They weren't kidding when they said this would be an unforgettable experience. As if cycling 200 miles wasn't hard enough we (and by we I mean the 3000 riders doing the 200km route and 800 riders doing the 200 mile route) pushed through torrential downpours of rain through most of Saturday and Sunday. Throughout it all though, I was blown away by the support, encouragement and energy of the volunteers and crew who kept us going!
Collectively, we raised over $16.1 million for The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute at The Princess Margaret Hospital!!
Stretching before the start of the two day cycling trip just before Triton dropped me off. Like the first day of school I was nervous for him to leave me there by myself with the other 4000 riders who all seemed to know each other already, but it wasn't long before I was in line for the port-a-potty and met my first friend Kimberly who was riding for her second time in the 200 km course. We parted ways at the 15Km mark when I turned off to continue on my 200 mile journey. Soon enough though I caught up to the group ahead of me and found some drafting buddies!
As you can see by the sea of cyclist, 4000 riders is an impressive bunch!!! How can you not be moved by so many individuals all riding with a single purpose - to conquer cancer in our lifetime!
Sadly, not all the motorist on the road were as supportive of our ride as we could have liked, and while I only received some annoying honks and occasional car blocking our way, one cyclist's ride was cut very short early Saturday morning when he was hit by a car :( I didn't get to hear if he was OK, but let's hope so!
Along the way I tagged along with whatever groups I could manage to keep pace with and met some really fun guys along the way and a couple of fearless girls too (we were highly outnumbered in the testosterone department!) Every 20 miles we had a lovely pit stop with fresh fruit, granola bars, gatorade and other goodies! If only I could be so well pampered on all my training rides!
Pulling into Hamilton after 7.5 hours of cycling Saturday evening was something else. I was exhausted, soggy and starving. I thought of finding a way to rinse the road grime off Cervelo, checking my tires and lubing my chain for the next day, but food, showers and warmth took precedence. I met up with Mo (who was volunteering with the Medical Crew) in the little 'tent village' for some dinner and wine (yum!) and met my wonderful tent roomie for the night - Laurie. We had a great time hanging out at camp but Laurie and I had no problems zipping up the tent and calling it at night at 8:45pm (15 minutes before curfew!)
Sunday we were up before dawn, showered and eating breakfast by 5:30am and ready for another epic day of riding. The forecast showed sunny all day - way to get our hopes up! Luckily I found a group of 20 guys (yes I was the only girl in the pack) to draft with for the first 90km, but at the lunch stop I was starting to shiver, so after scarfing down my tofu sandwich I started off on my own and did most of the last 70k on my own. It was a little lonely at times, but luckily the sun finally came out and I tucked into my aerobars and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of lake erie and niagara on the lake. Coming into to the finish line in Niagara they called my name over the speakers and whether I was just exhausted and happy to be finished, or realizing that not only did I cycle 200 miles (the most distance I've ever covered in one weekend), but I also did it for an amazing cause; I couldn't help but get a lump in my throat as I crossed the finish line.
Anyways, THANK YOU to everyone who supported me along the way by donating (either their money or their time in helping me fundraise). A very special thank you goes to Triton, who helped me with every single fundraising event I did - and there were many! And drove me to the start line and picked me up at the finish and cheered me on and helped me train! Really couldn't have done it without you Tritannosaurus-Rex!!
