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This is a cut & paste from my FB post of this morning.
On June 20th, we ride.
This weekend Michael & I spent time getting ready for the 2015 Ride-2-Survive. He spent his time racing his road bike at the Provincial Youth Championships in Penticton, and I spent my Saturday participating in the R2S “Triple Crown” training ride- 142 KM, featuring climbs up SFU, the hills of North Van, Cypress Mountain, and back to Marine drive in Burnaby. In all, over 12,000’ of climbing on the day. Long day, fun day, and for many, a very tough day.... I have the benefit of having done this day several times, but many in R2S riders are first timers, and there is a certain amount of pride in watching / helping these riders gut it out. Given the time in the saddle, there is plenty of opportunity to chat and get to know people, and learn about their “why”…why they signed up for this fantastic, if not somewhat masochistically difficult event. Some peoples’ experiences with Cancer, and how it has ripped apart their families, will likely bring a tear to your eye, and definitely a lump to your throat.
We are a 100% efficient fund raising vehicle. Not one penny of your funds donated go to the R2S overhead (us riders cover that, and sponsors in kind donate the food, equipment, etc.), then when the funds hit the Canadian Cancer Society, not one penny hits their overhead, either (all funds go directly into their research funds, bypassing general revenue). If this is a cause that hits close to your heart, please consider donating to our page, here:
http://convio.cancer.ca/…/TR/Otherspecialevents/IFE_BC_odd_…
And below is a cut & paste from my friend Geoff Huenemann's post yesterday...which was way better than mine...and that also tells the story about Steve Parsons, another teammate, who is a 1st year rider, who, as you can see from the photo, is not built like your typical road rider. Steve's Story is one that I never, ever want to experience living, and it is a reason that I ride year after year.
On June 20th, we ride.
This weekend Michael & I spent time getting ready for the 2015 Ride-2-Survive. He spent his time racing his road bike at the Provincial Youth Championships in Penticton, and I spent my Saturday participating in the R2S “Triple Crown” training ride- 142 KM, featuring climbs up SFU, the hills of North Van, Cypress Mountain, and back to Marine drive in Burnaby. In all, over 12,000’ of climbing on the day. Long day, fun day, and for many, a very tough day.... I have the benefit of having done this day several times, but many in R2S riders are first timers, and there is a certain amount of pride in watching / helping these riders gut it out. Given the time in the saddle, there is plenty of opportunity to chat and get to know people, and learn about their “why”…why they signed up for this fantastic, if not somewhat masochistically difficult event. Some peoples’ experiences with Cancer, and how it has ripped apart their families, will likely bring a tear to your eye, and definitely a lump to your throat.
We are a 100% efficient fund raising vehicle. Not one penny of your funds donated go to the R2S overhead (us riders cover that, and sponsors in kind donate the food, equipment, etc.), then when the funds hit the Canadian Cancer Society, not one penny hits their overhead, either (all funds go directly into their research funds, bypassing general revenue). If this is a cause that hits close to your heart, please consider donating to our page, here:
http://convio.cancer.ca/…/TR/Otherspecialevents/IFE_BC_odd_…
And below is a cut & paste from my friend Geoff Huenemann's post yesterday...which was way better than mine...and that also tells the story about Steve Parsons, another teammate, who is a 1st year rider, who, as you can see from the photo, is not built like your typical road rider. Steve's Story is one that I never, ever want to experience living, and it is a reason that I ride year after year.
"Sitting is the new cancer?
Tim Cook, Apple CEO, says “a lot of doctors think” as much (and that therefore you should buy his new Watch, with its beeping getOffYerAss App). At least two big problems with this.
1) “X is the new Y”, implies that Y is passé, no longer relevant or potent. Cancer is not gone. Thankfully, research works, and many high-profile cancers of a few years ago have seen dramatically improved outcomes, thanks to better prevention, detection, and treatments. Unfortunately, others such as pancreatic cancer (which killed Steve Jobs) and brain cancer (more on that in a second), have made little headway.
2) Fully accepting that over-sedentary lifestyles are bad for you, it sort of depends what you sit on. I’ll take my chances with the Cervélo. Going one better, I’ll be sitting on that bike all day 4 weeks from now, riding 400km from Kelowna to Vancouver to raise money for cancer research, because… cancer is not gone.
Now, very briefly: brain cancer. The nice guy I’m helping up Burnaby mountain in this photo from yesterday’s 150km training ride lost his 17-year-old son to it a few years back. Brain cancer hits people of all ages, and has relatively terrible survival rates (only about 1 in 7) – so bad that there is currently a federal funds-matching program specifically for brain cancer research.
So go sit on your bike and ride somewhere. You don’t need a Watch to tell you it’s a good idea. And if you can, risk a few more minutes of sedentary screen time and support our ride. As always, 100% of your donation goes to cancer research. But if you want me to designate the money specifically to brain cancer research, then 200% of your donation will go there. How often do you get a deal like that?"
Steve worked his ASS of Saturday, and at times it was a sight to behold. This is what is unique about this event...we actually don't accept everyone. Anyone can sign-up, yes, but they also have to make it through a series of milestone rides to prove they can make the grade on ride day. We have already had to advise some riders that they weren't making sufficient progress in training, and that they would not be allowed to ride. Steve is one of those riders that wouldn't, couldn't, and shouldn't be a rider...but has made himself into one in order to make a difference in other's lives. I really respect the hell out of that, and don't ever want to experience the pain he has had to.Tim Cook, Apple CEO, says “a lot of doctors think” as much (and that therefore you should buy his new Watch, with its beeping getOffYerAss App). At least two big problems with this.
1) “X is the new Y”, implies that Y is passé, no longer relevant or potent. Cancer is not gone. Thankfully, research works, and many high-profile cancers of a few years ago have seen dramatically improved outcomes, thanks to better prevention, detection, and treatments. Unfortunately, others such as pancreatic cancer (which killed Steve Jobs) and brain cancer (more on that in a second), have made little headway.
2) Fully accepting that over-sedentary lifestyles are bad for you, it sort of depends what you sit on. I’ll take my chances with the Cervélo. Going one better, I’ll be sitting on that bike all day 4 weeks from now, riding 400km from Kelowna to Vancouver to raise money for cancer research, because… cancer is not gone.
Now, very briefly: brain cancer. The nice guy I’m helping up Burnaby mountain in this photo from yesterday’s 150km training ride lost his 17-year-old son to it a few years back. Brain cancer hits people of all ages, and has relatively terrible survival rates (only about 1 in 7) – so bad that there is currently a federal funds-matching program specifically for brain cancer research.
So go sit on your bike and ride somewhere. You don’t need a Watch to tell you it’s a good idea. And if you can, risk a few more minutes of sedentary screen time and support our ride. As always, 100% of your donation goes to cancer research. But if you want me to designate the money specifically to brain cancer research, then 200% of your donation will go there. How often do you get a deal like that?"
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