We woke up this morning to a deluge of rain.. Though it’s not that we weren’t expecting it; that’s why the 130km day yesterday – to try to minimize the need to rack up mileage in less than desirable weather today.

I have to admit, it was kinda sad packing up my stuff for the last time. On one hand, it feels like I’ve been travelling with this crew forever, and yet it still seems far too soon to be over. Funny, that.

We had a great continental breakfast at the hotel and then packed up the Wally van with our personal supplies tubs for the final time. Dave and Tara (our Wally van escorts) took such great care of us throughout the Tour. I’m going to have to deprogram myself for future solo rides – there won’t be a Wally wagon following me around stuffed with yummy treats and extra clothes for when the weather shifts. Bummer. I got pretty used to that over the past week and a half. I guess I’m also going to have to stop at red lights and stop signs after today. Rats. =o)

It really was hard not to grumble about the weather when we walked outside to our bikes this morning. It was chilly and wet. With a heavy emphasis on both.

If ever we were going to need a dose of daily inspiration, it was today. And it came easily to me…

At the fundraiser last night, one of the JT moms explained to the audience what it was like to watch her child battle cancer – the emotional torture, the painful treatments, the uncertainty, everything. As she spoke, JT member Owen was sitting beside me and was nodding his head throughout the very descriptive explanation of some of the harsh medical procedures. At one point, Owen turned to me and said, “It’s not that bad.” I felt my heart break right there.

“So,” I said, “while we’re out there in this miserable weather today, struggling to against the cold and wet, think of those words from Owen, ‘It’s not that bad.’”

And with that, and a few hugs from teammates, we rolled into our final day.

Our first stop was Moberly Elementary in Vancouver, where Owen would meet us (woohoo!) and then jump in the Wally van to ride along for the rest of the Tour. All of the stops today would be in Vancouver, so it was our crew of 6 VPD members’ turn to present the CCS plaques.

When we rolled, soaking wet, into the Moberly auditorium, the children’s overwhelming cheers instantly warmed me. As I smiled at the adorable little faces seated on the floor in front of me, I turned to Scjohn and asked, “Could they possibly be any cuter?!” Lance presented the CCS plaque to Moberly Elementary for their support of the Tour. Owen had been doing some fundraising of his own, which involved selling CCS bracelets to some local schools, and Moberly was one. Without hesitation, Owen stood up next to Lance and thanked the school kids for their support. Then we sang our song and were on way back into the elements. It hadn’t let up out there.

Our next stop was another school that Owen had attended – Henderson Elementary. It’s not too far from Moberly at all, but definitely far enough to get drenched all over again!

As we wheeled into the auditorium, the kids were cheering like mad. Dayne, who was to present the CCS certificate, challenged the kids to out-cheer the previous school. Wow. They didn’t disappoint! How can such a roar come from such tiny little people? I was impressed and laughing in disbelief. Once again, I was instantly warm.

After Dayne presented the CCS plaque to Henderson Elementary, Owen, of his own volition, stepped forward and spoke to the school children. He thanked them for buying bracelets, answered their questions and was a terrific role model. Once again, I was blown away by this kid! Warrior, inspiration, motivator, public speaker… Do his talents ever cease?!

Before I knew it, we were singing our song, which meant that we were moments away from going back outside. Brr chilly. I decided to zip over to the Wally van. A little chocolate treat was all I needed to shrug off the weather!

The Tour route was set to take us West from here… all the way out to Kerrisdale Elementary. I was pumped to get out there because we’d be seeing JT member Nikki, who on Day One had helped to hand out our friendship bracelets and had given Buzz the little handwritten note of inspiration.

Our journey westward was a little nutty – the rain was so heavy and the water on the streets so significant that it was almost impossible to see the rider ahead. I left lots of braking room ’cause I knew that our brakes were basically just there for appearances in this stuff. Did I mention it was cold out too? At least I had lots of wet weather gear since I’m used to winter riding. I felt bad for my teammates who weren’t as fortunate. Every time I looked at Lance B’s bare legs I would shiver a little more. I’m still baffled as to how he rode all day like that!

When we made the right turn onto the side street to access the school, I was ecstatic! Once again, we rolled into an auditorium filled with cheering youngsters.  It was my turn to present the CCS plaque, and I could barely peel the sopping wet gloves off my stiff-with-cold fingers. Taking a page from Dayne’s book, I challenged the kids to out-cheer the record-setting previous school. Before the words had escaped my mouth, the gym erupted in noise like I’d never heard. Teachers were covering their ears. Riders were laughing in disbelief. And once again, I was immediately warm.

I presented Kerridale Elementary with a CCS plaque for their support of the Tour, the Junior Team, and Nikki, and then introduced Owen and Nikki to the room filled with kids. I opened the floor to questions and was asked things like, “How far have you ridden?” (800+kms); “Where did you start?” (Richmond); “Where have you ridden?” (Richmond – Sunshine Coast – Whistler/Pemberton – North Shore – Burnaby – Tri-Cities – Ridge Meadows – New West – Richmond and now Vancouver); and, the zinger, “Are you proud of what you’ve done?”

Wow! What a question! I explained that while it’s been a challenge to ride as far as we have, we’re doing it for kids like Nikki and Owen. And, it’s their strength in the battles they face that makes us proud. This is why we ride.

And with that, we were singing our song again all too soon and staring down a return to the rain. As a bonus, we brought Nikki with us and she would ride with Owen for the rest of the day. Sweet!

Next stop: Stong’s Market. Stong’s has been a longtime supporter of the Tour and stocks the Wally van with all the yummy treats and nourishment that keep us going throughout the day. I am personally indebted to them for the endless supply of chocolate. mmmmm…. chocolate! Mark did the honours of presenting the CCS plaque of appreciation and then it was time to hit the road yet again.

The trek back east to the CCS BC/Yukon Division office seemed to take an eternity. The longer stop at Stong’s had taken its toll on some riders’ already cold hands and the windy downhill rips did nothing to alleviate already numb fingers. It was simply not pleasant out there. At one point I was shivering so much that my front wheel was shaking.

Just when I was mired in some yukky thoughts, I heard Kirsty’s voice riding up beside me, “It’s not that bad. It’s not that bad…” As Kirsty repeated those simple words of inspiration, courtesy of our warrior Owen, my perspective shifted immediately. “Thanks, Kirsty! You’re right. It’s not that bad. Riding in this weather is absolutely nothing compared to a lumbar puncture.”

And off we went, through more driving rain that made visibility a real challenge. But soon enough we were pulling into the underground parking area of the CCS office, to the rousing cheers of CCS staff. Another very warm welcome for our very soggy crew. We heard some inspirational words from CCS management and Buzz shared some on behalf of the team. We had a nice long break in the underground and not only warmed up, but also got to chat with some of the CCS folks.

All good things must come to an end, and this visit was no exception. We were due out at ECOMM by 1130, so we were off out into the rainy weather yet again. A few hills along the way helped to warm us momentarily, but the deep-seated chill still persisted. ECOMM was a wonderful sight, as I learned along the way that there would be hot drinks waiting for us. Now THAT was some good news!

Lots of ECOMM staff were waiting in the front lobby and cheered as we walked through the doors. I saw the coffee and tea sitting on a table in the lobby and cheered quietly to myself.  The VP of Operations must have read my mind, as he approached and said, “Shall we get this done right away, so you can get a hot drink?” Sweet! ECOMM had fundraised more than $2500 for the Tour (even more sweet!!!) and I presented the CCS plaque of appreciation on behalf of the team. Sadly, the speech part of my brain must have caught cold in the rain, and I presented a “plank” instead. Doh. One wisecrack and a quick apology later, the plaque was properly presented and I was on my way to hot chocolate heaven. Ahhhh….

As I sipped my cup of warm, sweet chocolate, I watched Nikki chase after Owen with one of the inflatable CCS tube-thingys that the school kids use to make lots of noise. Owen ran up behind me, peeking around my shoulders to watch out for Nikki. “You know how I scare Nikki away?” he laughed, “I tell her I’m going to hug her!” Suddenly Nikki appeared with a mischievous smile, holding the inflatable out like a sword. “Careful, Nikki,” I said, “Owen might just hug you!” And with that Nikki squealed with laughter and ran through the lobby, Owen in hot pursuit. This is why we ride. So kids like Owen (battling a relapse) and Nikki (with a history of cancer) can just be kids, if even for a moment.

All too soon the agenda beckoned and we were back on our bikes with the VPD headquarters as our goal. En route, we grouped together all the VPD riders at the front of the pack. As we rolled down Cambie St, there was a very warm welcome of media folks, and VPD management and staff outside the building. We dismounted our bikes, peeled off our outer rain gear, and made our way into the main lobby for the CCS plaque presentation. Before I presented the plaque to Acting Chief Constable LePard, Buzz told me I should invite the Acting Chief to ride with us next year… I chickened out. (Though if you happen to read this Blog, Sir… !)

While at the VPD HQ, I was fortunate to have an amazing picture taken of Nikki, Owen and me that landed in the Province the next day. The photographer captured a wonderful moment that shows why I ride.

After that one last opportunity to warm up, we were on to the final leg of the 2009 Tour – a quick ride over to the Coast Capital Yaletown branch… right by the Roundhouse Community Centre. As we made the turn off Pacific, I heard a marching band belting out music for our arrival. How cool! We hopped off our bikes and gathered at the front of a stage that was set up beneath some tents. A large group of people – friends, family, Junior Team members, and other supporters – staged a warm, warm welcome… the last one of the Tour.

There were some speeches by Coast Capital and CCS management, Buzz, Junior Team members Michelle and Jordan, and more. At one point I noticed that the marching band was playing that “Jenny” song… you know, the one that goes “8675309″. Anyway, it was wildly ironic since we’d heard that song blaring from the Wally van speakers at least a dozen times in the last few days (thanks Sean!) I thought for sure that someone had made a special request to hear it just one last time.

With the speeches finished and 26 very chilly riders huddled in front of the stage, the 2009 Tour de Coast was declared a wrap! Wow. I couldn’t believe it. It felt like we’d be back on our bikes after lunch and riding to the next destination. Nope. That was the end.

After a terrific lunch, Buzz called the team together for one last meeting. He shared some very moving insights (that’s our ‘beautiful president’) and invited any of us to offer any outstanding thoughts. A few people spoke and more emotion came out. This has been an incredible journey and something completely unique to our crew.

And with that, we went our separate ways. Back into the fold of real life. I believe none of us will return home the same person we were when we left 9 days ago. We’re all so much richer for the experience.

I am honoured to have been a part of this journey and I know that it doesn’t end here for me. I’ve made some great friends along the way and plan to stay connected to them, to the cause and to the kids.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the Tour from my perspective. As I said in my little disclaimer a few days ago, these are only my words written from my perspective. Every rider will tell a different story.

All that remains is to thank everyone connected to this extremely compelling cause for their unwavering support. Even the smallest contribution can make a difference in a child’s life.

With deep gratitude,

Beth.

Well, the good weather karma found its way back to the team. And not a moment too soon! Today we needed to clock a big chunk of mileage and thankfully it would happen without rain!

Our first three kilometers came quickly, as we biked from the hotel to our breakfast location, the White Spot in Maple Ridge. As we rode along the Lougheed, past all the commuters on their way to work, I was very grateful to be on the bike and creating awareness for the Canadian Cancer Society. I was also grateful that we had a break in the weather and were only dealing with crisp air rather than rain.

After a yummy breakfast and a CCS plaque presentation to the White Spot for their terrific support of the Tour, I prepped the team for our first stop of the day: a visit to Junior Team member Casey’s school. Casey is the 9 year old JT boy that I spoke about to the team on the morning of Day 2 and he is already back at school! I was stoked for the rest of the team to meet Casey, and warned them that he would steal their hearts within seconds.

With that, we were on our way. We wheeled right into the gym filled with energetic children and presented Maple Ridge Elementary with a CCS plaque of gratitude for their support and funds raised. Once again, we sang the team song and then exited out to the front of the school where we met up with Casey and his siblings, Zach and Jemma. We had a great visit with the kids, took some pictures and Tom presented Casey with a soccer ball autographed by Steve Nash from the Showdown in Downtown that is sponsored by Coast Capital. Casey was unable to attend the event in person, so we brought a little bit of it to him!

As predicted, Casey stole everyone’s heart. He’s such a tiny little boy with such a huge personality – you can’t help but be taken by him. And Jemma and Zach are such terrific, dynamic kids as well. We’re so fortunate to have opportunities to interact with them as part of this adventure.

To look at Casey, you would never guess that he had been hospitalized for emergency surgery a little more than a week before. The visible scars from his stitches were subtle and fading, and his demeanor was nothing other than that of an energetic little boy! He seems to take everything in stride and unwittingly inspires everyone around him as he cheers, “Let’s get this party started!!” This is why we ride.

Pumped after our meeting with Casey, Jemma and Zach, we hopped on our bikes and spun our way over to the New West PD. Along the way, we were held up by a passing train, which gave us an opportunity to restock on snacks and stuffed Wallys from the Wally van. And then we were off again.

We pulled up outside the New West PD building to a warm reception from the small crowd gathered on the sidewalk. New West riders Sean and Jeff (Teabag) presented a CCS plaque to the Department as a token of gratitude for their support and we had a few moments to chill before setting off toward Richmond and our mileage building journey.

We had two hours before our next stop at the Coast Capital Ironwood Branch in Steveston, so we took advantage of the time, weather and flat roads in Richmond to rack up some more kilometers. By the time we arrived at Ironwood, we had worked up a good appetite and were ready for lunch! Once again, Tour sponsor Coast Capital was very very good to us and provided a wonderful lunch. We had a nice long rest in the sunshine, and our Richmond riders, Nick and Bobby, presented the Branch with a CCS plaque to acknowledge their support. A few photo ops later and we were back on the road with the goal of riding 60 more kilometers for the day.

We had some terrific, tight peloton loops around Steveston and Richmond and managed to stay up over 30kph… which is pretty good going for this crew! The nice weather and Wally van tunes made for a dream day to ride.

There was one final stop for the day: the Richmond RCMP Detachment where Bobby and Nick presented a CCS plaque on behalf of the Tour. With still more miles to go, Don cracked the whip and had us on our bikes and riding away from the RCMP office in no time. Once again, we had another lovely long run as a tight peloton as we clocked our final mileage for the day. We cycled around Richmond some more, and added in an out & back to Iona Beach, where killer headwinds took their toll on solo riders’ legs. The escort crew stepped in to provide drafting opportunities for some of us soloists (thank you Tim!!) and took a bit of the edge off the wind.

After a little refueling stop at the main parking lot, we were on our way back to Richmond proper and our hotels for the night. En route there, a few of us had a front row seat as to exactly how challenging the escort role can be. Traffic control on those multi-lane roads is a nightmare! Well done, Carlo and Tim. Well done! That’s another 130kilmoeters under our belts! Woohoo!

Once we checked into the hotels, we were to reconvene on the bus for the quick journey to the community fundraiser dinner put together each year by Junior Team moms, Carol DeHaas and Patricia Macdonald. It’s always a very successful, themed event that attracts close to 200 people and this year was no exception. With a wonderful meal (I had a high wow count at this dinner again), 50-50 ticket draw, silent auction and live entertainment, the event was an absolute blast! And, much to my delight, not only were Junior Team members Jordan and Michelle there, but so were Owen and his dad, Don.

I got a huge welcoming hug from Owen and he spent the better part of the night charming our table of Tour riders and crew. There were many moving speeches by Junior Team members and their parents, which really drove home once again why we ride. I was especially pleased that there was a presentation from the Camp Goodtimes Director. More and more I’m convinced that I will put my application in to support the Camp as a volunteer for a week next summer. One week with those kids would be incredible! They do such amazing things at Camp Goodtimes.

More than a few of our team bid on and won items from the silent auction. I think it’s a great idea because people ended up getting things that they really would like to have, and supporting the cause at the same time.

After everyone had left, we posed for some more team pictures (thanks for the piggy-back, Jeff!!) and then were on the bus back to the hotels for the last night of Tour. We had one final get together at the pub near the hotels and then a few of us called it an early night.

I had the best sleep cocooned into the bed at the Sheraton. Aahhh… Final day tomorrow.

As anticipated, we awoke to the first rainy day of the Tour. And, if you ask me, we had an amazing weather run up to this point, so there’s no point in complaining!

We started out with a terrific warm breakfast at the Tim Horton’s at Coast Meridian & Lougheed. And, before ANYONE cracks any jokes about cops and doughnuts, there were NONE on the menu for today. So there. =o) Coquitlam Jeff presented the franchise owners, Amanda and Shaun, with a CCS plaque of appreciation for their continued support of the cause (Shaun was a rider at one time!) and we were on our way.

NW Jeff was the recipient of some creative bike decorations and ended up with a new nickname “Lipton”, aka “Teabag.” We’re fairly certain that this one will stick for life. To Teabag’s credit, he wears it well… And would be introduced as such for the remainder of the Tour. You’re a great sport, Teabag, er, Jeff!

Our first stop was the Coquitlam RCMP Detachment that the other Jeff calls home. It was a quick ride to the RCMP office, but in that brief time we quickly learned the merits of riding in a slightly offset format. When you ride directly behind another cyclist in the pouring rain you have no need for a water bottle. You basically get a face filled with the “rooster tail” of water that constantly kicks off the rear tire of the bike ahead of you. And before you roadies out there ask, no, we didn’t have fenders.

After a warm welcome and a quick CCS plaque presentation to the Coquitlam RCMP Detachment, we were on our way again for the only school visit of the day: Scott Creek Middle School. We were in for a treat! As Don led us around to the auditorium entrance, Tuk, our Advance Car escort, was standing outside. “The kids are so amped in there!” he smiled and said as I pedalled by, “I had to come outside!!” When we rolled into the auditorium, I understood what Tuk meant. How can such little children make so much noise!? It was fantastic!!!!! I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the enthusiastic welcome we received. The kids all had inflatable tubes that they were clapping together, which brought the noise level through the roof!

The school principal presented us with a cheque for funds raised by the school kids and Coquitlam Jeff presented the CCS plaque of appreciation for the school’s continued support over the years. And as a show of thanks, we sang our team song, which we’ve sung to all the school kids along the way. It’s based on a song that the children at Camp Goodtimes sing. I’ve got video footage of us singing and will share it as soon as I can.

Then it was back into the elements and off to the Thrifty Foods in Port Moody. Again, we cycled up to a very warm reception and received a cheque of funds raised by the store employees. Coquitlam Jeff presented the CCS plaque of appreciation and we posed for a few pictures. And we were off to the Port Moody PD… What a busy morning!!

Despite the chilly, damp weather, we received a warm welcome from the Port Moody crew. Travis, one of our moto escort members, is from Port Moody, as is a rider who was supposed to ride with us this year, but had to pull out due to health reasons. We presented a CCS plaque of appreciation and took advantage of a little extra downtime to warm up inside the Department. I bumped into a classmate from the Justice Institute whom I hadn’t seen in ages. That was an unexpected highlight!

Our next stop was a visit to the Thrifty Foods up on Austin Ave, where we were to stop for a lovely, hot lunch. Did you catch the “up” reference? Well, from where we were down in Port Moody, we had to climb up to the high ground in Coquitlam. It turns out that the road that would take us there was the 2+km long Chilko Drive. Team captain, Buzz was apparently giving everyone within earshot the heads-up that, despite the cold, wet weather, they should unzip every article of clothing possible because Chilko is a long climb up. I missed out on that news because I was already chasing after Dayne and Jeff up the hill.

By the time I was halfway in, I felt claustrophobic with all the layers on and I was desperately clawing at the zipper on my jersey to get some air circulation happening. I really had no idea how long the hill was, or how steep it would get, so it was tough to determine an appropriate pace. I just set target lock on the two bikes ahead and kept pedalling. By the time we crested the hill, I was overheating and wishing I had half the number of layers on. Within 5 minutes of stopping, I had completely cooled off and was shivering again. Welcome to the world of stop and go cycling in cold, wet weather! Thank goodness for the Wally van and Dave’s endless stash of chocolate and other goodies to get me through the days. Clearly you burn more calories when shivering, so I can easily justify my chocoholic tendencies =o)

With the entire group together at the top of Chilko, we were on our way to Thrifty Foods. I think the whole peloton was shivering in unison. We had a wonderful lunch waiting for us provided by the Thrifty Foods store, including hot drinks! Woohoo! Our awesome ambulance crew, Mao and Sean, handed out instant heat packs that we tucked up jerseys and down shorts in order to warm up from the core. The Thrifty Store manager had her head shaved while we were there and Jeff did another CCS plaque presentation to thank Thrifty for their incredibly generous support. After huddling together over lunch and cuddling up to heat packs, it was tough to go back out into the unwelcoming weather for the rest of the day. But we did!

For a little inspiration, I read out a blog posting made by a co-worker of mine and my “Junior Team Liaison” mentor, Lisa. Lisa is a longtime Tour veteran and knows the emotional and physical impact that poor weather on tour can have. I was delighted to share her insights with the crew before we rolled into more challenging elements for the second half of the day.

It was really very chilly heading back down to the Lougheed level from the Thrifty Foods. By the time we got to the bottom of the hill, I was properly waterlogged and unable to feel my hands for braking. Yipes! Once we crossed over the Pitt River Bridge, we built up some mileage in the Ridge Meadows area. Despite the low cloud and yukky rain, the Air One helicopter flew out overhead and took some footage of us riding in the area.

Next stop: the Ridge Meadows RCMP Detachment where our RM riders, Zaheer and Kyle presented a CCS plaque to show our appreciation for the Detachment’s continued support of the Tour. Much like I had seen a former classmate at the Port Moody PD, a few RCMP riders saw former “pit mates” (hope I got that right guys!) from Depot. It was a day of rain and reunions. Scott was showing the byproduct of all the amazing nourishment we’ve had through the Tour…

After the Ridge Meadows Detachment, we had one more stop for the day: Coast Capital Savings Meadowtown Branch. I heard a rumour that there was going to be hot chocolate on hand when we got there. That proved to be a life saver, as the weather just got worse. The more I felt like grumbling about the cold, driving rain, the more I made myself think about Owen and his weekly procedures. If he can have a lumbar puncture practically every Friday, then I can handle being cold, wet and uncomfortable for today. This is why we ride.

Coast Capital was very welcoming and opened their doors to us, despite the great volumes of water that our soaking wet crew dragged through the doors. They provided refreshments and our own Wally van Dave handed out cups of fresh hot chocolate to warm us from the inside out.

Once again, our time there was too short, as we had to make our way outside and onto our bikes for the last leg of the day – the ride to our accommodations at the Maple Ridge Ramada. If anyone had told me that two hours from that moment I’d be happily swimming in an outdoor pool, I would have thought they were crazy. I was so incredibly cold, despite my gear junkie collection of rain wear, that all I could think about was a hot shower. It seems that Kellie had the same idea, so we rode side-by-side, trading stories of the warmest thoughts we could muster: from fireplaces to sunny beaches and everything between. It may not have had any real warming effect, but at least the conversation was entertaining and helped to pass the time in the saddle.

And suddenly, magically, we arrived. The inclement weather prompted some preventative measures in bike care from our travelling bike mechanic, Kent. That meant that we were outside a little longer, ensuring that our bikes would be in working order for the next day’s ride, but it was worth it. Without the bikes, we have no Tour!

Kyle and Zaheer presented the Ramada with a CCS plaque of appreciation and then we were on our way to our rooms and definite warmth. For the first time on Tour, I decided to take the plunge into the hotel hot tub. I needed to pull out all the stops to get warmed up. Another group of riders had the same idea!

I looked outside from the hottub and saw steam rising from the outdoor pool. No one sitting in the hot tub had tried the pool, but Dayne was in there earlier and gave it two thumbs up. I tested the waters and was ecstatic! It was such a great temperature. And, of course, the clouds had parted and the sun was peeking through. Perfect timing for the end of the ride.

After a lovely soak for the muscles, we had lots of time to wash and hang our soggy gear for the next use. We were to meet on the bus for our ride to dinner at a local restaurant. What was neat about this night is that a few riders live in the area, so their families joined us for dinner. It must have been a real treat for some of the dads on the Tour to see their kids and wives.

We had a great dinner and then gathered together in the hotel pub for some team bonding. It was Mark’s birthday, so we sang a little Happy Birthday ditty to him. And then it was time to rest up for the second last day of the Tour: the big mileage day! We were on tap to ride 130kms to ensure that we’d crack 800k by the end of Tour.

This morning we were treated to a yummy breakfast buffet at the Marriott… there was an amazing yogurt + granola + fruit compote option that was out of this world! And, add to that some scrambled eggs plus make-your-own waffles, and I was in heaven! Thanks for sharing waffles with me, Chewie! (I can’t believe how much food I’m eating on a daily basis. Yikes!)

With chock-full bellies we loaded up the bus for the winding roll down the highway to Horseshoe Bay.

The hum of the bus must have lulled many riders to sleep, as it was a quiet trip south.

I took advantage of the time to get caught up on some blogging. All I needed was internet access to get posting! Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to come too soon, as I’m only now – post Tour – getting the rest of the postings online. Sorry for the delay, but better late than never! =o)

We regrouped at the Gleneagles Community Centre just outside Horsehoe Bay. Once again we were milking that weather karma, as we had dry conditions in which to ride. Today we had some ground to cover: from the North Shore, to Burnaby to PoCo. In all, we would crack 100kms.

Rather than contribute my usual daily inspiration, I sought out a surprise guest speaker to motivate our crew for the day. Al Pruden, aka “Ambulance Al” is a paramedic who was on the Tour de Coast last year and really missed riding with us this time around. Much to my delight, Al was waiting for us at the Community Centre, so I pounced on the opportunity to tie Al back into the Tour and have him share some inspiration stemming from his experiences with the event and the Junior Team. Al didn’t disappoint. His words were simply heartwarming. It was good to have you with us for those few moments, Al! =o)

The first leg of the route was the always fun, undulating Marine Drive through West Vancouver. Now that we’ve got 5 solid days of peloton riding under our belts, and a whole whack of Sunshine Coast hills, we were able to really rip through this patch of road. It was quite a difference from Day One when we rolled through the same route on our way to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. Knowing each other’s strengths & challenges makes for a much tighter rolling team.

We had a few stops and plaque presentations to make today, the first of which was at the BC Ambulance Service offices in Vancouver. We spun our way through North Vancouver and over the Iron Workers’ Memorial Bridge to touch wheels in Vancouver. Then it was full steam ahead to the BCAS building.

We had three paramedics riding with us on Tour this year: Chewie, Bob and Tom. For the first time on Tour, we had a 3-man team leading the peloton (our paramedics!) as we rolled up to the applause of their co-workers at BCAS. We had a wonderfully warm reception and presented the BCAS brass with a CCS plaque of appreciation for their continued support through fundraising and the paramedics who ride on Tour as well as those who drive the ambulance and provide us with medical care on Tour. We’re a lucky bunch!

After the BCAS stop, we were due at the Canadian Cancer Society Greater Vancouver Region offices where a terrific bbq lunch and some head shave opportunities awaited. The six Vancouver PD riders assumed the front ranks of the peloton as we rounded the corner from Boundary onto E 1st Ave. A warm reception awaited us, with CCS staff, VPD Senior Management, Junior Team members, media and more!

Much to my delight, Junior Team member Owen was there, sitting front and centre with his dad. Owen had big smiles for us as we lined up in front of the crowd of cheering supporters.

Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu presented the Tour with a cheque for $3000 on behalf of the VPD and several Vancouver PD “brass” stepped up among others for head shaves to support the cause.

Owen, my team mate Kirsty, and I stood by and supported the first few people who stepped up for head shaves. As we watched, Owen leaned over to me and struck up a conversation that started with, “Hey Beth, you know what we should do next year…?” And that sealed my fate. If there was any question in my mind as to whether I’d sign up for the 2010 Tour de Coast team, it went right out the window in that precise moment. How could I not be there next year to support these amazing kids?

The head shaves became contagious, as a few of the Tour riders decided to go under the clippers as well. I was enjoying a much needed lunch when my teammate Bob came over and asked if I would like to shave his head as “payback” for him failing to point out some big manhole covers in the road during our Whistler ride yesterday. I was deeply touched that Bob would entrust that role to me and, of course, I accepted!

Bob took the seat of honour and I was handed a freshly sharpened & oiled set of clippers. My heart raced. I didn’t want to hurt my team mate. Thankfully, the clippers had a guard on them, so I couldn’t inadvertently lop off an ear. I am here to tell you that Bob’s hair is as soft as his heart. Wow did he have silky locks!! And, as the clippers sheared off Bob’s hair like a hot knife through butter, it became evident that he’s got a great noggin for a shaved head! The end result was that Bob looks like a million bucks and, some think, the Dalai Lama!

Thank you, Bob. It was an honour.

New West riders Jeff and Sean also went under the clippers. Sean’s sister did the honours for him.While this was happening, I had a visit with Owen, who told me that he’d been teasing Chewie that Chewie had been nominated for a head shave that day too. Owen asked me to play into the joke and go tell Chewie that it was his turn to get up there in the chair and get a “sideways mohawk”. And off I went.

I did just as Owen asked: I marched right up to Chewie, grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the chairs, saying, “Owen reminded me that it’s your turn to get a sideways mohawk.” To my surprise, Chewie simply smiled, shrugged and said, “oh. all right then.” And suddenly Chewie was in the chair and I had the clippers back in hand. What a great sport Chewie is. That guy has a heart of gold and would do anything for these kids. That’s why he rides and that’s why he’s spent years and years volunteering at Camp Goodtimes, on Tour, and at other children’s charities. Chewie – you’re an inspiration!

Per Owen’s request, I shaved a sideways mohawk into Chewie’s hair. It actually looked more like a hairband made of hair, but we got the pictures and some laughs. As I was shaving off the hair hairband, the clippers suddenly stopped working. I’d played that joke on Bob when I was shaving his head, but that was just a little prank coming from me. This clipper failure was the real deal! There sat Chewie with half a hair hairband and I was looking around in a panic, desperately flicking the power switch on the clippers, hoping someone would come and save the day. A few tense moments later, the clippers fired up again and I heard peels of devious laughter coming from behind one of the speakers at the other end of the “stage” area. Ha ha! The prankster got pranked! Off came the remaining hair and there was nothing left but Chewie’s great melon!

All four of the Tour guys have great craniums (crania?) for sporting shaved heads! And no, Jeff, you don’t look like Beetlejuice. ;o)

With nothing left but a few crumbs on the lunch table and a carpet of hair on the makeshift stage, we saddled up to continue the day’s journey.

Just road boss Don was making final checks before departure, Tony pulled off the world’s slowest unclipped tip-over ever… In fact he had enough time to shake his head back and forth in disbelief as he and his bike toppled to the ground. Good thing argyle suits you, Tony!

Once again we had full bellies from a wonderful meal, which none of us would soon forget since within three minutes of riding away from the CCS office we were slogging it up the steep Boundary Rd hill to Hastings St. My stomach tried to remind me of what I had for lunch at least a few times during that brief climb. And that got me thinking about the incredible nausea that kids undergoing treatment have to endure as a side effect. Mine was fleeting. Theirs, not so much. This is why we ride.

Our next stop was just down Hastings St into Burnaby – we were riding to the largest Secondary school in BC: Burnaby North Secondary.  As we cycled up the circular driveway, it was lined with cheering teens…  What a great reception! Our Burnaby riders, Pete, Kirsty, Wade and Mary-Ann Accepted a generous fundraising cheque for $2500 from the students and presented them with a CCS plaque of appreciation in return. And then we were on our way again… But this time for a tour out to Port Moody in order to accumulate some mileage for the day.

We did a windy, speedy ride out the Barnet and back just in time to roll up to the Burnaby City Hall for a wonderful presentation by the mayor.

How cool is this? Mayor Corrigan read out an official Proclamation that declared September 28 “Cops for Cancer Day” in the City of Burnaby. Each of the Burnaby riders will receive a copy of the Proclamation, and each Tour member received pins from the City of Burnaby and the Burnaby RCMP. Once again the Burnaby Four took the stage to present a CCS plaque to the Burnaby Mountie Detachment for their continued support of the Tour.

Unfortunately, Mark was not riding with us today, as he was at a family commitment. But, he had sent me an email just moments before we were to leave Burnaby and in it had asked me to read it to the team. So, I asked Buzz to gather the troops for one more flash of inspiration, this time from a team mate. Mark’s words were so deeply personal and so beautifully written, I was reduced to tears as I attempted to read them. This is becoming a habit for me! Thank you for your lovely inspiration, Mark.

With the warm Burnaby reception behind us, all that was left was to negotiate rush hour traffic to find our way to Port Coqiutlam for our accommodations for the night – the PoCo Inn & Suites Hotel. Rather than clog up already congested traffic on the Lougheed, our incredible escort crew navigated a route that got us there with the lowest possible impact on commuters.

I have to take a moment here and acknowledge the incredible talent and dedication of our escort crew: motorcycle team Don, Tim, Steve, Carlo, Travis and the Tail Car Matt (up until yesterday) and Erica (from today forward). These amazing police officers not only plan out our routes, they also leap frog ahead of us to block intersections and control traffic and simply keep us safe. When we’re rolling, we do not stop for stop signs or traffic lights. Don always rides his motorbike at the front of our peloton and the Tail Car always stays at the very back of the entourage. The four remaining motorbike cops zip around and control the traffic around us.

If it sounds complicated, well, it is. And it’s dangerous for them. I learned on this Tour that, in order to leap ahead and block an intersection, the moto guys need to go at least 20kph faster than our peloton is rolling. On the Sunshine Coast, where traffic is relatively light, the biggest challenge is the narrow, winding roads. In the Lower Mainland, it’s a whole different story: huge traffic volume, multiple lanes, complicated intersections, transport trucks, active railway crossings, construction, pedestrians, other cyclists, and more. And, of course there’s us. When the moto guys zing ahead of our peloton, sometimes they’re passing us with mere inches between their bikes and ours.

It’s a demanding job and we wouldn’t be able to do the Tour without our escort crew to keep us safe. So, on behalf of the 26 riders on this year’s Tour de Coast, I’d like to say Thank You to our incredible crew.

Once we rolled up to the hotel in PoCo, our Coquitlam rider, Jeff, presented a CCS plaque of appreciation to the PoCo Inn & Suites for their continued support of the Tour.

With 101kms on our wheels for the day, we had a quick turnaround to get on the bus for our journey to the West Vancouver Lions dinner hosted at the Ambleside Lawn Bowling Club.

What a fun event! The WV Lions Club have hosted dinner for the Tour for several years now and it is always a Tour highlight. Tonight was no exception. We were warmly welcomed by Lions Club members and presented with a donation cheque for the cause. Our WV rider, Kellie, presented the Lions Club with a CCS plaque of appreciation and we were on to a wonderful catered meal. Kirsty, who sat across from me, said I uttered roughly 37 “wow”s during dinner. And that wasn’t including dessert.

The highlight of the night for me was being awarded an Oktoberfest lederhosen t-shirt by the Lions Club members for recognizing the key elements of a true Oktoberfest party (polka band, schnitzel and, of course, beer). I confessed my Kitchener-Waterloo heritage gave me the best inside scoop, other than living in Germany. The t-shirt is gigantic and features an equally gigantic pair of green lederhosen painted on both front and back. I donned it with pride and there is photographic evidence somewhere to prove it! Oh, here it is (thanks to Eric from the Lions Club for the pics):

Kirsty – if you thought one of the previous blogs was lengthy, then this one is verbose x 3!

Rumor has it that the weather is not going to be pleasant for us tomorrow. The fact that it’s windy and rainy tonight doesn’t give me much confidence that the sun will be smiling in the morning. Time will tell…

At one point yesterday as I was putting the finishing touches on the day four words, Kirsty leaned over my shoulder and pointed out that we would probably be done the tour before people finished reading that entry.

“Yeah, I’m pretty verbose,” I replied.

Out of nowhere, Kirsty threw down the gauntlet: “Verbose, eh? Now that you’ve used that word, you have to put it into your blog.”

Well, sista, this one’s for you! Verbose verbose verbose. =o)

And on with day five…

Our first order of business was to make tracks over to the Squamish White Spot for breakfast. After filling up on a hot breakfast, Wade presented the White Spot manager with a CCS certificate of appreciation for their support. Then we hopped on the bus for a trip up to Whistler.

We landed at the Whistler RCMP Detachment and got geared up to start our ride. On tap was 100kms+ into the Pemberton Valley area. Happily, our weather karma was still going strong, as the skies were clear and the sun was slowly taking the edge off the overnight chill.

Each day it seems to take a little longer to get bikes sorted, gear assembled, various body parts taped and ample chamois cream applied. During this process I discovered that my bike shoes provided a solid platform for some inventive stretching en pointe… a biker ballet of sorts.

For our daily inspiration, I read out a lovely comment that Josh’s mum had posted on the blog. It’s really amazing how a few simple words can really set the tone for the day and connect us together. Plus, we love hearing from the Junior Team and our families and friends, so keep ‘em coming!

We set off spinning through Whistler Village and wound our way over to the highway. I’ve actually been capturing great video footage of our journey and am hoping to get some clips posted up here soon.

If you haven’t made the trek before, the highway from Whistler to Pemberton is a really sweet patch of pavement… nicely undulating with just enough long downhill runs to offset the uphill pushes. Today I topped out at 71kph, so the Sunshine Coast still offered the best opportunity for a mach chicken downhill.

En route to Pemberton we stopped at the side of the road and at precisely 11am, Don led a moment of silence in honour of Police and Peace Officers Memorial Day. The entire team removed helmets and bowed heads to pay our respects to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice doing what we do every day.  I was grateful to Don for initiating the moment.

Once we got over the riser and down into Pemberton, we set our plan to ride a long, flat stretch of road up into the valley. It was so incredibly beautiful up there – the mountains towering on both sides in the distance and expansive stretches of lush farmland in the foreground. We got a nice paceline underway and just focused on spinning and taking it all in.

It’s interesting… after  several kilometers of spinning on flat road, I was really missing the hills. I was yearning for a different riding posture, to use different muscles, and to do something other than mash away on the pedals. The ride I was looking forward to the most turned out to be very different than what I’d expected. This was also the roughest stretch of road we’d ridden so far, and kilometer after kilometer of vibrations in the handlebars and pedals can take its toll. There were some decent sized potholes that bordered on craters just waiting to gobble up for lunch any rider not paying attention. Fortunately, we left them all gaping and lunchless.

For a flat ride, it was a mentally taxing day! Junior Team member, Owen, was on my mind a lot today. It’s probably because he’d emailed me recently and I had a quick Facebook chat with him last night. And because whenever I look at Tom’s shaved head, I know that Tom did that in support of Owen, so he’s never far from my thoughts. If you’ve seen the Cops for Cancer spot on Global TV, then you’ll have seen Owen standing with us at the very end. He’s quite the warrior kid. And quite the inspiration.

Though the riding has been phenomenal for the first half of the Tour, I’ve really missed interacting with the Junior Team kids. Once we get back to the Lower Mainland on days 6-9, we’ll be seeing lots more of them. Plus, Owen’s coming out with us for the last day, which will be such a treat!

After about 25k of spinning into the valley, we turned onto a road that had the biggest craters of all time – they were ginormous and could cause such incredible damage to any vehicle that someone had highlighted them by encircling them with blue spray paint. Forget riding in formation – that stretch of road was simply individual survival. Fortunately, we were only dodging craters on it for a short time before we arrived at our riverside lunch spot. We had some amazing sandwiches from the IGA in Whistler (turkey & cranberry…yu-um!) and kicked back in the sun for a rest.

After a few photo ops on the bridge, we headed back on the same long, flat road into Pemberton.

Even way out there in the valley, people seemed to pop up out of nowhere to waive and cheer us on. We’d literally be riding past vast, open farm fields and suddenly a person would spring up out of the furrows and cheer and waive. I commented to Dayne that it almost seemed like they’d been planted there by someone involved with the Tour, just to give us a much needed midday boost! As has been the case all along, the support of the people around us drives us to pedal harder.

We made it back into Pemberton proper with about 96kms on the odometer. We stopped there for some more photos and to pack up the bikes and gear, hop on the bus and zip back down to Whistler in time for some appearances in the Village. It was a quiet bus ride into Whistler, as many riders were zonked from the day so far. Who knew that such a flat ride could be so draining?

We stopped on the highway just north of Whistler Village and reassembled the peloton for the ride to the RCMP Detachment. After being cocooned on a warm, comfy bus it was quite a shock to step out into the crisp air and climb back onto the saddle. I’m not gonna lie – it was really pretty cold riding down the highway and I was wishing I was back on the bus. But we rolled into the Village in no time and were in perfect formation for the local newspaper photographers who laid in wait for us outside the  Mountie parking lot as we rolled up.

Our local rider, Scott, did the CCS plaque presentation to the Detachment for their support and we posed for some more pics for local media. Then it was back on the bikes and into a quick pack for the 45 second roll down to the Whistler IGA for another photo op and CCS certificate presentation by Scott. Good man!

We regrouped yet again for our last, and by no means easiest, leg of the day – a ride up to our local accommodations for the night. We were being hosted by the Marriott in the Upper Village. Upper. Up. Waaaay up.

I seem to recall really pining away for some hill action earlier in the day. As I pounded the pedals on the 2-3km climb up to the Marriott, I searched my brain for any possible feeling of gratification. Is this what I’d been missing? Aching quads and searing lungs? I kept cranking the pedals with the hope of cresting the hill as soon as possible. I was either being driven by a desperate need to go to the bathroom or the overwhelming feeling that my legs were about to explode. Either way it was going to be messy if I didn’t get up to that hotel in a hurry!

When I looked up and saw the Marriott looming above, it shone like a beacon of hope, which was incredible to me, as Chewie was nowhere to be found. (Inside joke – hope you’re laughing, Chewie! Well, if you’re not, at least Kirsty will be…)

Once the rest of the pack arrived, Steph doled out our room keys and we had some free time before our team dinner.

The Marriott put on a great bbq spread for us and Steph presented the hotel with a CCS plaque for their 4 years of supporting the Tour. We sang a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday to Brandi (the Manager and generous host) and then the night was ours. Some went for a little excursion into the Village, some soaked tired bodies in the hot tub, and some of us stuck around for the entertainment highlight: Pete’s Comedy Fest.

I was excited to ride up into the Valley today – it’s a road ride I’d wanted to do for a long time. The scenery was quite beautiful and it was easy to forget that I was riding in a pack with 25 other people… Apparently others felt that too. There seemed to be more drifting and daydreaming today than on previous rides. I think it was the combination of scenery and flat road. There were a few near misses along the way, but fortunately nothing happened other than Chewie tipping off his bike from a complete standstill and grabbing a power nap while he was horizontal on the pavement.

It’s hard to believe that we officially crossed over onto the “more than halfway done” side of the Tour. As I was sitting at the table listening to some of Pete’s stories, I was thinking how anti-climactic it will be to walk away from this new, cool family when things are all said and done on Thursday. I’m really going to miss this crew.

Next up for Day 6: back into the Lower Mainland.

I fell asleep on a tray of sandwiches today.

There was a raised plastic cover on the tray (which made for a nice pillow with some flex in it) so the sandwiches weren’t harmed. But clearly I’m needing more rest at night.

This morning we had quite an early start, and this time it was on the bikes rather than the bus. TJ and I were sharing a room and both woke up a little past 5:30am. That was the first time I needed to take some ibuprofen to ease my legs into the day. Seems that the hills are starting to take their toll.

Thankfully we had a great hot buffet breakfast as a send off, courtesy of our hosts, and I loaded up on eggs and pancakes. I wasn’t sure how smart a move that was, considering we would be on the bikes before everything had settled, but it needed to be done. My body’s been craving more and more food as the days tick by. I wonder if it’s trying to bulk up in order to gain more speed on the downhills?! Today I’d have my chance to test it out…

For our daily inspiration, I read out the comments posted on the blog from the Junior Team family, the Zitrons. Thank you for your thoughts and wishes… we carried them with us all day!

We were on the bikes for 7:15 and the wind had kicked up overnight. It was looking like a chilly start to the day, but the sun was easing its way up into another clear sky. Sweet weather karma continues! Once we were rolling, it turned out to be a really comfortable temperature for riding.

We didn’t have any school or community visits today – we were simply aiming to build our mileage by riding back down the Coast and making our way to the Langdale ferry.

The first leg of the journey was roughly 30kms to the Saltery Bay ferry terminal. Poor Lance was caught a bit unawares this morning when he learned that we were riding and not bussing to the ferry. He hadn’t topped up on pain meds thinking that he’d have lots of time. Instead, he downed a few tablets right before the ride and struggled through the pain in his angry knee until the drugs kicked in. We’re all convinced that Lance is going to have over-developed left triceps from constantly pushing on his left leg to assist in the pedal stroke. He’s a tough cat. Unfortunately, Lance’s knee was far too deliberate in its intent to take a rest day, so Lance gave it due respect and opted to ride with Kent in the bike tech vehicle for the rest of the journey. There is no point in pushing to the point of being incapable of finishing the Tour cause we’ve still got plenty of kms to go. Lance totally gets that. Huge respect there.

So it was pretty much same ol’, same ol’ as we made our way toward the ferry… ups and downs. When we were getting closer to Saltery bay, the moto escorts started telling us that we were going to stop for a scenic team photo at the viewpoint at the top of the next hill. I looked up ahead and saw a fairly short, but solid incline waiting for us. It seemed totally manageable, especially if we had a rest stop at the top. So, I decided not to waste any time in getting to the top. The sooner I get there, the longer I can rest!

With the crest in sight I was already plotting which treats to scoop from the Wally van that would inevitably be waiting for us up there. Then I eased around the corner and saw the next section of uphill. Rats! Tactical faux pas: never assume that the hill is over before its really over. As I continued up the hill I flashed back to a conversation with Tony, who was describing a relentless hill, between Powell River and Saltery Bay, that seemed to go on forever. Just when you thought you’d crested, you snaked around a corner only to find… more uphill! This monster was a dead-ringer for that one Tony described. So we persevered. It wasn’t until I saw the viewpoint street sign that I let myself believe that the top was near. And it was. Whew!

Buzz gathered the troops together for an “Alumni – Newbies” photograph. According to Buzz it’s a tradition. As we posed for a few pictures, Buzz ensured that we were all well hydrated. Then we were on our way to Saltery Bay.

Immediately before setting off, Don gifted us one of those golden moments where he said that the road to the terminal was basically all downhill from here… and we were welcome to ride at our pace of choice, including mach chicken! The road was all ours. The big dogs set off on their mission to break the sound barrier and I decided to see if the added weight from my big breakfast would push me even just a little faster. I kicked into the big ring, dropped the hammer and let ‘er rip.

When I pulled into Saltery Bay, my speedometer still hadn’t cracked 73kph. The guys up front reported being almost 20kms faster than that! I thought I’d heard a sonic boom from up ahead…  Oh well, so much for my big breakfast theory.  Hmmm, maybe my bike computer simply can’t count past 73…

With such gorgeous weather, we had another beautiful ferry ride back to Earl’s Cove. We hopped on the bus and drove a little way up the hill from the ferry terminal and then pulled off to the side of the road to gear up for the final leg of the day’s ride. There was still a pretty good climb away from Earls Cove, but we had some pretty good music blasting from the Wally van behind us and it was a bluebird day, so we really can’t complain!!

We had about 26km to ride to our next scheduled “comfort stop”. As we’ve come to expect from the Sunshine Coast, the road was hilly and winding. Ride up hill, zip down hill. Rinse, wash, repeat. Personally, I’ve been loving this type of riding… your legs get a solid workout on the climb, and then your adrenaline gets pumping on the downhill. The scenery has been absolutely lovely and the roads are wonderfully smooth… It’s been cycling heaven! Admittedly, cycling is my thing and has been for a while; however, many riders on our team had never been on a road bike before joining the Tour. I have incredible respect for them taking on this challenge. There are so many elements of cycling that you take for granted as a seasoned rider: cadence, gearing, body positioning, hill strategy, pack technique… the list goes on. Many of my team mates are learning these things on the fly. And they are doing great!!

WIth a nice little rest at a golf course along the way, we had a chance to refuel, reapply chamois cream and muscle cream, pop some anti-inflammatories and psyche up for the last real push for the day.

Within a few kms we rode past Pender Harbour Secondary and I remembered the road ahead from riding back on day 2. As we started up the slow climb past Madeira Park I came across one of my team mates who was struggling with excruciating knee pain. We pulled over to the side of the road to give her a break. I knew she didn’t want to stop, despite the pain; however, with hundreds of kilometers ahead of us, taking the last 30kms off was the best option. It was a tough decision for her, and I have huge respect for her stepping off the bike. I would have felt the same struggle if the roles were reversed. It’s hard to step away from the ride. Not long after, a second rider, faced a similar challenge and also opted to respect his body and ice/rest rather than possibly do more damage. A few kms later, he came back and joined us for the last stretch.

After a really nice big ring rip down a long stretch of highway, Don made a right turn onto what I thought was a road familiar from day two. I  asked the group of riders around me if they remembered this as being the road with the crushing practically vertical hill right smack in the middle. They thought it was. We all grumbled and groaned in anticipation of our legs falling off and even tossed out the idea of asking not to do the climb (of course we never really would have – just the thought of having control over our destiny made us feel better). And then it hit me. Hard. Casey didn’t get to opt out of his surgery last week because he was feeling tired. Owen can’t protest his weekly treatments just because he doesn’t feel like having them. This is why we ride.

Turns out our recollection of the road was incorrect and the crazy steep hill wasn’t in the cards for today. Instead we stopped at a t-intersection with the highway and waited for the pack to regroup. I watched the wind howling through the trees across the highway and wondered whether we could finagle that into a nice little tailwind for the remainder of the ride.

Don said that we had about 30 minutes left before we had to hop on the bus and head down to the Langdale ferry terminal, so he was going to take us down the highway to a meet point near I think it was Trout Lake. Instead of the short sharp hill we remembered from day two, we got served up a nice looooonnnnnngggggg hill while being pummeled by cross-winds.

As with any other challenges on the road before us, we persevered and made our way up the hill. Some riders were strong and some struggled, but we all made it to the meet point where the bus – and lunch – awaited. So that was it for riding for the day. We racked up 75kms and a few bike repairs for Kent along the way.

The Sunshine Coast hills precipitated a spike in the aroma of Rub A535. And, even the support crew was showing signs of fatigue along the way.

After a ferry ride from Langdale back to Horseshoe Bay, we drove up to Squamish where we stayed in the lovely Executive Suites Garibaldi Springs. Two words: In-suite Laundry!!!! My chamois have never been happier. Or cleaner.

We were treated to an amazing, emotional evening hosted by members of the Squamish Nation at their Totem Hall. We were received with open arms and a welcoming song and then treated to an amazing meal that absolutely nourished our tired bodies. There were wonderful handcrafted items available at the silent auction, for which many riders bid and won. And each new rider on the team (all 24 of us!) received cards hand-written by the children in the room and a small gift as a token of appreciation for our involvement in the Tour.

We danced together, had a healing circle together, gave and received many hugs, and shared in some cases deep emotional connections. It was truly a magical evening and brought our team even closer together. We’re becoming more and more a family as each day rolls by.

Many many thanks to the elders and members of the Squamish Nation for welcoming us into their community. It was truly a memorable experience and one none of us will soon forget:

Hoy-chex w-a

The bus was fairly quiet on the way back to the hotel, as we’re all feeling the emotional and physical drain set in. Tomorrow morning we head up to Whistler for a much anticipated ride into the Pemberton Valley….

PS – Now that we’re almost halfway through this journey, I realized that I haven’t put my little disclaimer on this blog. Of course this is just the Tour de Coast through my eyes and my words. If you asked any of the 40-plus people involved with this Tour to describe each day, we’d all have different memories and perspectives on our experiences. Please keep that in mind as you read.

Cheers,
Beth

This morning I woke up feeling the most rested so far, and that was after staying up late with a couple of others stargazing and watching the campfire fizzle out.

The troops were a little slower getting to breakfast today and I think that the delayed onset muscle soreness is a permanent fixture now that we’re settling into the groove of daily riding.

Buzz started us off with our daily Junior Team inspiration coming from Nikki – the JT member who helped Liam and Owen hand out the friendship bracelets at the opening ceremonies. She had written a few lines and asked that they be read to the team at some point. Nikki told us that she would be there to push us up the hills.  Those few simple words gave us strength we didn’t know we had.

The Junior Team kids really get what we’re doing out here and it’s an honour to be riding for them. The toughest hill we face pales in comparison to the challenges that these kids endure. They are our heroes.

It was an early start today, but not to climb on the saddle; today we were bussed up the same windy coastal “highway” that we had ridden yesterday. The turns seem far more exaggerated cruising along on a bus than snaking through on a bike!

A good chunk of the team caught some more sleep enroute to the Earls Cove ferry terminal, which we were going to need for some of the longer climbs up to and back from Lund.

I hope we’re not using up all of our incredible weather karma – it was another stellar day… blue, blue sky and gorgeous sunshine. It has honestly been the best possible riding weather we could ask for.

The ferry cruise up to Saltery Bay was beautiful, with incredible scenery all around. We pulled off the ferry on the bus and were delighted when Don had our bus driver keep going straight up the first hill. Our luck ended at the crest of that hill, as that’s where we pulled over to assemble the peloton to kick off the day’s ride.

Anthony, our local Powell River rider, gave us the insider’s scoop on the road that lay ahead. A nice long climb – not unlike the grind up from Langdale – and then a sweet downhill toward Powell River.

What Tony failed to mention was that the climb started within about 3 minutes of setting off on the ride. Legs were creaking, bikes were groaning and I think we even had some teeth gnashing as we pushed our way uphill. Most of us were layered up against the chill of the morning air and by the time we crested that hill, the layers peeled off and found their way into the motorcycle escorts’ saddle bags. I’m wondering where I can sore a pair of “quick release” leg warmers.

Next up: the fastest downhill du jour! We have a few pretty big guys on our team and they benefit from the muscle mass plus gravity on the downhills. When there’s a good downhill stretch coming up, Don gives us lots of room up ahead and we just let ‘er rip! The golden rule of the ride is that no matter how fast the downhill or how strong your legs feel you never ever pass Don’s motorcycle. So when he pulls away to give us room to play, we take full advantage! My spedo topped out at 73kph but the fastest guys were up at 86! I think I’m going to need to bulk up with more pasta and dessert at dinner if I want to fly up front with the big boys. Play time like that sure makes those uphill grinds worthwhile =o)

As we rode into Powell River, people honked, waived and applauded when we rolled by. Our first stop was Avid Fitness conveniently located at the tip top of town. It was a good uphill push to their front door where they rewarded us with yummy energy chews and some rest time for photo ops. Tony presented their crew with a CCS certificate of appreciation and then we were on our way to stop number two: the Powell River RCMP Detachment (Tony’s home base).

It was just a quick wheel over to the mountie station and Anthony again took on his local rider role to present a CCS certificate. And then suddenly, thankfully, it was lunchtime! Off came the helmets and bike shoes and out came the sandwiches. As a bonus, our stellar rider care Wally van man, Dave, is keeping our tuck shop on wheels wonderfully stocked with all kinds of tasty treats in addition to energy bars, gels, drinks and water. I have never tasted a better chocolate chip cookie in my life than the ones he hands out at rest stops after gnarly hill climbs. Wahoo! So, we raided the tuck shop for some apres lunch treats and basically polished off one full bag of those double choc cookies. Happy, happy bellies.

It was so great to get some food on board, but it seems that each time we stop it takes longer and longer for the legs to wake up again. The rest of the day was going to be spent spinning up to Lund and back again. By this point we were all catching on that the Sunshine Coast is not generous in delivering long flat runouts. This afternoon was no exception.

The narrow, winding road to Lund had its ups and downs (though more ups than downs for the most part) and we ended up taking a few breaks to let traffic flow through. What really impressed me was that practically every driver that had been held up in a sometimes lengthy queue behind us came by with a smile and a wave (with all five digits!) and sometimes even applause and cheers. Now that’s seriously cool and it really means a lot to us.

We continued north toward Lund and were rewarded with an awesome 3-4k downhill run into the marina. We didn’t top the earlier downhill speeds of the day, but it was still a blast nonetheless!

That was my first visit to Lund and I will definitely be going back. The water was almost glassy-calm and the sun was a bright, warm disk in a deep blue sky. I could have stayed there all afternoon and into the next day. We rolled right down onto the dock for a group photo against an amazingly picturesque backdrop. Earlier that day, on the ferry to Saltery Bay, Gina had a great idea to take a photo of us holding a message to send to Casey, our JT inspiration from yesterday. We decided that the words “This one’s for you, Casey!” would be just right.

We took a few team photos on the dock and then Gina pulled out the pages with huge black lettering and we took some pics to send to the Wright family. Gina even texted one right away from her phone to Larry, Casey’s dad. They turned out great and it was our little way of showing Casey that we’d been pulling for him.

As I stood on the dock daydreaming and imagining my retirement home in Lund, I realized that I was looking across the water at Savary Island, which is where my Sgt has a family cabin. It was at that moment that I completely understood why he comes back to work after a few weeks’ holidays up there and seems a little sad. It must be heartbreaking to leave!

It definitely turned out to be heartbreaking for us to leave when we realized that the super-fun downhill run into Lund had suddenly turned into a gruelling uphill climb out of Lund. Who’s the genius that designed hills to be like that anyway? So there we were, slogging away on another uphill grind when I remembered Nikki’s words, “I’ll push you up the hills”, and shared them with the riders around me. Thanks for the lift, Nikki! We couldn’t have done it without you =o)

Once again, our supastar trio proved themselves the gutsiest riders going: TJ, Mark and Lance hung it all out again today and did us proud. Psychologically, it isn’t easy being at the back of the pack, but these three take it all in stride. Mark’s legs are on strike most of the time, TJ’s lungs are recovering from bronchitis and Lance’s left knee doesn’t want anything to do with pedalling… but still they ride. I am so proud of these guys. Of our whole team, actually! We’re all working to help each other make it through and it’s like being part of a great big rolling family.

After conquering the hill, we made our way back to Powell River Town Centre which we would call home for the night. We put 90km on the odometer, which brings us to 292km over 3 days. Anthony became an instant hero with us when he offered to take all our riding gear home with him to launder overnight.

Our plan for the night was to settle into our hotel rooms, get showered and make our way downstairs to a sold out community dinner in the banquet hall. The tables were set up such that we mixed and mingled with members of the community and got to know them throughout the evening. It was a terrific event, with great food, lots of draw prizes and silent auction items and the piece to resistance… head shaves!! First up were a father-son combination who by the end of their clipper trip succeeded in raising over $650 for the cause.

Next, returning rider (and paramedic) Tom hopped into the chair and dedicated his head shave to our Junior Team member Owen, who’s been battling a cancer relapse since late spring. That one struck pretty deep for me, as I’ve really grown a soft spot for Owen. I had to fight through another round of tears (this is becoming a daily event for me) as I thought  about Owen and the barrage of treatments he’s endured all summer long. His dad describes him best, “That kid’s a warrior.” Our teammate, Kirsty, volunteered to pilot the clippers and Tom’s head shave was underway.

One by one, the members of our motorcycle escort team made their way up to the chair and watched as their tresses fell to the floor. Well, I don’t know if tresses is really the right word for the hair on these guys, but the end result is that their heads were shaved clean. Hats off to you, boys! And thank you for working so very hard to keep us safe out there. You really are the best!

Tony did an amazing job of MCing the event and once again the community warmly welcomed us and wholeheartedly supported the cause. It was a wonderful way to finish a hard-fought day.

I can’t believe that was the end of day three – we’re one third of the way through the Tour already!  So far we’ve had no major mechanicals and no bikers down, although we’ve had a few close calls with riders veering offroad “intentionally” (allegedly). Seems like Kent, our rock star mechanic, has spent the majority of his time inflating tires and not firefighting big mechanicals. Our fab paramedics, Mao and Janna, have dealt with various riders for some knee issues as well as some breathing problems, but overall they’ve not been the busiest people on Tour, and that’s a good thing. Hope it stays that way for them (and us!)

Looking forward to more hills tomorrow as we make our way back down the Sunshine Coast and over to Squamish.

‘Til then…
Beth

PS – Many thanks to those who’ve posted comments on the blog. I’ve been passing them along to the other riders and we really do love to hear from you!

We awoke this morning to clear skies once again…  this crew seriously has some good weather karma built up!

As we gathered in the dining hall for breakfast, I noted subtle undertones of eucalyptus and menthol in the air. Some of us discovered the wonders of chamois cream while others reaped the benefits of muscle ointments. The little twinges and aches have begun.

Our plan for the day was to ride another 100kms up and down the Sunshine Coast where we had some school visits and community centre drop ins on tap.

Before we set off on our journey, we had a team pow-wow where we heard the daily plan from Don, our lead moto, and some sage advice from our fearless team captain, Buzz. Then it was my turn to add the inspiration for the day.

Here’s a little insight into our source of daily inspiration: it’s the Junior Team kids! Though they aren’t physically out here on Tour with us right now, they are certainly here in our hearts and they reach out to us in other ways as well.

Today JT member Casey touched us deeply.

If you’ve had a peek around the other areas on this website, then you’ve likely had a chance to meet Casey already (hint: check out “What Camp Goodtimes Means…” in “The Cause” section).

Yesterday Casey’s dad, Larry, contacted one of our CCS crew to let her know that Casey had been in the hospital again. He had been complaining of headaches that went undiagnosed until doctors discovered that the shunt in his brain had a major blockage that this time required a complete replacement, rather than a drainage. That meant that little Casey had been opened up from his head to his abdomen in order to do the replacement. The good news is that Casey had been released from hospital on Wednesday and was at home recovering. Larry sent along a picture of Casey in his hospital bed.

As the Junior Team liaison, I wanted to ensure that each day we had something to connect us to the JT kids before we started to ride. Today I told the Team about Casey. And today I learned just how deeply this cause can affect us. As I stood there holding the picture of Casey and explaining Casey’s current battle, a huge wave of emotion washed over me and I had to fight through tears to finish. As I looked into the faces of my teammates, I saw the same emotion reflected back. This is why we ride.

Buzz warned us that today would be the first of two tough days with lots of hills to conquer. Today Casey was our inspiration to push through come what may.

We saddled up and rode back into Sechelt where we rolled onto the field at Sechelt Elementary, with a huge row of cheering children before us. They were so excited to see us that some had brought their bikes and wanted to ride laps of the field with the team. Lance and Josh presented a certificate to the school and then we were off to the races! The kids were riding bikes of all shapes and sizes – from training wheels to mountain bikes and everything in between!

Three laps of the field and many hi-fives later, we set off for our next destination, Pender Harbour Secondary School. Little did we know how many grunty hills stood between us and stop number two.

Yet today was the day where our team really began to gel. We’ve started to recognize strengths and struggles and we’re learning how to pull each other through the challenges that come along. It’s actually a pretty cool process to watch unfold.

So we carried each other through the ups and the downs; and though some of the ups seemed relentless, they sure offered up some amazingly rewarding – and uber speedy – downs!!

With a brief stop at Pender Harbour SS, Lance and Josh presented another certificate, and we were on our way back down the road we’d come up. Next stop: Madeira Park Elementary (and then lunch… woohoo!!)

Much like our first stop this morning, the kids at Madiera Park were lined up on the school field awaiting our arrival. As we turned down the road leading to the school, Don fired up the sirens on his motorbike, much to the delight of the kids.

We rolled onto the field and every single one of us – all twenty-six – got either hi-fives or knuckle bumps from all the kids on the field. I think this is the closest I’ll get to the rock star experience! My palm was kinda sore from all the enthusiastic hi-fiving… as I progressed down the line each hi-five seemed to gather a little more enthusiasm. I learned that the wider the grin and the brighter the twinkle in the child’s eye, the more wind-up in the hi-five! It was a blast!

Once again Josh and Lance did a great job presenting a CCS certificate to the school and evoking such a rousing cheer from the kids that they set off a car alarm in a neighbouring parking lot. Now that’s enthusiasm!!!

It was a little hop across the field to an amazing homemade lunch provided by the crew at the local Community Policing Centre. We dined with a lovely group from the community, had some great photo ops, and watched Lance and Josh present the CCS certificate to our hosts.

With full bellies (I hear the carrot cake was unbelievable!) we set off for our final destination of the day, the home of Catherine Gadsby. Catherine is the driving force behind an annual ladies’ social fundraiser that has, over the past three years alone, raised over 110 thousand dollars for Cops for Cancer. Wow!

The Gadsbys have a beautiful home with a stunning view from high atop a hill. High. Atop. A hill. Well, despite lactic acid explosions in our legs and deep burning in our lungs, the grind up that hill to the Gadsby home was worth every single pedal stroke. Not only were we rewarded with that stunning view, but Catherine had cold water and lovely baked goods waiting for us on the back deck. Ahhhhh…. Needless to say, we all secretly hoped that Stephanie (our CCS leader) would surprise us with an overnight stop here.

After a wonderful rest, Josh and Lance presented Catherine with two certificates for her contributions to the Tour and it was time for us to head back to Camp Olave.

The hills were taking their toll on our crew, some more than others. But we gelled even more this afternoon and found more efficient ways to support each other through the tough stuff and keep the pack together. Three of our crew have been battling some physical ailments and today showed some inspirational strength. TJ, Mark and VPD Lance showed us what it means to dig deep and hang tough. Awesome, awesome work guys!

Today we bagged 101kms… and that was pretty impressive considering some of the hills we battled throughout the day!

Our amazing evening meal was provided by the Sechelt Community and hosted at the local Seniors’ Centre. We had a chance to dine with community members and learn a little more about our host town. Lance and Josh made their final CCS certificate presentation before we set off back to Camp Olave for the night.

Once again, we wrapped up the day with a beachfront campfire beneath a rich canopy of stars… and the odd planet. (Right, Chewie!?)

What an incredible day. I am so honoured to be part of this Tour.

(uh oh! the wireless is acting up right now… must be telling me to get to bed since it’s past midnight. I’ll have wait until tomorrow to get Days 3 & 4 posted! G’nite… catch up with you in Squamish!)

Sorry for the delay in getting these updates posted…we’ve just landed in Powell River for the night and I’ve finally got Internet access, so I’ll be catching up on three days of some incredible experiences! Let’s start at the beginning…

Day One: Richmond to Sechelt

We started the day bright and early with a 7:30 meet at McMath Secondary School in Richmond. The Opening Ceremonies for the Tour de Coast have been held there for a few years now and for good reason… this school totally gets behind the Cops for Cancer cause.

The entire 26-member team paraded into the rotunda at the centre of the school, to the applause of a crowd of terrific kids. One of our Junior Team members, Michelle, and her friend Nicole MC’d the event with style while three other JT members – Owen, Liam and Nikki – handed out bead necklaces to each rider.

I should fill you in on the significance of the bead necklaces, ’cause they’re pretty important. Each of these kids battling cancer receives a necklace with their name spelled out in bead letters. Whenever the kids go into the hospital for a treatment (they can receive countless pokes, prods and more), they get a bead to add to the necklace. If you’ve looked at some of the pictures and footage of Camp Goodtimes, you’ll see some children with seemingly miles of beads draped around their necks. Every single bead represents a treatment. Every one.

So, a few years back the Junior Team started the tradition of making bead necklaces for the Tour riders. It’s a way of connecting us to the kids. And it’s symbolic of the challenges we face on Tour. As each day and each hill go by, the beads mean more and more to us.

And as if that wasn’t enough, Liam had stayed up practically all night making each rider a colourful friendship bracelet, which is also a tradition at Camp Goodtimes. We are all wearing these gifts with pride.

Some inspiring words from McMath staff, and representatives from the Canadian Cancer Society and our Tour sponsor Coast Capital Savings, a student-teacher headshave, and lots of photos later, we were heading out the door. We had a mini-marching band send-off, and the Tour was underway! Many thanks to the kids and staff at McMath for such a wonderful start to the Tour.

The plan for the day was to ride through Richmond to Horseshoe Bay in order to catch the ferry to Langdale on the Sunshine Coast.

The weather gods were smiling on us and gifted us with the best weather imaginable… clear blue skies and a beautiful shining sun. After a glorious spin out to Iona Beach, we made our way over the Arthur Laing bridge to Vancouver.

I have to say that with a full motorcycle escort, a 26-rider peloton, a lead car, tail car, tech support vehicle, coach bus, 16-ton truck, Coast Capital Savings Wally wagon, AND a staffed ambulance, we make a pretty impressive sight rolling through town!!

We had an amazing ride through Vancouver and over the Lions Gate Bridge (what  treat to actually ride over the LGB on the road rather than the sidewalk!) and Air One was circling overhead getting some sweet photo ops!

Our first stop of the tour was the West Vancouver Police Department, where our West Van rider, Kellie, presented a certificate to the department for all their work fundraising for the tour.  A few photos and some water refills later, we were on our way to Horseshoe Bay.

We got to relax on the ferry over to Langdale and get to know each other over lunch. For some of the riders this was the first time meeting the rest of the team, which really wasn’t a problem as we’ll have a LOT of time to get to know each other over the next 9 days!

We pulled into Langdale and rolled off the ferry into the hot afternoon sun and the biggest hill of the day. The team did a great job grinding to the top of the hill for a well-deserved break in the shade before making the ride into Sechelt.

Since only two of our team are returning riders from last year, each twist and turn in the road is completely new for the bulk of our crew. Sometimes we turn the corner into a sweet, surging downhill; and sometimes we turn the corner into an uphill that seems almost vertical. No matter which hand we’re dealt, this team is proving to take it all in stride.

With a quick stop at the Sunshine Coast RCMP Detachment, our Sunshine Coast riders – Lance and Josh – presented a certificate from the Cancer Society for their contribution to the cause. Then we were on our bikes again and spinning out the last leg of the day to our accommodations for the next two nights, Camp Olave.

Camp Olave is a picturesque Girl Guide camp situated right on the water. It boasts stunning sunsets and nighttime skies dripping with stars.

Once we were settled into our cabins, we made our way to the camp dining hall were treated to a terrific dinner prepared onsite by the Gibsons Lions Club. Most plates were practically licked clean by our team of hungry cyclists proud to have put 100kms under our belts on the first day!

We wrapped up Day One with a beachside campfire under the stars and much gratitude for the generous support we’d be shown all day long.

If the Tour ended here, I’d be spoiled for the experience; however, we’ve got 8 more days to come! I can hardly wait!

I can’t believe it’s actually here…we’re less than 9 hours from starting what promises to be an incredible journey over the next 9 days. 26 police and paramedics from the Tour de Coast region will cycle 100kms per day for 9 days as we travel through the Tour de Coast area.

This is my first time with the Tour and I have no idea whether I’ll have access to the internet while we’re on the road… but my intent is to blog the journey and share with you the physical and emotional roller coaster that is the Cops for Cancer Tour.

Why am I blogging this here, on the Get on Your Bike! site? Simple: the Cops for Cancer Tour is the reason I started Get on Your Bike! The connection is tight.

Right now I’m bleary eyed and excited at the same time. The packing is done. My bike is buffed, waxed and dialed in. My legs probably won’t know what hits them tomorrow…for various unanticipated reasons they haven’t pedaled a bike in almost 2 weeks. They’re good for it though.

Before I ramble too long, I’ll call it a night. Really looking forward to seeing some of the incredible Junior Team kids at the Opening Ceremonies at McMath HS in Richmond tomorrow morning. Then it’s a quick ride to Horseshoe Bay, a ferry to the Sunshine Coast and lots of rolling hills to ride…yeeeha! Welcome to the 2009 Tour de Coast!

One more sleep…

Beth