Sorry about the tardiness of this post. I had this ready but really procrastinated in getting it up before now.

Well we did it!

It started with a bus transfer at 5:30 am from the Fairmont Hotel to Guildford Mall in Surrey. Having just put the finishing items in my bag and making final preparations for the event only a mere 5 hours before, the ride to Seattle was going to be more of a challenge than I thought. I love my sleep. But I think the more you dwell on not having enough, your body begins to believe that it needs more. Regardless of how tired people were it was hard not to be awake, alert, and excited by the energy once we arrived at the starting point in Surrey.

We quickly threw our bags into one of the 6 Penske trucks that would be shuttling our bags to Mt. Vernon and fought the chilly morning air as we picked up our bikes after dropping them off the night before. Nothing like wearing cool lycra early in the morning! Within 10 minutes we were shoving a quick breakfast down and gathering our team so we could all start together.

An announcer approached the podium and stated that $6.9 million was raised by the 1701 riders that stood anxiously in front of him – all of which would go to benefit cancer research. Cancer survivors took the mic and shared some incredible stories about the fight of their lives. The emotional gates were now open. I took the time to took around at all the riders, partly because if I listened to the speakers I would probably be in tears in a matter of minutes, and partly because I wanted to see what kind of people were about to partake in this 260 km ride to Seattle.

Interspersed with the riders were little ones tearfully hugging their mothers and fathers good-bye. Tears of pride were rolling down the faces of spouses, mothers, daughters, sons and fathers. For those of us who have been lucky enough not to have had to fight cancer this was going to be one of the toughest challenges we were about to embark on. Every rider had their own reason to do this ride. Mine was for support, remembrance and awareness, so maybe one day our loved ones would have better treatment, a little less pain, and better odds.

Looking around I witnessed all sorts of people on all sorts of bikes. Some had orange flags attached to the back of their bikes which indicated they were cancer survivors, some father and daughter teams, some tandem bikes, corporate teams, a unicycle (yes, a unicycle), all girl teams (go girl power!), a tricycle, some recumbents and plenty of mountain bikes. Fat chance in keeping my emotions in check, there was far too much inspiration and far too many moments of pride to roll out of there with dry eyes. It just simply was not going to happen. Looking back at my teammates, I found big Fabian fighting the same emotions.

All of a sudden we were off. Loud clicks echoed throughout as riders stepped into their pedals. Because we were saving our “Flick Cancer” jerseys for day 2 our team lost contact with each other within the first 5 minutes as we were engulfed in a sea of jerseys that were identical with each other. It’s an incredible feeling riding amongst so many riders. The more common the threads between complete strangers, the more you feel as though you know the person riding beside you. I think this is the reason that dog owners talk with dog owners, motorcycle riders nod at other motorcycle riders, etc. It’s all about the common thread.

All 1701 of us knew that our fellow riders raised at least $2500, that they wanted to make a difference, and are willing to put themselves through pain and agony so someone, somewhere one day won’t have to. This is what made this ride so special. Strength in numbers is what this ride is all about and I think each and every person felt this every pedal stroke along the way.

Quick facts:
1700 riders raised $6.9 million
Our team FLICK CANCER raised over $22,500
Personally, I raised $6000 with your help! – Thank you.

As the hours passed and the riders spread out, some of us found each other and we were able to ride together. If you have ever watched the Tour de France you will notice a few things. Riding alone is slow, slow, slow and the more riders you have of the similar skill/fitness, the faster you can go (as long as everyone shares the responsibility of periodically taking the lead). Now, although part of our orientation for this ride included the organizers emphasizing that this is not a race to Seattle….it’s a ride to Seattle. Well, try getting that through to a bunch of type A personality road (wannabe) riders!

Once Brad and I found each other we were all smiles as we drafted off each other, catching groups ahead of us and then dropping them to reel in the next chase group. It was awesome, and it was our little Tour de France. We were flying, and at times I didn’t think I would be able to keep the pace as my legs were seizing, but with the proper fuel and resting behind Brad’s wheel I was able to get back on track. Though painful at times, there was never a thought of not being able to complete the ride. Instead, there was a conscious decision to do this ride hard and to feel it. Maybe I wanted to mimic 1/10th of the pain that my uncle(s) was (went through) going through? Whatever the case, I wanted to push myself and this is exactly what we were doing.

Although it was not a race… Brad and I finished amongst the first 100 bikes at day 1 base camp. We found our bags, located our tent and quickly hit the showers before the peleton arrived. The volunteers cheered each and every rider as they crossed the finish line at the base camp and as each rider hoped off their bike the energy at the camp began to swell.

We took platefuls of food back to our tent area and our team sat around and talked about each person’s experience of the ride, how they felt, what they saw, and what our game plan was going to be for the next day. Along the ride there were some crashes, plenty of flats and mechanical issues, and staying alert for 5 hours on a bike took its toll on each of us.

Theresa noticed that there were some riders still coming in and rallied us into getting up to cheer them on as they rolled in. Some arrived 8 hours after beginning; 3+ hours after we had arrived, showered and eaten, some riders were still finishing up day 1. This I have to say, was the highlight of my weekend. It was such an inspiration to see these last few riders defy the odds, push through the pain, and finish this day. Most of them arrived into the arms of family who were waiting for them. We watched a mom eagerly await the arrival of her daughter and husband and once she saw them she ran to them and the three of them embraced in a group hug which brought them all to tears. This is what it is all about. Pushing past the pain and doing something you didn’t think you could do.

Day 2

The campsite awoke at about 3:30 am to the sound of rain hitting the tents. Not much of religious man, I decided to pray for it to stop raining. It did, but for only approximately 30 minutes. I prayed again to make sure that the person above wasn’t mistaken. Yes, I was praying. This time it stopped for good and we arose to wet grounds and no rain.

Our team found each other amongst all the other riders hovering over the food tables with ease as we had all donned our “Flick Cancer” jerseys and we stood out like sore thumbs! Exactly what we wanted. Within minutes of putting on the jerseys, we had people commenting on them and riding as a group we were able to really drive our message home. In our training rides we received a lot response on our jerseys. Most loved them, and a few thought they were a tad offensive.

On one particular training ride, we had stopped at a cafe to grab a quick bite to eat when a girl that ran a yoga studio came in and was raving about our jerseys with great excitement. We told her that it’s nice to know that some people love them as we have had a couple people react in offense to them. Her response was great. ‘Offensive? Try having Cancer, now THAT’S offensive!’

We decided to position ourselves as one of the last groups to begin the 2nd day, and we rolled out in a uniform line not too different from what the Team Time Trials look like in the Tour de France. It was a good decision to ride together as we were a team after all, but more importantly it really motivated each of us. Sharing the lead and at times dropping back to allow a fellow team mate to catch up on a tough climb. And of course it was motivating to be passing other riders in our very professional Team kits! We felt fast!

It was a really nice touch by the organizers to include the riders name alongside their # which was attached to their bike. Riding past other riders, we would often send out words of encouragement “Way to go Kevin”, “Keep it going Jane”. I am sure it made a difference to these riders as their efforts were being acknowledged during the ride.

By about lunch time we had each paired off and were riding at our own pace all the way into Seattle. During the last two hours, we were being chased by dark ominous clouds and we knew that it was just a matter of time before the clear blue skies got swallowed up and my early morning prayers would be all used up. I must have done it right- cause Brad and I only got hit by about 3 minutes of light rain while some of our team mates were caught in the middle of a hail storm. A hail storm so bad that they had to seek refuge under trees, bridges, and awnings as the hail was the size of large marbles and hit with ferocious velocity to anyone still choosing to ride on.

As we arrived to the Champs Elysees University of Washington finish area there were hundreds of people cheering and congratulating riders on their efforts. Riding up the long narrow roadway, I saw- and heard my #1 fan shouting and screaming my name. If any of you have witnessed the cheering ability of Shanti you’ll know what I mean! It’s a great feeling to have people cheering you on and this day, being our 1 year wedding anniversary was going to be one that I will never forget. My parents were there too and it felt like such a victory. I got to see my wife on our anniversary, see my father on father’s day and be part of raising $6.9 million.

Brad, Sean, Fabian, Theresa, and Chris….thank you for an incredible weekend, the long training rides and the many laughs. To my wife, family and all of you…thank you for getting involved and making a difference. And of course to the Screaming Beavers Ultimate team….we wore the Beaver proud! (and in typical fashion we shocked many on the way!)

We had a team of 6 riders for this event and we raised over $22,500. Next year we will be stronger in numbers and we will raise double this amount. I challenge you to ride with us next year. Register and be a part of the 2010 Ride to Conquer Cancer. It will be another incredible experience with what most likely will be over 2500 riders.

To each of you who donated in memory of a loved one; know that we rode into Seattle with our hearts full and with great memories of all of our friends, family and loved ones who have been affected by this horrible disease.

Thank you once again for the incredible support!

To Uncle Ron, we’ll miss you.

Kalan