Today we had a beautiful ride into Nova Scotia. The sun was once again out and the wind was at our back for most to the day. Spirits were high as we cycled ever closer to our final destination in Halifax. The roads of New Brunswick to say the least are hilly. It felt very much like Northern Ontario with long climbs and fast descents. Some of the riders from our group were struggling in the hills and had to retreat to the RV for some rest, but most of us finished strong. I was the first one to cross over into Nova Scotia by bike and I stopped to have a picture taken at the Provincial sign. Once in Nova Scotia we cycled to the Sears location in Amherstburg and then shuttled forward to our overnight resting location Truro. We depart early from Truro for the final 100 km leg of our ride into Halifax. In Halifax we dip our wheels in the Atlantic to symbolize the end of this amazing journey. I tired as are all of us, but we are still be driven onward by the shear andrenaline running through us. Can’t wait to get to Halifax to see my family. I could not have done this without there full support and for this I will be forever grateful!
Riding Hard towards Halifax!
Today we left Quebec City after an incredible community ride through Historic Downtown. I have heard so many times that Quebec City is a magnificent place and today’s bike ride totally confirmed that. The city is filled with so much character, it actually feels like you are in Europe not Canada. We had a real opportunity to take in the sites, smells and the cappucinno! I hope you enjoy the pictures! Once back from the community ride, we set out on a what was supposed to be a 30 minute RV ride, which do to yet another navigational error ended up being over 90 minutes! Now we were behind on our schedule we had to scarf down some food and get on the bikes and try and make up some of the time. We were told we would have a tail wind so we thought it would be a piece of cake to really get the bikes rolling. Well not so fast….once out on the open road, our tailwind was actually more of a headwind, and a very strong one at that. Our group, which has been easily achieving our average speed target of 31 km/hr now was struggling to go 25 km/hr. It was pouring rain too and everyone was getting really cold. The roads in this part of Quebec were the worst roads we have ridden yet. Big potholes, large ruts, it was hard to hold a line and avoid hitting these large holes which are hard on the bike, but also on the body. My neck was getting sore from trying to look around the riders in front, hoping to see the road ahead and the upcoming holes…it was tense! Then the flats started to come. Not one, but 4. We were actually running out of tubes and had to throw on new tires on two of the bikes. After standing around for the first two flats to be repaired and really getting chilled, we made a decision to put those riders in the RV’s and fix the flats while driving so the rest of us could stay warm (that’s a stretch for sure). As the temperature started to drop everyone was really struggling on the bikes. We were searching for ways to ride that would give some protection to those riding in the back, but it was almost impossible given the fact the wind was actually more of a cross headwind! With about 38 km to go, fatigue was really setting in and that’s when our first crash in our group happend. Blair was riding along Keith and we are not sure what caused the crash to happen, but Blair went into Keith who was able to hold him up for a moment then he swerved right into me almost laying his bike down, sending me off the road into a deep grassy ditch and then when he came off of me, Drew hit him and went down hard. We were lucky that Drew wasn’t seriously hurt, but everyone was a bit stunned! As I stood stopped in the long grass of the ditch I looked to my right and there was a 6 ft drop into a nice wet creek. Man was I lucky! We headed off once everyone gathered themselves up and decided to stop at the next village and try and find some temporary shelter. Once there, it was unanimously decided by the group that we were too far behind schedule to make up the time we were behind, so we called the ride off and got on the RV. This was hard for me. I did not come here to quit riding. I have used these kids with cancer to motivate me during my training in the cold winter to keep going (I would say to myself…suck it up…it’s not cancer and that would keep me going). Yet here I was today, for the first time, not wanting to ride, wanting to get off the bike. I had struggled with this for about 10 km before the crash happened, and now collectively we were calling it quits. Thankfully everyone felt the same. It made the decision a little easier to swallow, but it sure was difficult to get down! So now here we are in a parking lot, getting 1 last hour of rest before getting back on our bikes for our last night ride. Let’s hope the rain stops, the wind is once again at our backs and we can have a strong, safe ride into the heart of New Brunswick!
Struggling….but still riding hard! B
Today we started our day with an appearance at the CHUL (Children’s Cancer Hospital) and we met a very special girl named Alyson. Alyson is currently battling a very, very rare type of Leukemia (there are only 500 children in the world who have been diagnosed with it). Alyson is only 5 years old and has already been through more than anyone should ever have to go through in 2 lifetimes. 10 months ago she had a severe relapse and slipped away, luckily after 1.5 hours the doctors at the cancer Hospital were able to reviver her. She then spent over a month in ICU and then another 53 days in the Cancer Hospital. She is currently still undergoing chemotherapy, at times 24/7 to try and get the cancer under control. As her Mom and Dad said she has her good days and her bad days and thankfully for us, she was having a good day. She was beaming when we came to see her at the hospital and in her beautiful pink hat and pink outfit! Although she only speaks French we still seemed to be able to communicate through our eye contact and the pictures I took of her. We presented her a signed jersey by all the riders which she graciously accepted with a big smile. Today as we head out of Quebec toward our final destination in Halifax, we look to Alyson for strength and courage. She is so strong, it make you weak just thinking about how much she has to fight to stay alive. I believe that Alyson will beat her cancer…I can see it in her eyes!!
Alyson…today we ride for you!
Yesterday we rode into Quebec City from Montreal. 5 of us took to the road in Montreal while others shuttled forward to shorten up the distance so they could get to Stoneham early and enjoy the ammenities. The Fearsome Five rode 90 km through a heavy rain storm yet again and made stops at 2 Sears stores along the way. We finished the morning portion of our ride in Joliet then shuttled forward to meet up with the others. Once our our bike we had 90 km to reach our final destination at Stoneham. The ride into Stoneham (a beautiful ski resort in the foothills) was interesting to say the least. The sky was ominous and when it did finally open up, man did it pour. Even 12 hours later the rain was still coming down and some very serious runoff was occuring. Once we arrived at Stoneham we were treated to an amazing meal and very posh condo’s that were graciously arranged by Sharon Andres, the unsung hero at our Command Center in TO. Thanks Sharon…you know you rock!!
Vive le Quebec!!
We arrived yesterday in Montreal after another very long day and a rain soaked one as the skies opened up with 90 km to go. Only 4 of us toughed it out in the T-storm, we had to make a stop at a Kia Dealership to get some plastic bags to put over our heads so we could keep reasonably dry and keep our core warm. By the time we got to the final Sears location, the sun had returned and we felt some warmth again.
We had an incredible surprise yesterday when we rolled into 24 Sussex Drive to meet with the Prime Ministers wife. She was incredibly warm and supportive of what are doing and it was a really cool experience to say the least. The Prime Ministers personal chef is an avid cyclist and he prepared some special cookies and bars for us to eat and we had lots of photo op’s with Laureen and the many Secret Service guys around. I can say I shot some hoops in the Prime Ministers driveway! I have got to run as we are heading out for our community ride in Montreal all before riding to Quebec City today.
Riding Hard in La Belle Province…..Brian
Today we had a wonderful kick off for our ride from Kingston to Ottawa. There were many young children there to welcome us this morning and to see us off. These young children were the benefactors of the wonderful Pediatric Oncology Centre in Kingston. One boy named Eric is 5 years old and so far in his short life he has battled brain cancer and Leukemia! Yet here he was, a happy normal young boy, limping around the parking lot in his Croc’s (he hurt his foot you know :) chasing his little sister. The other boy I had a chance to me was Bailey, who his parents and grandparents affectionately call Bay. Bailey has also been battling Leukemia and I got a chance to speak to him about my son Bayley (Bay too) and see how he was doing. He was very happy and coping really well with his cancer diagnosis. We had an opportunity to have a group photo taken with Bailey and we wished him well as we headed off to Ottawa
We arrived in Kingston today after a very long day of riding. We cycled 290 km today with several stops along the way at Sears locations. The pace in the fast group today was amazing. We had a tail wind that had us riding at speeds up to 60 km/hr. I think the two days of community rides had most with fresh legs and a bit of pent up testosterone had us arriving at our rest stops an hour ahead of schedule. Despite our speed the stops had our total time on the road at almost 14 hours. Surprisingly my legs feel great! I have some great pictures of the group as we rode close to Lake Ontario. The water this time of year is a beautiful aqua-marine. We head to Ottawa tomorrow for a 220 km ride. I think we will need to spin the legs for this one!
Riding Hard….still!
Today we rode from London to Hamilton with stops along the way in Woodstock and Brantford. The Sears location in Woodstock pulled out all the stops. We were greated by over 50 screaming school kids who were all hopped up on candy and chocolate bars waiting for our arrival…and man was it an arrival. We are now staying at McMaster tonight getting some much needed rest before our big ride into Toronto. Kathy and Bayley are coming to meet me at Sherway Gardens and are riding with me and my fellow National Riders into Sick Kids! Can’t wait!
Resting Hard!
I’m sitting here right now typing on the back side of Chi Chee Maun as we are cruising to our next ride start in Tobermory. It is finally sunny again, but quite cool still. My legs and fellow riders are looking for some warm weather and apparently the hot weather as left town!! (it is so much nicer when it’s warm and less injuries occur with warm muscles). Tonight we ride to London and are only a couple of days away from a very big ride into Toronto. From what we are hearing, registration is way above expectations for the ride from Sherway Gardens to Sick Kids Hospital. Can’t wait to see those that are coming!
Still Riding Hard!
B
