Wonderful day and Wonderful Stay in Kelowna

Today was most definitely a day to remember I woke up this morning and Ashley managed to whip up a pile of interviews for me today as I was speaking at a school. In total there were seven interviews conducted all before 1:30pm before we spoke about Chase the Cure at AS Matheson. When I arrived at AS Matheson I was met by a former professor and now proud to say friend of mine Shona who arrived with smiles as she has followed the progress of Chase the Cure from the very beginnings. Her daughter and son Paige and Mason for the previous two days set up a lemonade stand in support of Chase the Cure, and raised over $43 dollars. They are truly difference makers in the fight against Cancer! 

Great friends of mine Ryan, Jen, Connie, and Sarah came out to see what this presentation consisted of and I thank them for their support. While speaking at the school the students turned out some phenomenal questions, and created an event called Toonies for Two Weeks, encouraging the kids to bring in donations of two dollars as often as they can for two weeks to make a difference in the fight against cancer! These kids are a complete inspiration to this ride and will be fantastic leaders of tomorrow. Special thanks to Scott Sieben and his staff, as well as Shona Harrison for setting up this great day :) Also thank you to Brodie and Ashley for helping organize and set up this event to inspire these children of AS Matheson! 

The Pendleton family is one of a kind. They completely opened their doors to us for multiple days and really made a huge difference in our stay in Kelowna. Their generous actions in both donations and housing, and heartwarming smiles, brought a completely enjoyable stay in Kelowna. I cannot ever thank them enough for all that they have done for the Chase the Cure, and really have made a difference by allowing us to stay with them! They are truly difference makers in the fight against cancer as they were as equally excited about Chase the Cure gaining coverage in Kelowna as we were. I will most definitely carry their passion for life, kindness, and generosity along with me in this ride as we travel coast to coast! 

Before I left I was given a card from close friends in Kelowna whom not only took time out of busy schedules to see me on numerous occasions but also donated their own money to the Chase. I thank my friends for being extremely generous and being difference makers in the fight against cancer! I cannot wait to see all of you again and wish all of you a wonderful summer :) 

I thank all of those who came out and interviewed Chase the Cure today as you truly made a difference in encouraging Canadians to stand up and make a difference in the fight against cancer! Keep making a difference Kelowna and we will find a cure to this disease! 

I look forward to see what the cities on route to Calgary have to offer the 'Chase' 

That is all for now have a great night :) 

A Day in Kelowna!

Today we woke up to a delicious breakfast made for us by the Pendleton family (We really do love this family). From there we headed off into Kelowna to get brochures out on the city!!!! We moved towards the mall hoping that we would be able to set up a booth within or just outside the mall as it was a gorgeous day. Being unsuccessful at this we decided to place brochures in the windshield wipers of cars. Halfway through though we had a guilt come over us........ we thought about how we felt when these brochures were in our wipers and we drove away. We decided it was in our best interest to stop, and go and work on the AS Matheson Elementary School presentation we will be making on Wednesday!!!!! I was extremely pleased to see some of my old friends from the University of British Columbia today and chat with them for a while. 

After finishing up working on Chase the Cure at a coffee shop all day we decided to go buy groceries and head up Knox Mountain in our RV because apparently we can do that with the RV haha. We spent our night over looking Lake Okanagan (what we saw is above) and eating a delicious meal (below). Things became more interesting when we got kicked out of the park since it was closing time, and we had to drive the RV down a series of switchbacks, to get to the bottom.... I personally thought I would be wearing this delicious meal. We somehow managed to hold a pile of plates, our glasses and the extra rice and salad bowls,

All is well and Goodnight for now and sleep well :)

Early Morning Risers: Merritt To Kelowna!!!

Today the day started off too early in my opinion! The alarm sounded at 5:30am and I felt like I had just hit the right crack on my bed to have a restful sleep. I lazed around for a few minutes before I decided to assemble my things and have a delicious breakfast of yogurt and granola, and a bagel with jam and peanut butter. Following this I hopped on my bike and ascended directly out of the town of Merritt. There were numerous climbs on the 150km route towards Kelowna. A little larger struggle came when a headwind, combined with the hills made the going difficult. At 40kms in, after a hill climb my back tire tube had blown. I assembled my things on the side of the road and began to work on getting a spare in place, ironic as the day before I had helped a older couple change their tire on their car. I finally managed to pull myself back on to the road, and continue on my way to Kelowna. 

Once the RV arrived, my brother decided he wanted to bike the last 60km with me, lucky for him that, there was one more large uphill, to be followed by 25km of straight downhill! We reached a max speed of 75km/hr but had a headwind holding us back from going faster. Even more delightful the temperature was reaching 25 degrees Celsius.The scenery going down was absolutely stunning, beautiful mountains dropping down towards the valley which is something that most definitely needs to be seen!!!! We arrived in Kelowna and were greeting by a friends of mine, one generous one in particular who is allowing us to situate ourselves within their home :). Special thanks to the Pendleton's. It is late here and I am absolutely exhausted so I shall be off to bed for now!! We will be spending the next few days in Kelowna as we are ahead of schedule and look forward to what Kelowna has to offer in the "Chase"

Losing and Finding Myself (Day 2)

Today was a big day. I woke up at 5am, and began riding in a brisk morning out of Abbotsford, BC. Everything seemed to be going well until I hit my least favorite sign on the road - the no biking sign.

I was forced quickly to address the situation and follow a bike route that led me onto country roads. I followed these roads, but it turned out one of the biking signs was not present at an important location. I traveled back and forth trying to find the route for about an hour. After a while I decided to go over an over pass and and took the first road I found.

I was met by a woman running alongside her husband's bike. I stopped to ask them for directions back to the Trans-Canada Highway. After his directions had me walking through a marsh, I stumbled across a bus driver and asked him for directions. He gave some pretty thorough directions and set off to pick up his students. As it turned off, they also led me slightly astray. An hour later, a pedestrian gave me directions that successfully led me to the Trans-Canada Highway.

Following this, I traveled to hope where I met up with the support vehicle and had some lunch and a power nap :). From there, I traveled up and over one of the most intimidating passes on route to Calgary - the Coquihalla. It reaches 1,244 m and has some fairly steep climbing grades!! Overall, everything went pretty smoothly and I arrived at the top.

On the way down the Coquihalla, I came across an older couple on an uphill climb who had completely blown out their car's back tire. I got off my bike, helped them jack the car and chatted while we changed the tire. After hearing what I was doing, they generously donated $105 dollars to Chase the Cure to benefit BC!!!! I was extremely appreciative of them doing this.

My journey ended with me getting chased by three German Shepherds and another bumblebee "situation" - this time in my ear. I have a feeling this recurring bumblebee theme will not be ending any time soon :). I'll keep you posted.

Overall, today was just as fulfilling as yesterday. I'm continually touched by the generosity of the amazing everyday people around me.

Together We Ride.

Inspiring Beginning

Today we launched from Steve Fonyo Beach in Victoria. I must say that there are many stories I could tell from just one day. I will share a few that stick out for me. 

The first is about two individuals named Chris and Linda, who came down to Victoria's Mile 0 to see the launch. Linda is a breast cancer survivor and one of the kindest ladies I have met. These two individuals absolutely made my day. Linda's  bravery in bearing this disease is something I greatly look up to, and now I will carry it with me as inspiration. Her smile showed that she seemed to appreciate every moment and I only hope I can match this appreciation for life. 

Chris is a man who I felt truly carries the same passion as I do when it comes to cancer. He is extremely ambitious and motivating. I know both these individuals will make a huge difference in the fight against cancer, and I know both of them will continue to ride in my heart all the way to St. John's and for the rest of my life :). I know that they will encourage others that they are truly Never Alone in their battles. 

A man from TSN named Pat showed up in style today fully embracing Chase the Cure.  The day before he showed excitement in the Chase as he contacted Chase the Cure, and told us that he would not only be there before us in the morning but he also wanted to gain footage of the ride to the ferry terminal, and come on the ferry with us!!! 

Throughout the day he filled the air with jokes and knowledge he had gained from shooting Rick Hansen around the world. Pat was someone who was fully dedicated to his job and getting great footage! He shot from all different angles out of the car! Even had his driver (Ashley) drive at an appropriate speed so he could sit in the back of the van with the trunk open filming out of it. I would be lying if I said this was my favorite thing about Pat. He gave great advice, had an awesome sense of humour, and overall he was just a phenomenal person dedicated to making a difference in the Chase! 

There were so many highlights from today and I most definitely only shared a few here, others include, Gord from CHEK TV coming down to Mile 0 and doing a great interview, and telling me he needed the "money shots" which was dipping the wheels into the Pacific. 

Another highlight was the first person who arrived at Mile 0 this morning. Candace, a friend of mine, came out to see me leave Victoria. That was an absolute delight!!!!! 

I do have to admit that I did have an extremely scary moment today where my life flashed before my eyes. I was biking and felt everything was going great. I had my mouth open a little so I could breathe and I was looking around at the scenery around me. I brought my focus back to the road and WHAM!!!!!! Right into my mouth flew a delicious bumble bee!!!! Scared out of my mind I immediately blew the bee out of my mouth and hoped that it set sail away from me!! :)

I would like to say thank you to the Victoria community and encourage them to continue to Chase the Cure and make a difference in the fight against cancer. Tonight I will sleep in Abbotsford, and wake up in the morning and travel to Hope on route to Kelowna!!!! Hope to see everyone on the road. I encourage you to continue to make a difference! Good night for now. :) 

Together We Ride  

Chase the Cure Begins Tomorrow

Mile 0, marks many symbolic beginnings. Where Terry Fox was supposed to finish his journey, yet in my mind completed his journey. As he completed his goal of inspiring many across Cancer. It marks the beginning of Canada going from West to East. It marks the beginning of Chase the Cure. 

Tomorrow is the first leg of Chase the Cure, I will take my bike down to the water and dip the back wheel into the Pacific Ocean, and begin to travel coast to coast. I have a variety of feelings going through my body right now, excitement, concerned, and not knowing what to expect. Yet there is a overwhelming calm in myself, as I am completely and solely focused on making a difference in Victoria and encouraging Canadians here to make a difference. 

I hope you will continue to follow and tell others about the "Chase" to end cancer, and we will accomplish miracles. 

Together We Ride

Winnipeg Launch at Earls Polo Park

Here are some pictures from our launch in Winnipeg Enjoy. To find more pictures please click this link :)  http://www.flickr.com/photos/chasethecure/show/with/3505794003/