June 26 2011

The Ride to Conquer Cancer.

Day One: 105 km. Day Two: 104 km. These four took on the challenge along with around 2200 other bikers with the event raising over 8.6 million dollars for cancer research in Alberta.

I met up with Justin for lunch in Turner Valley (approximately 44 kms from the finish) to see how he was managing. Everywhere you turned you saw people soaking wet from all the rain. People were wrapped up in blankets and garbage bags trying to beat mother nature at her own game. Even after all of this everyone still had a smile on their face when they got back on their bikes.

As we were hanging out for lunch this cancer survivor starts chatting with us. She has a very rare type of cancer and said that without research dollars she wouldn’t be alive today. It stopped me for a second because she was probably right. Ten years ago the fight would have ended. Today, although the fight is tough and leaves her with little energy, she was still there kissing her husband good luck.

Everybody knows someone who has been affected by cancer. Unfortunately, in my life the list continues to grow larger and larger but all of them have found their inner strength to fight their own battle. Today these four fought fatigue, sore muscles, hundreds of hills, head winds, and the pouring rain. Coming out the other side they still look amazing and had the ability to inspire all the bystanders.

"During our lives...we experience so many setbacks, and fight such a hand-to-hand battle with failure, head down in the rain, just trying to stay upright and to have a little hope." – Lance Armstrong