A small group of Coast cyclists raised money for cancer research and treatment, then biked from Surrey to Seattle in honour of loved ones who have fought the disease.
One thousand, seven hundred and one cyclists participated in The Ride to Conquer Cancer last weekend (June 20 and 21), raising $6.9 million.
"It really empowers you to see that many riders," said Margaret Webb, a local participant who lost her husband Don Lewis to cancer in 2007. "There was loads of support. It was so well organized. A lot of people had personal experiences with cancer."
Webb noticed a small ad for the BC Cancer Foundation's ride in a Lower Mainland newspaper back in October 2008. She was the 16th person to sign up.
"Both of us used to do a lot of riding," Webb recalled.
She retired from teaching last year and her husband was a counsellor at Chatelech Secondary School. Webb said she and her husband spent many summer holidays cycling through the B.C. interior.
Webb then learned of other participants on the Coast located in the Gibsons area. The eight of them began to train together.
Warren Hansen, riding in memory of his life-long friend Coralee, who died at age 32 from cancer, led the training.
"I increased weekly goals by 15 per cent for 15 weeks," said Hansen, adding that training on the Coast was tougher than the terrain of the actual event.
Each rider had to raise a minimum of $2,500 to participate, though most raised much more. Hansen and three friends raised $13,400 while Webb said, by sharing through word of mouth and email, she received many donations through the school district and the Coast Guard Auxiliary for which her husband volunteered.
On June 20, cyclists on everything from a unicycle to hand-powered cycles and tandem bikes, gathered at Guildford Town Centre Mall in Surrey. After the opening ceremony, they left in a long line to the U.S. border.
"There was a sea of yellow shirts. People cheering all the way. As far as you can see down to White Rock, a sea of yellow shirts," recalled Hansen.
He said at the border, riders were admitted to the U.S. in groups of 200. They spent the night in a tent village at Mount Vernon. Volunteers took care of all the riders' needs.
"It was a fabulous, scenic tour of Washington State," Hansen said. "Everybody was totally excited, so happy to be there - happy for the cause."
Then they carried on to the University of Washington in Seattle on June 21.
Webb said seeing all 1,701 bikes lined up at night and at the end of the ride in transport trucks struck her as amazing.
"What a fun ride," she said. "There were all age groups. Lots of middle-aged people."
As the cyclists entered the final stage of the ride, Webb said it was much like the end to a triathlon.
"There was a corridor," she said. "People cheering you on. By that time we were pretty tired."
The group rode approximately 270 kilometres with strong head winds and one brief hailstorm, but she said nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of the riders.
"Cancer is so prevalent. This has gotta stop," Hansen said. ""This was a great experience for me. Obviously it was the journey to get there, but I was charged up on the idea of raising money for cancer to give people like Coralee a fighting chance."
The second Ride to Conquer Cancer is scheduled for June 19 and 20, 2010. Go to www.conquercancer.ca. Webb and Hansen are looking for more training partners.
