Ride to Conquer Cancer
Well, this past weekend was pretty crazy - I completed the 2014 Alberta Ride to Conquer Cancer! This was my third year participating (other years were 2009 & 2012), and while I can't say it was easier or harder than the other years, I will say it was completely different, and much more emotional. In previous years while riding, I would spend a lot of time thinking about those people on the bikes with the yellow flags, how inspirational they were, how they must be SO STRONG to get out there and complete an event like that. Every time I would catch up with one of them, I'd give them some words of encouragement, not really realizing how much those words meant. Sometimes I would ask their story, or ask how it changed them, always thinking that I would be devastated if cancer happened to me. This year, I was one of those people with the flag, but I didn't feel like I should be an inspiration to anyone. Surely other people had gone through tougher, more painful, harsher treatments than I had! My body had tolerated things fairly well, as far as I knew, so in my head I really didn't think what I was doing was a big deal. Then I had a conversation with another survivor, and we were trying to decide whether treatment was actually harder than the ride, haha. That was at the top of one of the biggest hills on the ride, so our perspective at the time may have been a bit biased! She was absolutely floored that it had only been a year since major surgery, and only 8 months since finishing 6 rounds of chemo. She gave me a huge hug, and asked me if I knew how much it meant to her to see me be so positive and strong. She was also a survivor, and had so many reasons herself to celebrate and be proud, but in that moment I realized that while I was doing the ride to show myself how strong I am, I was also doing the ride to show others that cancer doesn't have to win. Cancer cannot take away your positivity, or your drive, or your desire to accomplish something.
The words that were constantly in my head this year are the words the the Cancer Foundation uses all the time...
"Why do we ride? Because our sweat is nothing compared to their tears. Because our challenge is nothing compared to their fight. Because we are all on one journey, with one destination, one goal: to conquer cancer."
Team Honey Badgers was amazing - over $127,000 raised, we were 6th overall for team fundraising, behind teams like Enbridge, Tom Baker, and Pengrowth, but first overall for a non-corporate team! Way to go everyone!
Here is a quick breakdown for you of what the weekend was like. Ride to Conquer Cancer by the Numbers:
Kilometers ridden: 230
Hours spent sitting on the bike: 10
Number of riders: 1768
Amount raised: $7.9 million
Amount raised by the Honey Badgers: $127,000
Mg of Advil & Tylenol I took in two days: 3200
Calories burned while riding: 10,200
Number of times I wanted to give up: 7
Number of times I actually gave up: 0
Number of Honey Badgers who rode: 34
Number of Honey Badgers I beat over the finish line: who cares
Number of kegs brought to camp: 65
Number of water bottles I drank: I lost track
Number of yellow flags: about 40, not as many as previous years
Number of times random strangers told me I was doing a great job: countless
Number of weddings: 1 (for real)
Number of Cliff bars eaten: 12
Number of hills I had to walk up: 0
Hours of sleep: 7
Morning temperature on day 2: 5 degrees Celsius
Afternoon temperature on day 2; 27 degrees Celsius
Number of flat tires in the Honey Badgers team: 3, all Trevor
Riding across the finish line with my husband, and my mom and sister in law not far behind and the rest of the team surrounding us was amazing. I want to thank every single person who donated, ate cookies, came to the silent auction, wrote words of encouragement, spoke words of encouragement, cheered out their window as they were driving by, and even those who just thought positive things for all the riders this weekend. I really also want to give a shout out to the volunteers who fed us, made sure we had water, ice, food, snacks, Advil, sunscreen and bug spray. A special thanks to the road crew, Boobs on Bikes, who ensured our safety on the busy roads and who dressed themselves and their motor bikes up in ridiculous pink outfits and tirelessly cheered us on with words of encouragement. Everyone's cheering and enthusiasm was constantly bringing tears to my eyes.
I have to call out a few people in particular who have been a constant source of support through all of the training and the entire event. Thank you to my husband who never gave up on me, and was always positive through all of our training and all of my complaining. To my mom, who I am so proud of for completing 5 years of the ride! To my sister-in-law Bri, for joining us, spending time with me, and keeping your chin up even in the difficult sections - obviously the beef jerky trick worked! To Kelli, Bill, Geoff and Lindsay for always being so supportive, so helpful, so encouraging, and reminding me what is really important in life. To Brian and Brenda who were always giving advice - although not always useful (Brian!) haha. Last but not least, to Andrea, Krista, Mike, Brenda, and Bel for being our roadside support and cheering section - you always seemed to know just when we needed a boost.
I have to call out a few people in particular who have been a constant source of support through all of the training and the entire event. Thank you to my husband who never gave up on me, and was always positive through all of our training and all of my complaining. To my mom, who I am so proud of for completing 5 years of the ride! To my sister-in-law Bri, for joining us, spending time with me, and keeping your chin up even in the difficult sections - obviously the beef jerky trick worked! To Kelli, Bill, Geoff and Lindsay for always being so supportive, so helpful, so encouraging, and reminding me what is really important in life. To Brian and Brenda who were always giving advice - although not always useful (Brian!) haha. Last but not least, to Andrea, Krista, Mike, Brenda, and Bel for being our roadside support and cheering section - you always seemed to know just when we needed a boost.
Before I leave you for the night, I have another piece of good news that I want to pass on to everyone - I got my MRI results back a few days before the ride and there is no evidence of recurrence! Woohoo! Time to celebrate - and we have a lot of things to celebrate!
August 12th, 2014