Update on Vayda, she had her hair cut as planned (see an earlier post) and was able to raise an amazing $1310 for the kids. What an accomplishment for a 9 year old, my youngest fundraiser ROCKS!!
Thank you Vayda your a star.
Well we did it, the whole team arrived in Halifax in one piece less some skin, a few bruises and a great feeling of accomplishment.
What an amazing journey and a real eye opener to what is happening in Canada regarding Childhood Cancer.
My wife Cheryl who met me in Toronto at various locations met Erica’s Mom at sick kids. Erica (12 years old) had been there since last September and with her Mom by her side, Erica was happy that she could sit outside and meet the riders, most days she is not allowed outside.
A man about my age thanked me for riding in Kingston, he introduced me to his 3 year old Grandchild who had just been told that she has Cancer, the look in his eyes can never be described or will it ever leave my memory.
I found the answer to why we ride in many towns and places along the way and it will take a while for me to process all of the experiences, so many people to thank so many amazing brave kids and their parents to remember.
I was asked by another rider on the last day would you do it again, my response
In a Heart Beat.
See you all soon. Alan
Team #1 arrived in Moncton this morning at about 5am, a little later than expected, and the Sears Staff were already there setting up to make breakfast, so Dad visited with them a bit. They left Moncton a little after 8am, and after a bit of rain, it stopped! (contrary to Weather Network, which had forecasted rain all day!). They cycled to the bridge to PEI, and were trucked across, and then cycled once they got onto the island. It was sunny on PEI (contrary to the rainy forecast on Weather Network!!) and Dad said that they had a fantastic welcome into Charlottetown - the Sears employees there put on a whole spread and there were lots of people cheering them in. The team was a little bit fatigued from the long ride the day before, with the headwinds, but apart from that, it was a good day.
Tonight, they’re on their way to Lower Sackville, where they’ll spend the night, there have been some Keith’s ordered! (as should be expected in Nova Scotia!) All 3 teams will come together again tonight, but each team has to plan a presentation to be shared at the banquet tomorrow night, so they’ll have their night filled.
Tomorrow, they start in Lower Sackville, cycle to the Halifax Shopping centre (for 11am) then to the IWK (for 12:30) and finish at Point Pleasant Park at 1pm! We can’t wait to see dad come into Halifax and finish this amazing ride. The next blog entry might very well be Al himself writing!
Congratulations to all the riders for having nearly completed this amazing adventure, and have a great ride into Halifax tomorrow morning!!!
Team #1 Started in Quebec City this morning at the Sears store, where they had a continental breakfast, and then headed literally around the corner to the children’s hospital. A young lady there talked about her battle with cancer and how her treatments are very expensive, funded through research grants etc. So, she explained how important this Ride was for her, and how it helps her get better treatment. From there, Team #1 crossed the bridge from Quebec to Levis, and as one rider, Sharron put it, “It felt like I was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and I was going to float off the bridge”.
In Levis, Dad met Jean’s mom, Lise. She had gone to see if she could search him out, and Dad introduced her to the whole team. (see the picture, she was happy to have met him).
The team was lucky to meet Jerry Fassett, a retired school teacher, who is a local cyclist and asked if he could ride with them for a while. He led the group and took them on the bike paths so that they could avoid the main roads for about 10km. These bike paths follow the St.Lawrence river along, and so the team stopped at a lookout point for a great photo op with the view of the Chateau Frontenac and all of Old Quebec in the background. From there, Jerry led them to a “Fromagerie” (cheese store) and bought them cheese curds (which is what they use in the famous “poutine”). I’m sure it gave the team a lot of energy, and they continued on their trek. Dad said that Jerry was an exceptional guy, and a great tour guide, not to mention he led the group and helped break some of the wind.
After Jerry left them, they had lunch and carried on in a major headwind to St. Alexandre. They arrived at about 7:30pm and had pizza, put on by the amazing volunteer team. Other than that, it was a good day - no real mishaps, dad had a flat tire after hitting a major pothole.
Tomorrow the team starts in Moncton, and goes to PEI (they will be transported across the bridge, as it’s not permitted to cycle across the Confederation Bridge). Weather calls for rain and wind tomorrow and Wednesday, but after that, well… the ride is over!
Day 8 was a big day for all the riders. All 3 teams joined together in Woodstock, for the ride to Toronto, stopping numerous times along the way to pick up and drop off ride-along riders. It was also the first day of pouring rain! They left Woodstock just after 8am, and started the very wet journey. In Burlington, Dad got to visit with Mom, Steve and Veronica. Veronica would join Dad for the 82km to Toronto. After a qiuck bike to eat, they started up again. After Oakville, the rain let up, which I’m sure was much appreciated! At Sherway Gardens, they had the opportunity to meet some more kids battling with cancer, and the kids got to paint their hand prints on the riders’ t-shirts. Just as they pulled out onto the road after Sherway Gardens, Veronica got a flat tire! So Dad waved down the support vehicle, the amazing mechanic fixed the flat as quick as he could, and Dad and Veronica got back on the road and raced to catch up with the rest of the ride! All in all, there were about 400 people in the ride-along event! After arriving in Toronto, they spent some time at the Sick Kids Hospital, but then had to leave to shuttle ahead to the next days start point and get some much needed rest. They stopped at a husky truck stop along the way for showers, and continued on to Kingston. They managed 3 hours of sleep once they got to Kingston. Day 9 was Kingston to Ottawa for Team #1. They were alone as a team again, and were joined by some ride-along cyclists to Fort Henry, and then the rest left them in Gananoque. Dad said that a gentleman came up to him in Kingston before they left and introduced him to his granddaughter, who is currently in recovery from leukemia, and they expressed how grateful they were to people like Dad and his team for what they are doing. Dad says that no matter how tired you feel, how much your legs hurt, and how much you really don’t want to get back on the bike, when you meet someone like this, when you talk to a kid who’s going through WAY worse… the rest comes into perspective, and you gladly get back on and ride. In Kingston as well, one of Dad’s teammate’s wife spoke about their family’s story and how their daughter’s struggle with cancer has affected them. Team #1 arrived in Ottawa, after battling humidity, construction and black flies, and at the Sears at St. Laurent, there were some ladies from the Sears store who had made supper. These ladies were childhood cancer survivors, and Dad said that it was also inspiring to see and hear the successes, and realize that their ride CAN and WILL make a difference for kids today. Way back on day… 2, when the Team was in Penticton, Mom had supplied them with necessary materials to decorate the RV in a 70’s theme. I guess they wanted to have a theme, and a laugh. Well, it wasn’t until recently that they had had the energy to follow through with the decorations, and now dad says, and I quote “It looks like a really bad 70’s vacation movie”. I’ll try and get a picture of that when they arrive in Halifax, because I’m sure it needs to be posted on the net! Safe riding Team #1, Bonne Chance aujourd’hui à Quebec! (Good luck today in Quebec)
Dad’s on the far right, I think waving? This is from Day 6, Thunder Bay to Terrace Bay. Picture was taken by the ride photographer guy, and posted on Picasa. Check it out for LOTS more pictures!
Sorry for the delay on updates, yesterday Dad did call after finishing the trek from Winnipeg to Kenora, but they were being shuttled ahead to Thunderbay, and the cell phone reception in that area of Canada is pretty irregular! After trying 2 different phones, and in the end, me calling the phone in the RV, I only had a tiny bit of information, so we had to postpone our normal updates. That being said, today, reception was great!
Day 5 was Winnipeg to Kenora, and the team had to hop in the RV’s to shuttle past some heavy road construction, and after they got back on the road, one of the support vehicles blew a tire. This is the vehicle that normally goes ahead to prepare food, so the RV had to go ahead and organize a lunch with a local restaurant, which worked out just great! The team was in good spirits and really riding well, they worked on their drills of changing from people so everyone gets a chance to lead, and everyone gets a chance to rest. They had to shuttle ahead once more due to more construction, and a technical difficulty caused a little bit of delay as well, but they made it to Kenora.
Day 6 was Thunder Bay to Terrace Bay, Ontario. Dad said that team #1 had a good day, despite the roads in that area being horrible for cyclists. There were lots of potholes, combined with narrow shoulders, so the team was a bit nervous. As one rider put it, a truck drove by and nearly gave them a haircut. Sounds a little too close for comfort, if you ask me! They were making reasonable time, but in order to try and make it to their destination on time, they had to hammer it and really speed up, which then lead to some team members falling behind. So, Team #1 had decided to keep a reasonable pace and ride as a team.
After a ride along in Thunder Bay, the team took a bit of extra time too at the Terry Fox Memorial. Dad said it was another great time to reflect.
Then moved on to Sault Ste Marie, and rode today from their to Espagnola. Team #1 has really gelled and are really riding well together, they stopped along the way in Spanish at the Sears store there, and continued on to Espagnola, spirits high.
When dad called tonight, they were at their supper stop, and I could hear laughter and cheering in the background. Some of the team were playing on swings, some doing cartwheels, and others talking on phones and updating their own blogs on their blackberries. I guess it’s become quite a routine by now.
Tomorrow, all 3 teams start together in Woodstock, and go to Toronto, stopping along the way for ride-alongs. Veronica will meet them in Burlington and ride to Toronto (82km) and Dad will get to see Mom and Steve too. I know he’s looking forward to that!
Have a great ride through TO tomorrow Team #1!!!
