Dude's 2012 Ride-2-Survive

[elbowroom]

Are you riding a stationary bike or are you doing full speed laps around the mall?

#bringingpaper

 

[Dude]

SixFyv: thanks for donating generously for the fourth year running. Much appreciated...you are a good man, dispite what people say about you.

Hugs.

~Dodgy Mucker.

 

[sixfyv]

Thought you would like the dodgy mucker bit. Great stuff Dude... keep it rolling.

 

[keeper13]

Well done Dude, I did the ride to conquer cancer the last two years. What are you riding for the ride? Does Norco still help out the riders?

 

[utah]

You can't miss Dude.
He will be the one with training wheels..

 

[Dude]

Well done Dude, I did the ride to conquer cancer the last two years. What are you riding for the ride? Does Norco still help out the riders?

This one isn't the Ride-to-Conquer, it's a little different ( Ride2Survive - Ride2Survive ), deffinitely more grass roots. Check out our site and the you-tube to get an idea. One day, 400 KM from Kelowna to Delta along the Coquihalla. We will only have 125 riders, and a small army of volunteers (2-to-1 rider). Norco isn't involved in this, at least hasn't been in my time, and this is my fourth year. I think they still put their weight behind the Ride-to-Conquer. We get all our technical support for flats, fixes, etc. from Cap's South Shore (shameless plug for our biggest sponsor: South Shore Cycle - Home .).

I'll be riding a Trek Madone.

On training wheels.

 

[Dude]

So, once and a while I post of some of the blogs here from riders. This one is from Dr. Kevin Murphy, an oncologist, who started riding w/ us last year after hearing about the R2S, and the amount of money it has raised going directly to Canadian Cancer research. He’s a cool old guy, must be near retirement age, if not past it.

Sloggin' Up Seymour in a Two Man Slinky

Written by Kevin Murphy
Monday, 30 April 2012 21:22

Saturday's ride over to the North Shore was an enlightening experience. It seemed like a regular training ride like many others: good distance (110 Km), great scenery rolling through Stanley Park, over the Lions Gate bridge, hugging the waterfront along North Vancouver and then climbing up from Deep Cove towards Indian Arm road. The plan was to do a loop back on Indian Arm Road and then climb Mount Seymour Parkway up to the ski lodge. The weather was great: over cast, cool, little threat of rain. We had good group formation along most of the ride. I was managing to stay in the lead group for most of the way...and then...we turned up the road to Mount Seymour. Not much of a preamble, like Cypress. Just a corner and then up you go. Damon took the lead with a steady pace of about 10-11 Km/hr. He did warn us that the climb was going to be steeper and longer than Cypress. I thought, OK, I have been logging the hours every week doing my commuting from Richmond to Surrey, over the Alex Fraser and up Nordel Way 2 to 3 times per week. How hard could this be? Hard it was.

I managed to stay with the lead group for maybe a third of the way and then watched as they slowly left me behind and disappeared around a corner. Ray McF had slipped back earlier and so before long it was just the two of us. Steve F was just visible ahead and we couln't see anyone behind us. Just us and the sound of grouse thrumming in the forest. Ray and I chatted for a bit and then as we crept along, I felt my legs slowly start to fade. Ray was pulling away and there I was....thinking how simple it would be to just stop. How seductive it was. Just stop, give up, turn around and head down to the coffee shop at the bottom of the hill and wait for the group to come down. But.. I realized that stopping to rest would be alright. Just to eat something, rest my legs and get back on the bike. Maybe I could catch up to Ray. So, I did that. Stopped, rested a few minutes and slowly dragged myself up the road to keep pace with Ray. I did that 3 more times, like a two man slinky. He was the leading edge and I was slowly moving back and forth trying so hard to keep going.

The effort reminded me of why I was there. Why we work so hard training for Ride Day. In order to gain strength hard work is required. Work to exhaustion. In my work as an oncologist, I see this kind of effort all the time. For example, chemotherapy is given in a cyclical fashion. Once every few weeks. A burst of treatment, a day or so of feeling awful, a steady downward descent and then the slow grinding climb back to near normal and then all over again. Just like a slinky: up and down or rather, down then up. As much as I try to understand what it would be like to have to go through treatment, I can never do that, until my time comes one day to take that road. It takes a grim determination and courage to go through these treatments. Treatment can take months with patients' lives revolving around the cancer centre, suspending normal life for what seems like an eternity. Their courage involves not just the effort to deal with the effects of their cancer and treatment but also the courage to Rest...stay still for a while. There is no harm in stopping and regaining strength to get back on and keep going. There is a goal at the end of all that effort. For me on Saturday it just to get to the ski lodge. If I could do that, then the day would be worthwhile. I didn't have to be fast, I didn't have to do it non-stop, I just needed to get there so I could be with my R2S compadres. So I could rest up before the long descent and the ride home. Thanks for keeping me company Ray.

This one is from a lady who simply drove past us in Langley while out on a longer training ride a couple of weeks back…this one was pretty moving, and showed up in our Captains inbox the night after our ride:

The impact we have...


Written by Kerry Kunzli
Wednesday, 25 April 2012 15:10

Being involved in any way with the Ride2Survive, we all have some understanding and hope that we are having an impact somehow. That impact can be funds for research advancements, inspiring healthy active living, inspiring others to give back....etc
Well here is a first hand impact that certainly brought tears to our eyes and inspires us as I'm sure it will inspire you! We had such a great training ride on Sunday and this email from someone we don't know was in our inbox before we got home from the ride....
Here is Tracy's email:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I just passed your group while I was driving North on 216th Street in South Langley and I'm still moved to tears. I was behind the group for quite some time waiting for a safe time to use the oncoming lane to pass and gave a few honks when I did eventually go by them, I hope they know that they were 100% supportive and thank you honks. I was diagnosed Feb. 14 with breast cancer, I'm 44 years old, have been very happily with my husband for 23 years and we have 2 wonderful sons, ages 13 and 16. To say this was the most devastating thing to happen to our family would be a complete understatement. However, from the moment I found out, I've been nothing but determined that I will survive this and post diagnosis, everything has been going very well. I had a lumpectomy just over 3 weeks ago, I had VERY clear margins as my surgeon happily told me and the 1 lymph node removed was clear, now I am waiting to go the Cancer Agency for the rest of my treatment.

So, I just had to say a very, very heartfelt thank you to all of you, please know how incredibly grateful I am to people like you. Until you are in this situation you have no idea how much it touches your heart and completely moves you to see someone wearing a daffodil, or a pink ribbon OR riding bikes, it means the world! THANK YOU!

Most Sincerely,
Tracy

With me…I’m out riding pretty much every day, weather I’m involved in the R2S or not. Granted, this is the only reason I ride the road bike anymore, but no matter what, I love to ride. The physical part of the training doesn’t come tough for me, and I’m happy to push weaker riders up a hill if they need, or to ride in the front of a paceline to take on the wind. When someone breaks down physically, I take pride at being strong enough to help get them in. What I’m NOT great at is fundraising. Other in this group are fundraising machines- like Kevin. So, I still need a lot of help in that department to get to my minimum of $2,500.00. So, like always, I ask for those of you that if for whatever reason Canadian Cancer Research is an important organization for you, and if you want to make 100% sure every dollar you give goes towards the organization (the R2S doesn’t take one cent for overhead- we cover it through riders fees and product donations), please consider hitting the link in my signature and giving either a littler or a lot.

Thanks again, TTP. You’ve been marvelous!

 

[Dude]

Thanks- again- Regs!

 

[Regs]

I "like" a lot of posts, it's not that special really.

 

[Dude]

Bronco- many thanks.

 

[Dude]

Heanjob...looks like you have your donation chequebook out today. Thanks bro. Hit up old Rocco for me.

 

[Dude]

Walks- thanks man, much appreciated!

 

[Dude]

This video will put a smile on your face, in a cheeseball sort of way. That's OK, pretty much all the posts in the R2S threads are of different levels of cheeseball. Besides, one of the nurses is hot.

Seattle Children's Hospital just put this video on youtube: Kelly Clarkson's song, lipsynched by Hematology/Oncology patients and nurses. This is why we do the ride. (By far the largest donation we've made over the years — 36% — has gone to pediatric cancer research.)

 

[Dude]

Thanks Elbowroom! Very generous...

 

[elbowroom]

No Dude Ty.
With a few small donations you will be over your $2500 goal.

Very nice:beer:

 

[Dude]

KNVB- thanks for the donation and the kind words of support. You're still a cnut.

Everyone: I went over my meager $2500 goal this weekend, with a donation from my teammate Timmy Wenman, whom I don't think posts here, but reads TTP. Including Timmy's donation, I'm guessing at least 3/4 of the $2500 came from TTP...

I really appreciate it guys. Four years doing this crazy event, and I bet TTP is responsible for $7-$8K in donations! Fantastic!

 

[Regs]

Of which $5-$6K went to hair products no doubt

 

[Dude]

Of which $5-$6K went to hair products no doubt

All to Body by Vi.

 

[Dude]

Ride goes on Saturday, looking pretty nasty, weather wise. Kelowna: rain. Merrit: rain. Hope: rain. Delta: rain.

But...mentally and physically prepared.

Here's an article that came out today (FYI: we scratch and claw for every little promotional piece, every news article...turns out, if you don't have an advertizing budget, your chances of getting in the Province for a goodwill story like this are slim and none...but Embridge manages to get in there...hummm). I've had the pleasure of training and riding alongside Rich for four seasons now. He's a great rider, great leader, and even better friend. His story is inspiring.

Cancer ride takes on new meaning for North Delta resident

If anyone is out and about in Delta this Saturday night, come check it out. Don't be fooled by the 10:00 PM estimate...more like we'll roll in at 10:30 - 11:00. Have a beer at Cactus Club, then bring us in on the Yellow Mile.

Ride2Survive

 

[Regs]

Can you text me when you're about 10 minutes away from the intersection of 152nd & #10?

Thanks!