Westside Cycling Classic

On my fundraising page, I promised that I would post updates of my training on this blog. I neglected to do that. But, this is my report after a great weekend of cycling.

First, I surpassed my goal of $5000 raising $5283. Thank you to everyone who donated. I am going to try to think of ways to raise more next year.

This year, there were incentives for the top fundraisers. The single highest fundraiser won a trip for 2 to the Tour de France. Any other fundraisers who raised $10,000 was eligible to spend the day with celebrities and VIPs on the Saturday before the larger community ride. Regretably, no one raised $10,000. However, my name was drawn from a list of all fundraisers to join the Saturday festivities.

My day started with breakfast at the Wedgewood Hotel. I want to thank Philip Meyer and the Wedgewood for their gracious hospitality. The group consisted of the celebrity riders (Trevor Linden, Axel Merckx, Ross Rebagliati, Alex Seida and Derek Porter), representatives from key event sponsors and two individual fundraisers; myself and Andrew Gregory, the top fundraiser. We went on a 65 km ride to Whytecliffe Park and back, including a ring around Stanley Park. It was a beautiful, sunny day and a perfect ride. I particularly enjoyed the company of Andrew Gregory. Not only the top fundraiser, Andrew is a survivor of testicular cancer and a great man. I was truly honoured to ride along side of him. He also rides a BH bike - one more thing to like about him.

We went our own ways for the afternoon and met again at Blue Water Cafe and Raw Bar for dinner. Again, I want to thank Blue Water for an amazing meal. We listened to inspiring speeches from persons connected to the Cancer Foundation and Agency. It was a wonderful evening.

Unfortunately, something in the meal did not sit right with me. I was up in the middle of the night with stomach cramps and I was not feeling 100% in the morning. But, I wasn't going to let a little pain get in my way. I was invited to join the breakaway group on the community ride. We broke away with a comptetive spirit. Soon, the better riders had split off from the rest of the community ride. We rode 3 laps of a 12 km course. On each lap, we fought stiff headwinds along Marine Drive and a tough, pothole-filled hill on Camoson. The pace got tougher with each lap but I enjoyed the help of those around me struggling to keep up with the front group. By the time I crossed the finish, I was only about 10 or 12 seconds behind the leaders. Keep in mind, 2 of those leaders were veterans of the Tour de France.

The event raised over $130,000. I am proud to have been a significant part of that effort. It was a truly enjoyable weekend and I owe that to my donors. Futhermore, I want to acknowledge the tireless dedication of the staff at the BC Cancer Foundation. They made this event a fantastic experience and I hope to have as much fun for many years to come.