Last weekend, Sechelt resident Peter Lietz found himself battling emotional and physical limits at the same time. Over-burdened by supplies and contending with the rain, the 56-year-old pushed ahead on a two-day charity bike tour that placed him in the Cascade foothills of Washington.
Fueled by memories of loved ones lost to cancer - his wife, Cheryl-Ann Law in 2008 and his mother a year "to the day" after - Lietz soon found it would be his knee that would give up first, not his heart.
"It was just you and your thoughts, trying to get up to the next hill and get through," he explained. "I was, you know, getting emotional and other times I was laughing and finding other good things to do, to keep myself amused there's no other way to describe it."
The 2012 Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer began on the morning of June 16 in Surrey, with cyclists crossing the Redmond, Wash., finish line later the next day.
On June 19 it was announced that cyclists like Lietz had helped to raise more than $11 million for the BC Cancer Foundation.
But for Lietz, it was more than just an opportunity to raise funds.
From the very start he had intended to make it a personal experience. He sought out Cheryl's friends and connected with the people who knew her, raising around $3,200 for charity.
During the years they shared, he and his wife had gone on numerous bike trips together, exploring Coastal islands and hopping between bed and breakfasts.
When asked why it was important to make the event personal, to connect with the ones whose lives were also impacted by Cheryl's loss, Lietz said it was something that just couldn't be explained.
"I guess it's because, when Cheryl died, I looked into her eyes. She died at home, and I looked into her eyes and I watched her spirit leave," he said.
As Lietz made his way along the 200km journey, he carried with him two purposes: to connect with those who had also felt loved ones slip away and to bring an end to a disease that is expected to claim 9,500 lives in B.C. this year.
"Those who have seen, we know," he said. "We are survivors of a different sort and need to surround ourselves with others from time to time to recharge, if you will."
Almost 2,900 cyclists participated in the event, according to a Tuesday press release.
Riders had the choice between taking a gentler path along the western shore or opting for the 'challenge' route, as did Lietz.
For months he had cycled circuits between Halfmoon Bay, Sechelt and Gibsons, biking three or four hours daily to prepare for the journey.
When it arrived, at first it wasn't so bad, he said, "but after that it was constant hill climbing.
"Just when I would think I could go no farther, the crest of the hill was just there. So I pushed and thought, 'this pain is only temporary,'" he recalled.
"Then, getting to the top only to see another hill looming in the not so far distance, add a constant unrelenting rain to the mix, and a person just can't buy that kind of fun."
Despite the injury, he still finished the course, opting for the standard track on the second day.
For those who missed the chance to donate to the effort, fret not, Lietz said. He intends to do it again next year.
"So you can start saving your pennies," he said.
