then get ready to ride. There was a small opening ceremony that began at 7. We were welcomed by the heads of PMH, told the stories of survivors, given the fundraising numbers (2850 rides, over $14 million), and a bike was walked to the front of the stage, representing all the riders who couldn't be with us, that we were riding for. It got a little dusty in that parking lot. Then we were sent off to begin our journey.

The path began heading north-west out of the city centre, with police controlling all the intersections out through Mississauga, allowing an uninterrupted cruise until we got to the Halton Hills region. The organization of this weekend was fantastic, with pitstops every 20-30km, and lunch being served at 50km. By the end of the weekend, I may ride 250+ km, but I think I took in more calories than I'll burn. The spreads had everything you could want: water, three flavours of Gatorade, fruit, granola bars, nuts, bagels (cut into small chunks), cookies.

I kept a solid pace through most of the day, easing off the throttle right after lunch, then finishing the ride strong. The route was well-planned, mostly on backroads once we were out of Toronto, with a few nice climbing sections (others may disagree), and only traffic snarls once we got into Hamilton. The climb up Hamilton Mountain was a blast, as I passed about 30 people while stretching out my legs. Then we followed the top of the escarpment to Mohawk College, where we'd be camping for the night.

My day wasn't quite over yet. I may have done the 107km that were part of the Ride to Conquer Cancer route, but if you've been paying attention, you know if there's a way for me to make things more difficult, then I'll take it. And I had taken that chance, signing up for the Afternoon Afterburn, an additional 50km ride, led by Steve Bauer, starting at 2pm. The weather had been glorious, although there were predictions of rain, and as I was sitting over lunch (or second lunch at that point), that rain showed up. This could have put a damper on the afternoon, but the rain ended within 30 minutes, and the Afterburn went off under gorgeous blue skies. It couldn't have been nicer. We had a nice ride through rolling terrain, about 150 or so cyclists, which included another trip up the escarpment. I think a lot of people's legs were shot by that point, since I made my way from near the back of the group to the top 20 or so, with the intentions of pulling groups together, but no one followed my wheel.

After all that, it was time to get cleaned up and fed (again). A buffet of pasta with chicken or sausage (my request for chicken AND sausage was turned down, I'd have to go back in line), with monster cookies for dessert. Beer and wine was available, a cover band was playing, and at 7pm, there was another round of speeches. The top fundraising team was announced, as well as the top individual (who raised over $287,000). As the speeches were going on, the last rider on course arrived at the finish line. (Remember, we started 12 hours earlier.) As she made her way to the dinner tent, the audience exploded in applause, and through the crowd, I noticed that she was on crutches. Then I saw why: she only had one leg. Given a microphone, she explained that was a 20 year survivour, who had lost her leg, and thanked all of us for what we were doing.

I do a lot of hard events. I like to push myself. People think that what I do is difficult and challenging. What I do is nothing compared to what she did. She rode over 100km, over rolling to climbing terrain, on a regular bike, with one leg. I am in awe of the toughness and perseverance she possesses. I'm not embarrassed to say that I had tears in my eyes at that point.

After dinner, I sat in the Reflection Tent for a few minutes, a quiet place where we could get away from the noise and think. I was out here for a lot of people, some who are very important to me, some who I've never met, and some who will be supported by this cause in the future. It was a lot to take in and process, and I enjoyed having a few moments to gather myself. And after a physically and emotionally exhausting day, I called it a night around 9pm.

Bike: ~157km