The Unexpected in the Prairies

Today, I slept in and lazed through the morning before beginning my ride. I started riding around 10 a.m. as I only had to travel 130-140km.

It was absolutely gorgeous with a beaming sun, great winds and everything moving smoothly. I came up to the physical border division of Saskatchewan and Alberta in Lloydminster. The street it was on was called, "Alberta-Saskatchewan Border"! I decided it was only appropriate to be in both provinces at once.

From there I moved down the road and was honked at several times by those who had seen the news report we did the previous day with a bunch of great guys from NewCap News in Llloydminster. Even a man pulled over and chatted with me for a while and donated $20 to the Chase!!!! Excited by this, I continued on my way to North Battleford! I hit my first problem when my back tire blew just outside of a small town in Saskatchewan called Marshall. I could see a bunch of kids outside at a school which was surrounded by trees allowing me to sit in the shade and change my tire. I hoped I would get the chance to talk to some of these kids about what I was doing!!!

Well, to my surprise, I am now the proud owner of two 1st place, and a 2nd place ribbon from the Marshall School track and field day. I was able to participate in all of the activities due to a generous action by Scott Fossay who offered to finish changing the tire on my bike!!!

As a group we traveled through, long jump, 100m sprints, 800m run, and tossed the football around. I also had a chance to tell my story to this group, and encourage them to make a difference in the fight against cancer.

One thing that absolutely made my day was when one boy named Dylan went up to his teacher Linda and said "I want to ride my bike just like him." This made me realize that I had impacted this boy to make a difference and I am sure he will as he was one great kid! While there, I met many staff, and other students. The donated Eskimo helmet came in handy as some participants were dedicated fans!

I eventually had to leave Marshall school but it is most definitely a place on this trip I will not forget. I thought it was really neat how something that could frustrate a day such as a blown tire, managed to completely make it something incredible. It goes to show when something goes wrong to look around and see if there is opportunity, because if I had simply changed my tired I would have missed out on a Track and Field day and a lot of fun with a bunch of great kids!!!!!

I blew yet another tire shortly after I left the school and decided to switch bikes instead of changing another tire.

I must say that I am extremely appreciative of the members of Chase the Cure on the ride currently. They are always right there to support me, and help me keep pushing, without them this would not be possible. After I changed bikes I cruised and was stopped by my team 25km outside of North Battleford for a surprise!!!! An omelette which was absolutely delicious made by Ashley!!!

The people of Saskatchewan have already been absolutely tremendous. We met a cyclist named Tom from North Battleford who came up to us and chatted with us! He told us of the locations we needed go to, and even offered to situate us outside of the school he works at John Paul II Collegiate for free wireless Internet, and opened the doors for a shower! Thank you so much Tom for your generous actions this really makes a difference for us!!!

Thanks Ashley, Scott, and Brodie for being a great support team on the road it makes a huge difference! Also thanks to everyone who writes emails of support, and honks while we pass on the road. It continues to encourage me!

I encourage all to continue to the 'Chase' as we will find a cure to this disease. Inspire as many as you can, make a difference and donate (Click here to visit the chase the cure site and donate).

Goodnight to all as we sleep outside this old style school shown below! Have a wonderful night and a great day tomorrow.... Together We Ride!!!!