Breaking the Cycle....Ride Day

On Saturday September 18th, 2010 I embarked on a journey to set the record for the longest one day bike ride in Durham region for a charity. My goal was to cycle more than 200 kilometres, through all eight municipalities in Durham in order to raise funds and awareness for the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation.
My fundraising target was an ambitious $3,000 and I wanted to have it raised by the 18th. The following is a summary of my ride that day.

1. Dawn

The sky was inky black at 5:30 a.m.. It was that calm peaceful time before dawn, except in my house. I was up showered and trying to eat oatmeal, peanut butter and blueberries while racing around making sure I had all my supplies. Despite the checklists, the hours spent organizing and reorganizing everything, the hour before we left the house was pure chaos. There is nothing like misplacing one's car keys just prior to leaving to add  that extra shot of tension to an already exciting day.

I had been training since June for this ride, cycling several times a week, spinning, and heading out for longer rides on the weekend with local riding groups whenever time permitted. As a recreational cyclist the most I had ever ridden in one day was 125 kms and that was only a few weeks prior to my Cycle for Shelter date. Despite a nasty (and by all accounts quite spectacular) crash at the beginning of that day, combined with unbearable heat and humidity, I completed the route, but I was not filled with confidence. While in my head I knew I was going to achieve my goal, to say I was at ease with the mileage was grossly inaccurate. Regardless, I was determined to get through it, and as we pulled away from my house that morning on the way to the start point, my focus was entirely on getting to the end of the day.

Sandra, Sharon & Kira were all there at 6:30am to see me off.

Saturday dawned crisp and clear and as the sun was rising I was met at the brokerage (my start and end point for the ride)  by a wonderful group of supporters including my Broker, Kira, Sharon Promm from RLP head office, and Sandra Diaz, Executive Director of the Shelter Foundation.

Talking about the Cycle for Shelter with Mayor Parish

Ajax Mayor Steve Parish was also there to show support and had agreed to ride the first leg of the journey with me.  My mind already focused on the road ahead, and with the sun lightening the morning sky, I said my goodbyes to family and friends and was on my way.

Did someone mention the Tim Horton's Drive thru?

On my way