We leave for Conquer Cancer and Toronto in a week. Sal picked up an air mattress for the tenting so the worst memory of last year should be erased. She is working Crew agains but hopes to be on a bus from Hamilton to Niagara that will get to the finish line before I do, that will make all the difference in the world. Donations will top $3000 by this weekend. We booked a hotel for Friday and Sunday and will be heading home on Monday. The room wasn't too expensive until you add in the parking. It's even closer to China town so we'll make a stop there before we hit the road, we won't go too far on Monday as I imagine I'll be tired. Jill is in at Petrie's for a wheel straightening and she got a cleanup and some adjustments before I dropped her off. I'm hoping for one more longish ride on Sunday before tapering off until day one.
Showing posts with label Conquer Cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conquer Cancer. Show all posts
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Not Much To Say
I've been pretty quiet for more than a week now, not too much to say I guess. May ended with weather that was still cool and my distance goal like a distant speck on the horizon. I'm a mere 38 kilometres ahead of 2008. Not sure what it is that keeps me from getting out more, maybe the cooler weather, maybe the fact that Sal is home. She never complains when I do decide to head out but it just feels wrong sometimes.
Monday, February 23, 2009
It's Official
Our passports arrived today so I guess we're actually going. An ex-Northwwod coach was dropped off at the shop today by a current Northwood coach to hand deliver our new documents. One is a cab diver and the other a substitute postman who figured no one would be home to sign for them so he took a little detour on his way to work, it always helps to have all those contacts out there.
I'm running an NHL hockey pool to help support the cancer ride. If you want to get in check out the link HERE.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
New Fundraiser with a Bonus
I have registered with Think Recycle for the Conquer Cancer Ride. I will be collecting used cell phones, laser cartridges and ink jet cartridges. I send them to Think Recyle and they issue payments to the Princess Margaret in my name. They recycle 100% of all items received and fund the planting of a tree for every 10 items submitted. Definitley a win-win program. Remember to keep you old cartridges and send me an e-mail to pick them up.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
20 to Go
It doesn't seem possible but sometime Friday I plan to crack 4000 miles on my bikes in 2008. Who gets the honour has yet to be decided. Molly is still waiting for tires and Cecelia is just plain tired so it will be up to Bridget or Jill to finish it off. The forecast is looking uncertain but even if I have to wait til Saturday I'll still be happy with the results.
Conquer Cancer announced today that events will be held in Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal along with the 2nd in Toronto. I would sure love to ride into the Rockies out of Calgary but I think raising donations to go to Alberta would be a tough sell.
20 miles to 4000
October 315miles
10-23, Cecelia:15 miles
10-22, Cecelia:15 miles
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Back on Track
I managed to convince the parent of the player that was going to quit to give it another chance now that he's on a team and that seems to have worked. I finished the reguar season schedule, printed coach's copies and emailed it out to everyone. I scaled back one round of games and added more practices as was the wish of most parents that completed the survey last year. Things are moving along nicely again.
I saw Dr. Holtby at the sleep clinic on Thursday and am scheduled for another pajama party at the end of the month to see how my apnea is doing. I don't seem to need the mask much anymore but he says it's better to be sure, I may be able to reduce the pressure a bit more. He is interested in riding in the Conquer Cancer but may have a conference that week. He commutes daily, was one of my first sponsors last year and has offered to do the same this year.
When I got up this morning and looked at the number of push-ups on the schedule I thought no way I'm going to do that many. The end of the third week or halfway through has 88 spread over 5 intervals. I managed a total of 90. I can feel the difference when I work in the shop especially today when I was hammering away at some rusty bolts for 30 minutes.
I finally brought Eyowen home from work. The frame has about 30 coats of orange and a dozen of clearcoat. The fork is black and still needs some work but I can do that at home. I hope to put her together over the winter as I've been too wrapped up in other things over the summer to get to her.
181 miles to 4000
October:154 miles
10-10, Cecelia:11 miles, 90 push-ups
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Sounds of the Ride
I have had this in my head for 3 months now and ran across my draft in the blog edits. I really noticed the sounds all around me while riding and during the events of the ride.
the sweet sound of 14 million
the scream of the starter, RIIIIIDE!!!
the high pitched ratcheting of campagnolo free wheels
on your left and whoosh as a team sped by
the whirring of Jill's wheels at 38 mph
the click, click, click of 30 riders clipping in
the pounding of my heart on Mt. Hamilton
the encouraging cheer of the crowds
the hihowareyous as you passed or were passed
the roar of the falls as we approached
the sound of my own voice saying, I'm at the falls
September:379 miles
09-25, Cecelia:16 miles
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
I'm In
It's been nagging at me for some time now. Do I want to? Do I need to? Today I finally got answers to both, I do and I do. I registered for Conquer Cancer 2009. I feel like a weight has been lifted now that the decision is made and paid. Procrastinating cost me an extra $25 but I'm committed to doing it again. Hey Dave, wanna go for a little ride in June?
Since finishing the '08 Ride I've been slacking off, eating pretty much what I want. I haven't gained more than 5 lbs. but I know I wasted the summer after June. So here it is September and I make the decision to start training all over again, go figure. This time it wasn't even biking that got me to want to sign up. I started the 100 push ups plan on Monday. At first I thought it would be pretty easy just building to 100 in a session but Tuesday I had aches all over my shoulders, chest and stomach after doing the first session. I did the second set of reps this morning and felt great all day. In 6 weeks I'm supposed to progress from being able to do only 8 push ups I managed to start, to 100. We'll see.
AJ picked up the winning rbi in the final game of the Senior Men's Championship slapping a short fly over 2nd base. Tipper pitched an incredible 1 hitter with 1 walk and 11 k's. Let the champagne pour. AJ managed to outscore the A's on his own with 9 runs in the series to their 6. It was great to see them hoist the hardware.
September:363 miles
09-24, Cecelia:17 miles
09-23, Cecelia:18 miles
09-22, Cecelia:16 miles
Friday, August 29, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
What A Ride (part 2)
Back in Toronto we had dropped our camping gear off at a truck that matched the number on our wristbands which also gave us our tent assignments. The trucks were on site in Hamilton but unloaded. The tent city was about 75% up but un-numbered. So I grabbed the sandwich from my bag that I had saved earlier and finished it along with my butter tart and the remains of my bottles, and waited. I called Sal and found out she was moved over to tent city. She was wet from working in the rain and not very happy. Her day had started with just getting out of bike parking in time to see the us ride off but couldn’t find me in the crowd.
Finally the truck with our gear was ready to be unloaded. By this time the riders in camp had realized that the Crew was short of help. We formed lines behind the truck and started tossing gear to a pile at the end of the row of tents that corresponded. It was because of this that I learned that the 35 pound maximum was a guide, there was no checking. I got one hockey equipment bag and that could have had 3 sets of goalie pads in it, maybe 70 pounds. So here we were with sleeping bags and bare essentials while others had brought the kitchen sink and a bar fridge. We had actually gone to a Canadian Tire and were going to grab an air mattress and pump the day before but knew it would be far over the limit. Instead we grabbed some bug spray and a small tarp. Neither of which we needed. Now if you know Sal you know this would be her first time in a tent, she doesn’t do camping. Her first taste will probably be her last, I think it was “if we ever sleep in a tent again it will be grounds”. I missed the next part but my bet is that the next words were not ‘for coffee’.
Now that I had some clothes to get into I set up the sleeping bag and tarp, then headed to the showers. I went to lie down for a bit and about an hour later noticed the sun was coming out and I had taken her hat, fanny pack and sunglasses so she wouldn’t have to carry them around. When I got up and out of our tent ( I guessed on which tent based on another row that was numbered) I got a severe cramp from the top of my thigh through the top of my left knee. I stood doubled over with my hands on my knees and waited. The pain subsided in a few minutes but scared me. Where had that come from? Would it come back? I searched among the tents for about 45 minutes with no luck. I finally found someone with a radio and he knew the bike parking crew had been sent back as more and more riders arrived. I got Sal her stuff and some lunch and sat with her while she ate. She went back to work and I headed over to the tents they had set up for assistance. Massage was booked for 4 hours, I didn't think yoga would be much help and I didn’t want St. John’s Ambulance help. I found the self help table and grabbed some Motrin, and then grabbed another for my bar bag and one more for later.
Another great meal followed along with music and plenty of beer which I decided to skip. They had a huge tent setup with tables and chairs and the band in the center. At 7pm all riders on the route were picked up. I’m not sure how many were out there but anyone who spent that long on a bike would probably not be used to it at all and would definitely not be sitting down for supper or much else for a while. Rumors spread around the camp about the crash, the girl with one leg that was riding, the guy that got 4 flats on the first day (and only 1 on Sunday). They talked about the climbs, they complained about the climbs, they laughed about the descent into Hamilton. Riders thanked the safety guys and had supper with their families.
After Sal finished she had some supper and we headed for the tent. She was exhausted. We talked with a member of the Bauer team and agreed the camel backs were the toughest section. We noticed he had an air mattress and I told him he could leave his wallet or just about anything else in the tent but if he left the mattress it would be gone. We rested in the tent for a bit and then I headed back to the music. The Test Icicles were great, a 3 man band that played everything and very well, not trying to duplicate the covers they were doing but not changing them so as not to be recognized.
At about 10pm I headed back to the tent to sleep. Sleep was nowhere to be found. It was warm, the neighbours were noisy (and almost in the same tent), and the ground in Hamilton is unbelievably hard. There just was no comfortable position. I'm sure at some point I joined the chorus of snoring riders but it seemed like I was awake all night. When 5am came most people were grumpy about another early morning, I was happy just to get on my feet and give my back and hips a break.
We packed up our gear and dropped it at the truck and had breakfast. I loaded my bottles and grabbed Jill. Sal went to work and I checked Jill over and waited to head out. I decided not to take any more Motrin unless I needed it. I planned to take it very easily to start the trip to Niagara at least until I was confident that cramping wouldn't be a problem. The weather man was calling for thunder storms but I left the rain poncho in my bag. It was cool and overcast, perfect as far as I was concerned. We rode out of camp in another mass start at 7:13.
The route took us along the escarpment and we could look down at Hamilton below. Lots of comments about the view being more enjoyable when we were not climbing were made. Sunday would see almost no climbing. Out over the lake there was a bright spot on the horizon and I hoped that we kept going in that direction as it would be nice to see the sun at the finish.
After a few miles I felt loosened up and had no indications that my cramp would be back, I made sure I kept drinking and felt good enough to skip the first rest stop again. Before I knew it I had arrived at the lunch stop at 9:22, halfway to the finish. I ate and refilled my bottles with orange gatorade and saved a sandwich for later. I still had 4 bars with me but didn't think I would need them. I called Sal and she was at the first rest stop on a bus that was picking up loose ends, injured riders and Crew.
After lunch we went through some construction where the pavement had been scraped and the remaining surface was very rough and shook the bikes. There was lots of complaining at this point. Somewhere in here I was passed and told that my rear tire looked a bit low so I stopped and put in a few pounds. The wind picked up and every time we took a right we faced a headwind, nothing major but you knew it was there. We were stopped at the Welland Canal by a raised bridge and the organizers tried to hold the riders back to allow the buildup of car traffic go but many just ignored what they were asked.
I noticed a squeaking whenever I was pedalling. It was annoying me to the point where I asked another rider to look over the rear hub for anything suspicious. He saw nothing so I carried on. I noticed when I stood to pedal briefly that the squeak went away. Damn seat was squeaking. I tightened the screws at the last rest stop but only managed to change the noise a bit. I really can't complain, the Body Geometry seat had done its job as even after 120 miles in 2 days my butt felt fine. I had brought my Brooks leather saddle but was glad it never left the hotel, the rain on Saturday would have killed it. I thought about having no mechanical problems. I must have seen 50 bikes stopped for flats. But I pushed those thoughts out of my head as I was sure I would find some bad juju if I kept thinking about it.
As we passed the 80km sign leaving us just 20km to the falls I decide to start pushing. I stood and pedalled hard passing about 40 people as I sprinted. It felt great. Anyone who was reading my blog on May 6th will remember how I felt down about everything and was looking for my second wind. Well it came back in the last 20km of the Ride. As I got closer to the falls I could see some of the taller hotels in the distance. The sun broke through as if someone had turned on a light. Then the mist from the Canadian side could be seen. The last few miles along the river were pyloned and then we came to a bottleneck just before the end. They had a rubber mat about 2 bikes wide on a wooden framework so that we could ride over the grass. Crowds of people lined each side. Music and the voice that had launched us Saturday could be heard as we crossed under the arch of the finish line. Crossing the finish line in tears was something I had expected. I stopped and called Sal and she was back sitting in the bus at the lunch stop, she wouldn't get to Niagara for another 2 hours. It was tough for both of us. I felt good about finishing at 12:10 (about 4 ½ hours of riding time) but it just wasn't the same without her there to share it with.
I had my sandwich and emptied my bottles. I knew I wanted a picture before I turned Jill over to the transport crew so I asked a young girl with a Crew shirt if she would mind. Well the first showed me from the waist down and the second had me posing in front of 6 outhouses, at least they were orange. I went across the road and found 4 other riders and made a deal to take their picture if they would take mine. I grabbed a burger and some salad and headed for some shade.
I was lying under the shade of a tree waiting for Sal and just thinking about everything. The money raised works out to an average of just over $4900 per rider so the $6705 I finished with beat the average by $1700 and I guess that was the only race that really mattered. I was surprised that with all the bikers there, no one was talking bikes. I wore my FatCyclist.com t-shirt at camp and not one person asked about it. No one asked about the name 'Jill' on my bike. I guess they were all wrapped up with the people they came with. Many of the 'elite' cyclists were the worst at sticking to the simple rules, we were asked to say 'on your left' or just 'left' if was we passed close to another rider and to always to pass on the left. There were a few times I wanted to say 'on your right' as 4 or 5 zipped by inches away without a word. All in all it was a great experience, not the physical challenge I had imagined, but that means I just have to find something else to work toward. I didn't sign up for 2009 and unless I can find someone to ride with I don't know that I will. Coming all the way from Thunder Bay is fairly expensive no matter how you do it, having another team member would cut the costs in half and make the experience a bit better.
To wrap this up I want to say thank you to all of you. To everyone that donated I appreciate your generosity so much. To Tom for his never ending support, friendship and confidence in me that bolstered my own confidence. To Farzum for all of his advice, his patience with an overweight newbie who always had a ton of questions and for helping me find the right bike to make the ride. To Sal's dad, Ling Lee who put on a great show and helped raise a third of the donations. To my parents for their love and support, their ideas and for helping me get through some of the tough times along the way. Finally to Sal who gave up her first holiday in 3 years to make this journey. While I was doing exactly what I had been planning to do for 6 months she was working for the same cause but without any of the glory. I couldn't see her at the finish line but I could feel that she was right there with me none the less.
What's next? I haven't decided but I'm thinking a century, 100 miles in a day. Any one want to go for a little ride?
Finally the truck with our gear was ready to be unloaded. By this time the riders in camp had realized that the Crew was short of help. We formed lines behind the truck and started tossing gear to a pile at the end of the row of tents that corresponded. It was because of this that I learned that the 35 pound maximum was a guide, there was no checking. I got one hockey equipment bag and that could have had 3 sets of goalie pads in it, maybe 70 pounds. So here we were with sleeping bags and bare essentials while others had brought the kitchen sink and a bar fridge. We had actually gone to a Canadian Tire and were going to grab an air mattress and pump the day before but knew it would be far over the limit. Instead we grabbed some bug spray and a small tarp. Neither of which we needed. Now if you know Sal you know this would be her first time in a tent, she doesn’t do camping. Her first taste will probably be her last, I think it was “if we ever sleep in a tent again it will be grounds”. I missed the next part but my bet is that the next words were not ‘for coffee’.
Now that I had some clothes to get into I set up the sleeping bag and tarp, then headed to the showers. I went to lie down for a bit and about an hour later noticed the sun was coming out and I had taken her hat, fanny pack and sunglasses so she wouldn’t have to carry them around. When I got up and out of our tent ( I guessed on which tent based on another row that was numbered) I got a severe cramp from the top of my thigh through the top of my left knee. I stood doubled over with my hands on my knees and waited. The pain subsided in a few minutes but scared me. Where had that come from? Would it come back? I searched among the tents for about 45 minutes with no luck. I finally found someone with a radio and he knew the bike parking crew had been sent back as more and more riders arrived. I got Sal her stuff and some lunch and sat with her while she ate. She went back to work and I headed over to the tents they had set up for assistance. Massage was booked for 4 hours, I didn't think yoga would be much help and I didn’t want St. John’s Ambulance help. I found the self help table and grabbed some Motrin, and then grabbed another for my bar bag and one more for later.
Another great meal followed along with music and plenty of beer which I decided to skip. They had a huge tent setup with tables and chairs and the band in the center. At 7pm all riders on the route were picked up. I’m not sure how many were out there but anyone who spent that long on a bike would probably not be used to it at all and would definitely not be sitting down for supper or much else for a while. Rumors spread around the camp about the crash, the girl with one leg that was riding, the guy that got 4 flats on the first day (and only 1 on Sunday). They talked about the climbs, they complained about the climbs, they laughed about the descent into Hamilton. Riders thanked the safety guys and had supper with their families.
After Sal finished she had some supper and we headed for the tent. She was exhausted. We talked with a member of the Bauer team and agreed the camel backs were the toughest section. We noticed he had an air mattress and I told him he could leave his wallet or just about anything else in the tent but if he left the mattress it would be gone. We rested in the tent for a bit and then I headed back to the music. The Test Icicles were great, a 3 man band that played everything and very well, not trying to duplicate the covers they were doing but not changing them so as not to be recognized.
At about 10pm I headed back to the tent to sleep. Sleep was nowhere to be found. It was warm, the neighbours were noisy (and almost in the same tent), and the ground in Hamilton is unbelievably hard. There just was no comfortable position. I'm sure at some point I joined the chorus of snoring riders but it seemed like I was awake all night. When 5am came most people were grumpy about another early morning, I was happy just to get on my feet and give my back and hips a break.
We packed up our gear and dropped it at the truck and had breakfast. I loaded my bottles and grabbed Jill. Sal went to work and I checked Jill over and waited to head out. I decided not to take any more Motrin unless I needed it. I planned to take it very easily to start the trip to Niagara at least until I was confident that cramping wouldn't be a problem. The weather man was calling for thunder storms but I left the rain poncho in my bag. It was cool and overcast, perfect as far as I was concerned. We rode out of camp in another mass start at 7:13.
The route took us along the escarpment and we could look down at Hamilton below. Lots of comments about the view being more enjoyable when we were not climbing were made. Sunday would see almost no climbing. Out over the lake there was a bright spot on the horizon and I hoped that we kept going in that direction as it would be nice to see the sun at the finish.
After a few miles I felt loosened up and had no indications that my cramp would be back, I made sure I kept drinking and felt good enough to skip the first rest stop again. Before I knew it I had arrived at the lunch stop at 9:22, halfway to the finish. I ate and refilled my bottles with orange gatorade and saved a sandwich for later. I still had 4 bars with me but didn't think I would need them. I called Sal and she was at the first rest stop on a bus that was picking up loose ends, injured riders and Crew.
After lunch we went through some construction where the pavement had been scraped and the remaining surface was very rough and shook the bikes. There was lots of complaining at this point. Somewhere in here I was passed and told that my rear tire looked a bit low so I stopped and put in a few pounds. The wind picked up and every time we took a right we faced a headwind, nothing major but you knew it was there. We were stopped at the Welland Canal by a raised bridge and the organizers tried to hold the riders back to allow the buildup of car traffic go but many just ignored what they were asked.
I noticed a squeaking whenever I was pedalling. It was annoying me to the point where I asked another rider to look over the rear hub for anything suspicious. He saw nothing so I carried on. I noticed when I stood to pedal briefly that the squeak went away. Damn seat was squeaking. I tightened the screws at the last rest stop but only managed to change the noise a bit. I really can't complain, the Body Geometry seat had done its job as even after 120 miles in 2 days my butt felt fine. I had brought my Brooks leather saddle but was glad it never left the hotel, the rain on Saturday would have killed it. I thought about having no mechanical problems. I must have seen 50 bikes stopped for flats. But I pushed those thoughts out of my head as I was sure I would find some bad juju if I kept thinking about it.
As we passed the 80km sign leaving us just 20km to the falls I decide to start pushing. I stood and pedalled hard passing about 40 people as I sprinted. It felt great. Anyone who was reading my blog on May 6th will remember how I felt down about everything and was looking for my second wind. Well it came back in the last 20km of the Ride. As I got closer to the falls I could see some of the taller hotels in the distance. The sun broke through as if someone had turned on a light. Then the mist from the Canadian side could be seen. The last few miles along the river were pyloned and then we came to a bottleneck just before the end. They had a rubber mat about 2 bikes wide on a wooden framework so that we could ride over the grass. Crowds of people lined each side. Music and the voice that had launched us Saturday could be heard as we crossed under the arch of the finish line. Crossing the finish line in tears was something I had expected. I stopped and called Sal and she was back sitting in the bus at the lunch stop, she wouldn't get to Niagara for another 2 hours. It was tough for both of us. I felt good about finishing at 12:10 (about 4 ½ hours of riding time) but it just wasn't the same without her there to share it with.
I had my sandwich and emptied my bottles. I knew I wanted a picture before I turned Jill over to the transport crew so I asked a young girl with a Crew shirt if she would mind. Well the first showed me from the waist down and the second had me posing in front of 6 outhouses, at least they were orange. I went across the road and found 4 other riders and made a deal to take their picture if they would take mine. I grabbed a burger and some salad and headed for some shade.
I was lying under the shade of a tree waiting for Sal and just thinking about everything. The money raised works out to an average of just over $4900 per rider so the $6705 I finished with beat the average by $1700 and I guess that was the only race that really mattered. I was surprised that with all the bikers there, no one was talking bikes. I wore my FatCyclist.com t-shirt at camp and not one person asked about it. No one asked about the name 'Jill' on my bike. I guess they were all wrapped up with the people they came with. Many of the 'elite' cyclists were the worst at sticking to the simple rules, we were asked to say 'on your left' or just 'left' if was we passed close to another rider and to always to pass on the left. There were a few times I wanted to say 'on your right' as 4 or 5 zipped by inches away without a word. All in all it was a great experience, not the physical challenge I had imagined, but that means I just have to find something else to work toward. I didn't sign up for 2009 and unless I can find someone to ride with I don't know that I will. Coming all the way from Thunder Bay is fairly expensive no matter how you do it, having another team member would cut the costs in half and make the experience a bit better.
To wrap this up I want to say thank you to all of you. To everyone that donated I appreciate your generosity so much. To Tom for his never ending support, friendship and confidence in me that bolstered my own confidence. To Farzum for all of his advice, his patience with an overweight newbie who always had a ton of questions and for helping me find the right bike to make the ride. To Sal's dad, Ling Lee who put on a great show and helped raise a third of the donations. To my parents for their love and support, their ideas and for helping me get through some of the tough times along the way. Finally to Sal who gave up her first holiday in 3 years to make this journey. While I was doing exactly what I had been planning to do for 6 months she was working for the same cause but without any of the glory. I couldn't see her at the finish line but I could feel that she was right there with me none the less.
What's next? I haven't decided but I'm thinking a century, 100 miles in a day. Any one want to go for a little ride?
What A Ride (part 1)
After signing in for the Ride and dropping off Jill at the Direct Energy Centre, Sal and I came back to our hotel and walked over to a small restaurant for supper. It had to be Italian tonight as I wanted a good meal of pasta and that's what I got, fuel for Saturday. We packed up what we could so that we didn't have to stay up too late or get up any earlier in the morning. Each participant had a 35 pound maximum for gear which we learned later was a 'rough' guide.
We had tickets for a concert at the Danforth Music Hall to see RyanDan, identical twins whose music Sal really enjoys. I'm not crazy about them but with what she's about to put up with over the next two days I think I can make it through the night. The show was actually pretty good and unless we were in the band we could not have gotten much closer, second row seats. We got back to the hotel and finished packing our gear, jamming a double sleeping bag and pillows into two garbage bags and duct taping our tent number on the outside for easy identification, a wasted effort as it turned out. We finally got to bed just after midnight. I fell asleep almost immediately.
When the alarm on my cell phone went off at 4:45 I was sound asleep but jumped up quickly and showered. Sal followed and we were in the truck and on our way by 5:30. Sal was supposed to be on site by 6:00 to start her work as part of the 'Crew'. She was at the bike parking checking rider id bracelets against bike numbers, with that many bikes in one building it would have been fairly easy to wander away with one and this was the method for ensuring that the bike and rider were a pair. I would guess that the value of the bikes in that building was somewhere around $3 million. Many of the bikes were full carbon road bikes ($5000-$12000) while I think I only saw one or two 'department store' specials. Hybrids like Jill were very common (though I never saw another Lapierre at all), mountain bikes were the least common and most of those had put on street tires rather than the normal knobby off road type and then there were many older classic road bikes. There were a few recumbents, at least two tandems and at the finish line I saw a singlespeed Rivendell Quickbeam. I have 2 singlespeeds (Molly and Cecelia) I used for training and I have no idea how he got up the hills with no gears to work with.
In what turned out to be a very welcome trend, the first meal supplied was breakfast. All of the meals that were put out were varied (even vegetarian if need be), nutritious and plentiful. One of the great things about riding distances is that you can eat whatever you want when you are done, in fact you have to. I started drinking water at around 5:15 and kept taking regular drinks throughout the day as I have under-hydrated a few times and leg cramps are not much fun especially if you have to climb.
Sal and I had breakfast, I grabbed Jill from the rack and we said our goodbyes. She had to stay inside and work the bike park and riders were to assemble at the start line for 6:50am. As with most events, people take their own sweet time getting themselves going. I along with maybe 500 other eager riders waited at the start for probably 35 minutes before the masses got there, mind you the first bunch of us were there and waiting at sunrise.
Finally a roar of motor cycles sounded as the safety gang took off for their designated corners and O Canada was played. This group did a fantastic job of keeping us safe at uncontrolled corners throughout both days of the event. They would be there to wave us through stop signs or left turns and hold traffic when they could. Toronto police did the same but only for about the first half of day one, after that we were on our own in traffic or aided by the motor cycle club. In some places we had to cross 3 lanes of traffic to make a left. A lone cyclist would be hard pressed to pull it off but 30-40 all wearing yellow jerseys just signal and take the lane.
The opening ceremonies saw a few of the doctors, the organizers and a rider that lost her husband to cancer in October all take a turn at the podium. She had everyone choked up. They brought an unmanned bike escorted by 6 cancer survivors that were riding. The numbers we were all waiting for came and a roar went up when they announced that 2850 riders had raised 14 million dollars. I have read this over numerous times and I still get choked up remembering that. The same guy who would energetically welcome us to Niagara took the mic and rallied everyone. RIDE he screamed and the mass of yellow-clad riders crawled through the start line and headed for Lakeshore Boulevard. It was crowded, scary and exciting all at the same time especially when your eyes are still watering and the lump in your throat threatens to keep you from breathing.
The first 10 miles we were separated from traffic by pylons and police. Even at that with bikes riding 6 abreast I saw a small truck speed past the officer and cut through the oncoming mass of bikes. The pace was fast up close to the front as things thinned out quickly. The teams that came into Hamilton first averaged 20 mph or just over 3 hours to finish the 60 odd miles. They work as a team, taking turns at the front of the group and rotating to the back, riding less than a foot off the back wheel of the bike ahead. They definitely didn't enjoy the scenery. After nearly taking out a pylon I skipped the first rest stop and arrived at the halfway point in Milton for lunch at 10am, averaging somewhere around 15 mph, not that I was counting. Lunch was great and even though it consisted of a sandwich wrap and strange salad I inhaled it, saving the butter tart in my bar bag. I filled my bottles with orange Gatorade and got back on the road. The route which I never saw until Friday wasn't what I expected. I was thinking we would be on the lake most of the first day but when we turned north at about 5 miles I never saw it again until we were high over Hamilton.
The pace was faster than the organizers expected as we would find out later. You can say 'it's not a race' as much as you want but every serious biker will tell you he or she hates to be passed. I got used to the teams on the high end road bikes go roaring by without a word but if anyone on a mountain bike or hybrid, or older guy, or fatter guy or anyone riding a junker, or Lord help me a (sorry ladies) girl passed me, I wanted to chase them down. I managed to hold back or just nestled in close behind and worked on a bit of a draft. It's not a race but that's what I wanted to do. Maybe later.
The first 10 miles after lunch took us through rolling countryside, the camel backs. Up down, and up and down, again and again and again. This is where everyone started to feel their legs burn and heart and breathing rates increased. The ups were more prevalent than the downs as it turned out. We spoke to a member of Steve Bauer's team in the tent that evening and he had a gps that measures altitude. I said I thought that this stretch was worse than the long climb in Hamilton and he agreed, confirming that the gps showed we were climbing the whole time. Someone asked 'how's that butter tart tasting the second time around'?
Somewhere shortly after we came across a small wooden bridge with narrow slats running perpendicular to the road. We hit it at pretty high speed and it rattled everything. A few water bottles jumped from their holders and most of us cursed and then carried on. About an hour later we came down a short hill and everyone recognized the same type of bridge and slowed down immediately. What we didn't see was hidden behind trees to the right. It was probably the steepest small hill we would face all day and we were all slowed down but in my case not geared down. As I started to climb I tried shifting to a smaller gear with the front derailleur and the chain jumped right off, I lost all momentum and because I was clipped in to the pedals I fell over onto my left hip and shoulder in the middle of the road, embarrassed but fine. I pushed Jill to the shoulder, clicked the gears down, got the chain back on, checked her over and then continued. I was lucky that no one was on my tail. There was one accident that took out 5 or 6 bikes. One of the riders involved got driven to a bike shop and bought another bike to continue. I saw quite a few people with new bandages wrapped around their knees and elbows and Sal said there were lots of people picked up for various injuries along the way.
One of the things that kept us going were the cheering stations. The organizers had publicized several spots along the route where it would be safe to gather. Some teams had signs of encouragement held by friends and relatives, they clapped and told us to keep going. I thought it was the spontaneous small groups that came to the end of their driveways that were more inspiring. Small kids rang cowbells, cheered and just sort of stood there smiling and watching us go by. I think the research that results from the money raised will benefit them the most so it gave me a small surge of energy whenever it happened.
At about 11:30 we were high over Hamilton probably somewhere in Burlington. We had been warned about a few severe descents and this was the first. The road was paved and winding and if I had let Jill go I'm sure we would have made 45 to 50 mph. I was doing 35 with the brakes on. Fun but scary, one wrong move and your day is over at best.
As we moved through the streets of Hamilton what had been very light drizzle turned into rain. Not a downpour but steady. With your back tire throwing water at your butt and anyone in front throwing it in your path it didn't take long to become soaked. The Hamilton police did not make an appearance as by this time the group would have been stretched out for 25 miles and they would have had to tie up traffic far too long. It was lunch time and the roads were busy and brakes are a bit less effective when wet. We were stopped by traffic lights and getting cranky at the conditions.
And then THE climb started. It wasn't steep but it was long and around corners. Many riders had to stop and walk. I saw one getting back on only to see that the corner he was on revealed at least another mile of the same hill. He cursed. Although the going was slow I didn't think it was as bad as the camel back section. Once you found a gear you could push constantly you just kept going and ground it out. At the camels you were constantly shifting and speeding up and slowing down, frustrated. I can proudly say I rode Jill the entire distance, never had to push her at all.
After getting to the top we had to make a left in three lanes of traffic. These turns and the severe grades must have been unnerving for any of the less experienced riders. We continued through residential streets with occasional views through the mist and fog at the valley below us. The rain stopped and we picked up speed as we neared the end of day one. There were not too many street names on the route that I knew but Fennel Ave. was one that I remembered and that was where camp was. I had made it, at least the halfway point. I had ridden 60 miles once before so I knew I could do the distance but there was still some self doubt rattling around in my head. Then as we made the turn into the college the cheering started and people along the road congratulated us as we slid by. It was 1pm, I was feeling great but very soggy. I had expected this to take much longer. I would have been happy just to crank out an average of 10 mph. Apparently the organizers were thinking along the same lines as we found there was much to be done before camp would be ready.
We had tickets for a concert at the Danforth Music Hall to see RyanDan, identical twins whose music Sal really enjoys. I'm not crazy about them but with what she's about to put up with over the next two days I think I can make it through the night. The show was actually pretty good and unless we were in the band we could not have gotten much closer, second row seats. We got back to the hotel and finished packing our gear, jamming a double sleeping bag and pillows into two garbage bags and duct taping our tent number on the outside for easy identification, a wasted effort as it turned out. We finally got to bed just after midnight. I fell asleep almost immediately.
When the alarm on my cell phone went off at 4:45 I was sound asleep but jumped up quickly and showered. Sal followed and we were in the truck and on our way by 5:30. Sal was supposed to be on site by 6:00 to start her work as part of the 'Crew'. She was at the bike parking checking rider id bracelets against bike numbers, with that many bikes in one building it would have been fairly easy to wander away with one and this was the method for ensuring that the bike and rider were a pair. I would guess that the value of the bikes in that building was somewhere around $3 million. Many of the bikes were full carbon road bikes ($5000-$12000) while I think I only saw one or two 'department store' specials. Hybrids like Jill were very common (though I never saw another Lapierre at all), mountain bikes were the least common and most of those had put on street tires rather than the normal knobby off road type and then there were many older classic road bikes. There were a few recumbents, at least two tandems and at the finish line I saw a singlespeed Rivendell Quickbeam. I have 2 singlespeeds (Molly and Cecelia) I used for training and I have no idea how he got up the hills with no gears to work with.
In what turned out to be a very welcome trend, the first meal supplied was breakfast. All of the meals that were put out were varied (even vegetarian if need be), nutritious and plentiful. One of the great things about riding distances is that you can eat whatever you want when you are done, in fact you have to. I started drinking water at around 5:15 and kept taking regular drinks throughout the day as I have under-hydrated a few times and leg cramps are not much fun especially if you have to climb.
Sal and I had breakfast, I grabbed Jill from the rack and we said our goodbyes. She had to stay inside and work the bike park and riders were to assemble at the start line for 6:50am. As with most events, people take their own sweet time getting themselves going. I along with maybe 500 other eager riders waited at the start for probably 35 minutes before the masses got there, mind you the first bunch of us were there and waiting at sunrise.
Finally a roar of motor cycles sounded as the safety gang took off for their designated corners and O Canada was played. This group did a fantastic job of keeping us safe at uncontrolled corners throughout both days of the event. They would be there to wave us through stop signs or left turns and hold traffic when they could. Toronto police did the same but only for about the first half of day one, after that we were on our own in traffic or aided by the motor cycle club. In some places we had to cross 3 lanes of traffic to make a left. A lone cyclist would be hard pressed to pull it off but 30-40 all wearing yellow jerseys just signal and take the lane.
The opening ceremonies saw a few of the doctors, the organizers and a rider that lost her husband to cancer in October all take a turn at the podium. She had everyone choked up. They brought an unmanned bike escorted by 6 cancer survivors that were riding. The numbers we were all waiting for came and a roar went up when they announced that 2850 riders had raised 14 million dollars. I have read this over numerous times and I still get choked up remembering that. The same guy who would energetically welcome us to Niagara took the mic and rallied everyone. RIDE he screamed and the mass of yellow-clad riders crawled through the start line and headed for Lakeshore Boulevard. It was crowded, scary and exciting all at the same time especially when your eyes are still watering and the lump in your throat threatens to keep you from breathing.
The first 10 miles we were separated from traffic by pylons and police. Even at that with bikes riding 6 abreast I saw a small truck speed past the officer and cut through the oncoming mass of bikes. The pace was fast up close to the front as things thinned out quickly. The teams that came into Hamilton first averaged 20 mph or just over 3 hours to finish the 60 odd miles. They work as a team, taking turns at the front of the group and rotating to the back, riding less than a foot off the back wheel of the bike ahead. They definitely didn't enjoy the scenery. After nearly taking out a pylon I skipped the first rest stop and arrived at the halfway point in Milton for lunch at 10am, averaging somewhere around 15 mph, not that I was counting. Lunch was great and even though it consisted of a sandwich wrap and strange salad I inhaled it, saving the butter tart in my bar bag. I filled my bottles with orange Gatorade and got back on the road. The route which I never saw until Friday wasn't what I expected. I was thinking we would be on the lake most of the first day but when we turned north at about 5 miles I never saw it again until we were high over Hamilton.
The pace was faster than the organizers expected as we would find out later. You can say 'it's not a race' as much as you want but every serious biker will tell you he or she hates to be passed. I got used to the teams on the high end road bikes go roaring by without a word but if anyone on a mountain bike or hybrid, or older guy, or fatter guy or anyone riding a junker, or Lord help me a (sorry ladies) girl passed me, I wanted to chase them down. I managed to hold back or just nestled in close behind and worked on a bit of a draft. It's not a race but that's what I wanted to do. Maybe later.
The first 10 miles after lunch took us through rolling countryside, the camel backs. Up down, and up and down, again and again and again. This is where everyone started to feel their legs burn and heart and breathing rates increased. The ups were more prevalent than the downs as it turned out. We spoke to a member of Steve Bauer's team in the tent that evening and he had a gps that measures altitude. I said I thought that this stretch was worse than the long climb in Hamilton and he agreed, confirming that the gps showed we were climbing the whole time. Someone asked 'how's that butter tart tasting the second time around'?
Somewhere shortly after we came across a small wooden bridge with narrow slats running perpendicular to the road. We hit it at pretty high speed and it rattled everything. A few water bottles jumped from their holders and most of us cursed and then carried on. About an hour later we came down a short hill and everyone recognized the same type of bridge and slowed down immediately. What we didn't see was hidden behind trees to the right. It was probably the steepest small hill we would face all day and we were all slowed down but in my case not geared down. As I started to climb I tried shifting to a smaller gear with the front derailleur and the chain jumped right off, I lost all momentum and because I was clipped in to the pedals I fell over onto my left hip and shoulder in the middle of the road, embarrassed but fine. I pushed Jill to the shoulder, clicked the gears down, got the chain back on, checked her over and then continued. I was lucky that no one was on my tail. There was one accident that took out 5 or 6 bikes. One of the riders involved got driven to a bike shop and bought another bike to continue. I saw quite a few people with new bandages wrapped around their knees and elbows and Sal said there were lots of people picked up for various injuries along the way.
One of the things that kept us going were the cheering stations. The organizers had publicized several spots along the route where it would be safe to gather. Some teams had signs of encouragement held by friends and relatives, they clapped and told us to keep going. I thought it was the spontaneous small groups that came to the end of their driveways that were more inspiring. Small kids rang cowbells, cheered and just sort of stood there smiling and watching us go by. I think the research that results from the money raised will benefit them the most so it gave me a small surge of energy whenever it happened.
At about 11:30 we were high over Hamilton probably somewhere in Burlington. We had been warned about a few severe descents and this was the first. The road was paved and winding and if I had let Jill go I'm sure we would have made 45 to 50 mph. I was doing 35 with the brakes on. Fun but scary, one wrong move and your day is over at best.
As we moved through the streets of Hamilton what had been very light drizzle turned into rain. Not a downpour but steady. With your back tire throwing water at your butt and anyone in front throwing it in your path it didn't take long to become soaked. The Hamilton police did not make an appearance as by this time the group would have been stretched out for 25 miles and they would have had to tie up traffic far too long. It was lunch time and the roads were busy and brakes are a bit less effective when wet. We were stopped by traffic lights and getting cranky at the conditions.
And then THE climb started. It wasn't steep but it was long and around corners. Many riders had to stop and walk. I saw one getting back on only to see that the corner he was on revealed at least another mile of the same hill. He cursed. Although the going was slow I didn't think it was as bad as the camel back section. Once you found a gear you could push constantly you just kept going and ground it out. At the camels you were constantly shifting and speeding up and slowing down, frustrated. I can proudly say I rode Jill the entire distance, never had to push her at all.
After getting to the top we had to make a left in three lanes of traffic. These turns and the severe grades must have been unnerving for any of the less experienced riders. We continued through residential streets with occasional views through the mist and fog at the valley below us. The rain stopped and we picked up speed as we neared the end of day one. There were not too many street names on the route that I knew but Fennel Ave. was one that I remembered and that was where camp was. I had made it, at least the halfway point. I had ridden 60 miles once before so I knew I could do the distance but there was still some self doubt rattling around in my head. Then as we made the turn into the college the cheering started and people along the road congratulated us as we slid by. It was 1pm, I was feeling great but very soggy. I had expected this to take much longer. I would have been happy just to crank out an average of 10 mph. Apparently the organizers were thinking along the same lines as we found there was much to be done before camp would be ready.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
What A Ride
I haven't had time to get everything off of the cameras nor the time to do a full write up but the jist is I completed the 120+ miles in great time, about 5 hours each day. Saturdays ride ended with rain and a loooooong climb into camp in Hamilton. Sunday was a breeze with cool overcast weather and sunshine at the finish line but none of the forecast thunderstorms .
The picture is from the start line where the 2850 riders left as a group. The total of donations announced at 7:30am Saturday was $14 million. I'll fill in more details as time permits but both Sal and I are pretty wiped.
Friday, June 20, 2008
And So It Begins
Jill is safely registered and waiting patiently for the early start tomorrow. Sal and I arrived at the site earlier than most and things were a bit disorganized but smoothed out quickly. Sal had a Crew meeting 90 minutes before I could sign in so I took Jill along the waterfront for a quick 10 miles, wow do they ever have great trails here.I went back and found a line of riders and their bikes forming, 45 minutes before it would even begin to move. The line ended up going all the way around the Direct Energy Centre and was still going as we left.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Another Rainy Day in TO
Same country, same province, same weather but might as well be another world. The car was in Kensington Market which is blocks of old homes turned into shops selling just about anything. We had lunch in Chinatown again, spent a whopping $10 and that included dessert for supper. We picked up supper and carried it the 2km back to the hotel.
This morning I visited a long time supplier from work and spent 45 minutes touring what's left of the plant, most of it has moved to Mexico. I've known Bob for just about 30 years and it was just good to get to see him for the hour.
Well tomorrow everything for the Ride gets started with bike check-in. Sal has to be there for 2:30 so I'm planning a long overdue ride along the lakefront while I wait to sign in. There have been several emails from the organizers adding things we should be doing and bringing, a bit inconvenient at this point but we are managing. It's a good thing we brought the laptop. 8 provinces and 16 states are represented in the ride so there should be a wide variety of cyclist and bikes. It will be good to get going even if the forecast for showers is accurate.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
First Full Day in Toronto
We headed over to Chinatown with Betty June and Gary Cooper who are just ending their stay in Toronto and staying in the same hotel. We had some fun trying to park but the GPS did its job. I discovered it has a pedestrian mode so I parked, switched and hoofed it directly to the restaurant where I had left the gang. We had Dim Sum at the Forestview and got a great meal for less than $35 for all of us. We browsed around the small shops and then went for coffee and sat out the afternoon shower at Timmy's. I zipped back to the truck, used my own navigation to over-rule the GPS and then picked everyone up and got back to the hotel after turning left onto Yonge at 3:45 from a side street. I thought the unit was punishing me for ignoring it earlier but it ended up being right on this time and we got back in no time. You really have to watch the bike traffic down here as they are zipping in and out all over. Most wearing only a smile on their heads.We walked over to the Princess Margaret after supper just for a look.
Stay tuned...
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