The Ride to Conquer Cancer 2013

The Ride to Conquer Cancer 2013

Post Ride

Day 1

125kms

4997 cals

125 av hr

165 max hr

Day 2

115km

3822 cals

123 av hr

165 max hr

Ultimately, the training helped incredibly. At times, I thought I should be pushing harder, pedalling faster, but my riding partners had agreed to an average speed of about 27 kms/hr, which was dreamily easy to achieve once we were able to move away from the crowded four wide packs of riders and the pace thinned out the crowds of eager riders.

I guess it helped that there was virtually no wind and well the skies were filled with this odd orb I’d not seen for quite some time  - I have heard in some circles others call it the sun... It was absolutely PERFECT weather. Brisk in the start of the day (7am start times) and warming and energy inducing by Noon when you were getting ready to finish up the last leg of the first 125km.

Raising $10.4 million dollars towards cancer is certainly energy inducing and helps one focus on the task of keeping the feet going, but more than that, it was the people you passed, and those who passed you  - knowing all were pedalling for a unified cause.

And in all of that positive energy, in all of that power in hope, we were reminded that life is ever so fragile, and that at any moment we could cease to exist as Sunday morning a young rider, 16 years old suffered a fatal accident while on the Ride. Tragic and deeply saddening.

Today I prepare for another ride to honour another kind of loss and to keep in memory the young man who died giving hope to others.  This Saturday the Brainiacs (my team of 220), and other riders from the Ride to Conquer are making a Celebration of Life ride from Vancouver out to Horseshoe Bay to reflect on why we ride, and the community of people who’ve loved and who’ve lost precious ones to some force beyond our control.

On Saturday, I will be able to reflect and celebrate my blessings in each pedal stroke, knowing how truly fortunate I am to have loved ones who love me in return, and to be able to breath deeply and live with verve.

And so I continue to ride...

Just a few kilometres on the saddle...

In preparation for the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer (RTCC), a two day, 250km journey from Vancouver to Seattle, there is one serious goal one has to undertake: time in the saddle (what the seat is called on a bike for those who don’t know).  This can be achieved a number of ways, but ultimately, there is nothing other than sitting on the seat and pedalling that will get the job done...

So that said, my riding partners and RTCC team-mates dedicated our Saturday morning to a long 100+km ride that would take us from East Vancouver, through downtown, around Stanley Park a few times, across the Burrard Bridge, along 4^th to Spanish Banks, up to and around UBC all the way to Iona Beach by the airport and back again...and we start our ride at 6am!

While we are not speed demons, we are not on a Sunday stroll either.  We pedal as we are able and ultimately, the four hours and thirty minutes it takes to do it all comes with incredible side benefits for one’s health.

Here are a few of the statistics around Saturday’s ride:

Duration (riding time): 4h:35m

Distance: 105 kms

Average Heart Rate (AHR): 128 beats per minute (BPM)

Maximum Heart Rate (MHR): 168 BPM

Calories Burned: 4142cals

What amazes me is not the distance, nor the effort involved, but how that in a few hours, one can burn more than double the recommended caloric intake for a man my age (45). That has obvious significant health benefits...

But I didn’t stop there. We have to go back a day...

Again its the idea of getting time in the saddle and preparing the body for pedalling so Friday I left work and decided I would head off for a little dipsy doodle home plus a few extra kms. I stopped by my Love’s home for a quick hello and realized I hadn’t started all the computers, heart rate monitors and gear but know that for the most part I add about 10kms and a half hour...

Duration: 1h:20m

Distance: 35 kms

AHR: 146

MHR: 174

Cals: 1154

So here we are – two rides later and 5,296cals burned...140 kms.

Ultimately, while I worked hard, rode through massive cold spring showers and cursed the weather gods for making it so crumby Saturday morning, I am none-the-less incredibly thankful that I am still able to do this level of activity and do so in the face of recovering from my knee surgery a year ago. And today, after a simple stretch immediately following the ride and a hot bath, today I am more than able to have a normal day – relatively pain free.

While cycling isn’t for everyone, it is possible that someone out there find some form of fitness that captivates and benefits them like I have found cycling to benefit me.

Go out and find your thing!