Our GearUp4CF 2010 Rider's Journal

Welcome to our GearUp4CF Rider's Journal

3000-01-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

We've arrived in Banff on Sunday afternoon, June 27th!
Read on - here's the story of our incredible tour.

This Journal charts the preparations and the actual day-by-day account of our ride. When we completed our journey nine days later on Sunday June 27th, we had cycled over 1200 kilometers, from Vancouver to Banff, including some of the steepest highway mountain passes in British Columbia.

Our ride is more than a cycling tour, though.

Our route.

Click on map to enlarge. For more details, click here

To do this ride, we must complete two major tasks. The first task, only we can do. The cyclists who are volunteering for this tour must train, for months, to be physically and mentally ready to complete a marathon ride of this magnitude. But to accomplish the second task, which is a huge undertaking in its own right, we need your help.

This journey, and this journal, is about raising awareness and vitally needed funds for research through the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

What a difference you can make! For our goal is not just to reach Banff. It is, with your financial support, to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis, and do it soon. Our children and young adults who we are riding for cannot afford to wait.

To our sponsors, thank you!

Our goal this tour was to raise $90,000.
To date, we've raised $120,000!
Your support is so appreciated.
If you can help us, let's do even better.
Every dollar raised gives hope.

Meet our GearUp4CF 2010 Team

(Click on their name for their personal story)
Brian Benson
Margaret Benson
Brenda Cairns
Justin Chan --> Justin's Journal
Kitty Chavarie
Susan Edmison
Tom Evans
Rebecca Malott
Martina Meckova
Bob Payne
Jill Payne
Bernard Pinsky
Leona Pinsky
Simon Ree
Stan Shaw
David Strange
Heather Strange
Andrea Taylor
James Zlosnik --> James' Journal

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? IT'S NOT TOO LATE! Click on their name above, or anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site. Then simply click on the button "Sponsor this Rider".

Postscript

2012-10-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

I just want to add a bit to this journal about thanks. Thanks for all my friends and supporters who helped get me to where I am today. I had no idea so many people cared so much about each other and were willing to help out so much. Life is sometimes about luck, some of us are lucky and get healthy bodies at birth and carry on to reproduce another generation of healthy kids, and some of us arn't so lucky. This ride is about the other folks.

We all take lots for granted in life, doing this ride with parents of CF kids, researchers, friends and family with CF connections has taught me more than I could ever have imagined. With all of your support raising over $7000. became a reality, and now with all of your cheers, good wishes and "go do it's" daily here on the Unternet I find the willpower and strength to finish the challenge of getting to our next
stop everyday.

To all you boilermakers in Kamloops a special thanks for really kicking it up a notch, I feel the love believe me., you women and men are special to me in ways you can't imagine...I think of you as I am pedalling for hours on end up and down endless roads here thru our beautiful province. It is a different sort of way to see this place, we see, smell and hear things you can't experience in a car, so worth it.

I am tired, no doubt about that..my parts are aching but so are everyone else's and we are a tight team now so none of us will quit until we finish this thing.

Thanks again, enjoy every breath..love kitty

Note by Stan Shaw, October 8th 2012: I happened to be reviewing our team journal and have only noticed, just now, that Kitty had posted this lovely message after the conclusion of our trip in 2010. Unfortunately, it was not published at the time. So, here it is! Kitty, it was an absolute pleasure riding with you. What a wonderful ride it was. Your post, and this journal, continues to bring some wonderful memories. It was a TERRIFIC team effort, for a great cause.

Enter for a chance to get your town photo on Bing.ca! Submit a Photo Now!

An Epic, 1,200 km bike ride of hope and determination from Vancouver to Banff

2010-09-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

By Martina Meckova, Director, Vancouver/Lower Mainland Chapter

On June 19, a team of 20 dedicated riders set off from Delta, British Columbia for the 5th annual GearUp4CF, a long and challenging bike ride from Vancouver to Banff with the goal to raise awareness and money for CF research.

This year, I decided to join the team and dedicate my ride to Sharon and Daryl Boniface who lost their fight with cystic fibrosis before either of them could reach the age of twenty. GearUp4CF was my own personal and tangible fight against this terrible disease. People with CF struggle for breath each and every day. I felt that this difficult nine-day ride across BC and the Rockies was the least I can do.

And what an incredible journey it was! Without a question, the ride was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But it was also an incredible adventure. At the beginning, I was simply focused on getting to Banff (in one piece). However, with each day in the saddle, I realized that I was actually enjoying the “journey”! For nine days, we as a group shared our daily struggles, the highs and lows as we rode across some of the steepest highway mountain passes in British Columbia.

When we arrived in Banff on June 27, I recall embracing Tom Evans in a very long hug. We were both in tears, overjoyed with an incredible feeling of accomplishment. No words needed to be spoken. Tom lost his daughter Melanie to CF eleven years go.

GearUP4CF was a very empowering and inspirational experience. It was a reminder that we all are capable of impossible things if we only set our minds to it. Over the nine days, we traveled a total of 1,205 km, climbed approximately 8,100 meters of cumulative elevation and spent a total of over 52 hours on the saddle. But most importantly, we collectively raised over $120,000 for CF research!

Sharing this experience with the parents of CF children who were on the ride: Tom Evans, Leona Pinsky, Simon Ree, and David and Heather Strange, added a very personal insight and connection to cystic fibrosis. Having Margaret Benson, an adult with CF, on the ride was also very inspiring. Margaret is a double-lung transplant recipient and an incredible athlete. She and her husband Brian rode with us for the first two days from Vancouver to Manning Park on a tandem bike. I rode with them into Harrison on the first day and struggled to keep up the pace! When they finish the gigantic climb over Allison Pass into Manning Park on the second day, we were all amazed by their sheer strength and will power. Their bike weighed more than 50 pounds!

The dedicated researchers who were also riding with us expressed how important it was for them to be part of this ride and see how in a very tangible way they are helping those affected by cystic fibrosis. The work that they do in research labs across

Canada

, funded by the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, is the key to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. I was also moved by those riders without a direct connection to the cause who have simply donated their time and shared in the passion to find a cure for CF.

There are many people to thank when doing this ride. My greatest thanks goes out to all the riders who participated this year’s GearUp4CF: Brian Benson, Margaret Benson, Christoph Blohmke, Brenda Cairns, Justin Chan, Kitty Chavarie, Susan Edmison, Tom Evans, Rebecca Malott, Bob Payne, Jill Payne, Bernard Pinsky, Leona Pinsky, Simon Ree, Stan Shaw, Heather Strange, David Strange, Andrea Taylor and James Zlosnik. I felt privileged to be able to share this journey with such an amazing group of people and I am grateful for their incredible commitment and courage to participate in this year’s GearUp4CF.

A special thank you also goes to our support team of volunteers: Malcolm Kennedy, Wayne Kennedy, Tracey Lee and Simona Rolincova for their time and effort in making the ride such an amazing experience for all of us.

We are very grateful to our sponsors and donors for making this year one of the most successful rides in the five year history of GearUp4CF. The hospitality of the Kinsmen and Kinettes that hosted us in many of the towns we passed through was simply incredible. Their ongoing commitment to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is truly exceptional.

At the finish line, although a little sore and tired from the journey, we all agreed that this was one of the most remarkable things each of us has ever done! We were all in it for many different personal reasons that went well beyond riding a bike, but we shared one common motivation: to give hope and a future to children and adults with cystic fibrosis.

(This article was originally published in the Fall 2o1o Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation newsletter, "Commentary")

Day 9 - Inveremere to Banff - we've arrived!! 151.7 km

2010-06-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Stan Shaw

What an incredible day. We left Invermere this morning knowing, with some sadness, that in only a few hours our long journey across British Columbia into the Canadian Rockies would be over

<--Our route for today. 151.7 km. For more details, click here.

Our elevation profile, as plotted by my bike's Garmin GPS. Total energy consumed over Sinclair and Vermillion passes: 5341 calories.

Click on the image to enlarge.

<--David filling his water bottle with a magic elixir - Simon's favorite energy drink: Coca-Cola!

Simon on the last day-->

Despite the sadness I felt knowing this was the last day of this magnificent tour, I cannot help but say it was also with a sense of relief, too. I don't know how much more my poor body could take such abuse.

But what a way to end the ride. As we moved down the highway towards Radium Hot Springs, the mountains towered beside us, giving a hint of what we would be seeing today.

The real climb into Banff began, however, at the turnoff up into Kootenay National Park at Radium Hot Spring, past rushing mountain rivers, into a narrow canyon in the midst of lush, green forest.

"Interesting" house by the side of highway 93 on the way to Sinclair Pass-->

At one point, we cycled through a tunnel, filled with echoed shouts as we passed through.

Signs warned us of a bear on the road as we neared the summit, by Olive Lake. I didn't see one, however, Malcolm and Wayne told us later they could see from their vantage point in the support vehicle, the bear was down in a side gully below the highway.

However, just rounding the bend, we found two magnificent big horned sheep grazing quietly beside the road. I was a bit worried one of them might take offense to our presence and ram our bikes. Thankfully, they tolerated a few clicks of our camera as we passed by.

<--Jill, feeling a bit vulnerable. To our relief, the sheep didn't seem terribly interested in her.

A couple we passed, riding a heavy tandem bike PLUS a trailer, on their way to Calgary from the BC Interior. Apparently, they had climbed Kootenay Pass on this bike. It was hard enough to do it using our light bikes!!-->

And then, we were at the top of Sinclair Pass. Within a few minutes, we wheeled into the famous Kootenay Valley viewpoint, displaying a wonderful vista of the Canadian Rockies we were about to descend into.

Bob at the Kooteney Pass Viewpoint-->

It was a great opportunity for photos, hugs, and thanks to our wonderful support team for helping us to get there.

<--Support drivers Malcolm (left) and Wayne (right), with Martina

Support drivers Tracy (left) and Simona (right) with Kitty (middle)-->

We then descended into the forested valley that provided something new to see everywhere we looked. And the wildlife!

Yes, we finally saw a moose. A beautiful animal, it was standing beside the road until the first cyclist passed near by, By the time I arrived, it has moved closer to the woods, but we were still able to take some photos.

A few minutes later, we came across a white tailed deer, and, later, another one. Nervous, ever watchful, they didn't stay long.

The second deer ran past us, then back and forth along the side of the highway, perhaps a bit unsure of these crazy cyclists in red jerseys passing by.

A small black bear, seen just a few kilometers past the deer-->

We carried on until lunch at the Kootenay Park Lodge.

They say accidents happen most frequently when you are close to your destination. It certainly was my case. I managed to collide (thankfully at low speed) with another rider just going into the gravel parking lot, sending me to the pavement. Opps. A bruised elbow, and, WORSE, a bruised ego, as the entire CF cycling team watched it happen! Thankfully, nothing serious, although I was cycling a bit slower for a while while I was straighting various parts of my poor bike that got a bit bent out of shape.

BUT, we were nearly there! Kitty, Jill and Bob, who were riding with me, kindly waited until I managed to literally 'get back in gear' on the road.

We headed on together for the second and last climb of the tour, reaching the apex at the Continental Divide, just inside the Alberta border.

<--Stan at the Continental Divide, a little battered, but happy.

The weather was threatening to change to rain, but we stayed long enough for photos before a final descent from Vermilion Pass into Banff.

Storm approaching-->

<--The highway grade from Vermilion Pass down to Banff. Click on the image to enlarge.

<--David beginning his final descent

Before we knew it, we were at Johnston Canyon Resort, our planned meeting place before our victory ride into Banff. It took a while for some of us to get there (partly my fault - I was much slower getting there after my little bump at the Kootenay Park Resort, and, like several other riders, managed to take the wrong turnoff. But we all got there eventually. Along the way, we passed by two Parks Canada animal control vehicles, with flashing lights and officers that looked like they meant business. Apparently, a grizzly had been spotted beside the road just a few yards from Johnston Canyon, and they were not taking any chances. I'm glad they were there - I didn't want a grizzly thinking I was just his version of Dim Sum Chinese Lunch on moving carts!

And then, the final ride downhill to Banff, past two rather terrifying (to a biker, at least) cattle guards. These are essentially parallel metal bars spaced several inches apart along a strip about five feet wide that is daunting to wildlife and cattle. Very effective. But it could also spell a quick end to a victorious ride into Banff if you hit the rails the wrong way on our bikes. The last cattle guard was only a few yards from the welcome sign to Banff. Several of us got off our bikes and gingerly walked across.

But we made it!!!

Five minutes later, we were in the heart of Banff. It's such a lovely town, and a happy sight for our weary team. The Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation had booked us into Brewsters Mountain Lodge, a comfortable hotel in the heart of Banff. Heather Strange was there to greet us with David and Heather's son Carter. A number of other family and friends of riders were there too, clapping as we arrived and unclipped our shoes from pedals for the last time. Whew!

I have much to reflect on this journey, and much to be thankful for.

First, THANK YOU to our sponsors, our volunteers, and donors for making this one of the most successful rides in the five year history of GearUp4CF. At last count, we have raised over $120,000 for Cystic Fibrosis research. The support we received was incredible. I will never forget the hospitality of the Kinsmen and Kinettes that hosted us in many of the towns we passed through. Thank you so much!

And for our support team - Malcolm, Wayne, Tracy and Simona - I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to keep all of us happy, fed with delicious lunches and snacks, cared for when we were hurting, encouraged when we were feeling tired, all the while keeping track of a diverse group of riders travelling for over 1200 kilometers at barely 25 kph. What you did for us is deeply appreciated. We could not have done it without you.

Throughout the ride, I felt the support of my family, friends, and the children I was riding for. In fact, the entire elementary school Madison, Hailey and Roman attend was following our journey (click here to read about the school presentation Roman, his mother Jacqueline and I did a few weeks ago). That support was crucial in motiving me on during the ride. Speaking with the parents of CF children who were on the ride - David and Heather Strange, Leona Pinsky, Tom Evans and Simon Ree - added a very personal element. It reminded me that I was not riding for a cause, or for a charity, but for CF children and young adults who need our help. The dedicated researchers who were also riding with us further gave us greater insight. They included James Zlosnik, Rebecca Mallott, Christoff Blohmke (who rode with us last year, and for two days this year), Justin Chan and Tracey Lee (who was one of our support drivers). These researchers demonstrated how in very real, practical terms, they are helping to improve the outcomes of CF children and adults. The work they are doing, and the work that is taking place in research labs across Canada through the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is making a difference. Your financial support is making a difference.

And so, we were all here for reasons that went well beyond riding a bike. And with this in mind, together with the wonderful memories of this journey, we are going home, exhausted, but happy.

- Stan

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? IT'S NOT TOO LATE! Click on their name above, or anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site. Then simply click on the button "Sponsor this Rider".

Day 9 - Inveremere to Banff - Kitty's account

2010-06-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Kitty Chavarie

Its done, over and through. We did it all. 1200 kilometers. Personally, it was a huge challenge. I can't believe I have done such a thing in my life. I have sore muscles everywhere and really looking forward to my own bed, home and food and family as my whole life has been bike bike bike for so many days, BUT I am also very very glad to have done this.

Kitty at the Kootenay Pass Viewpoint-->

<--Jill and Bob Payne with Kitty (middle)

Today for our last ride we had lots of wildlife show up to keep us entertained. We saw a bull moose, white tailed deer, two bighorn sheep, a black bear, a grizzly bear and lots of little gophers - hilarious looking critters. The scenery was amazing, from riding through a tunnel, viewing glaciers close up,

and riding past glacial rivers with water as turquoise as you can imagine.

It's so different from seeing the province from a car. The scent in the air a lot of day was like lilacs (?) - I couldn't see a lilac anywhere but sure did like the smell. Oh and the wild rose smell too - just wonderful.

Kitty riding past mountain flowers beside the road-->

When we got to the Continental Divide we had a photo session - of course! The signage there is still the original from when I was first across Canada as a kid.

Jill and Bob Payne at the Continental Divide. They seem to be leaning on the Atlantic side of the Divide -- makes sense, as they have come all the way from Newfoundland to do this tour. And yes, Kitty is leaning toward the Pacific (picture above)!-->

Arriving in Banff was such a relief. I think we were all done by then, so the hotel looked great to all of us. I must admit I won't be on a bike for awhile. But I will be on it again for sure. The skills I learned and distances I can now do are just amazing. We all have goofy cyclers tans but its all good.

Thanks for following our journal. Stan and I, and the other riders who contributed to it have enjoyed sharing it with you.

As a group we raised over $120,000! This is amazing when you see that we are so few in number. We all did this to help our researchers improve outcomes, and to ultimately find a cure for CF. It may have started out some of us didn't have a personal connection to CF. But after travelling with parents with these affected kids, parents who have lost their kids and other families and friends who have lost friends, we just want to help out. I feel we have done our part this year. It will be a great day when the CF stands for Cure Found. Sooner would be better.

Tomorrow I meet my email friend Sandra Smith who I dedicated this ride to, she helped me up the hard bits and inspired me throughout this whole event. Funny how we feel so close without even having met in person. I can't wait!

- Kitty

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? IT'S NOT TOO LATE! Click on their name above, or anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site. Then simply click on the button "Sponsor this Rider".

Day 8 - from Cranbrook to Creston 131 km

2010-06-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Kitty Chavarie

The ride to Invermere was long and hot...flat flat flat but with good company the kilometers just rolled away.

Today's route, plotted by Stan's bike-mounted GPS. Total distance: 131.1 km. For details, click here-->

<--Our elevation profile. At first glance, it looks like a really hard ride!! But look at the scale. Changes are only a few hundred feet, spread out over many kilometers. Elevation-wise, it was not so bad, after all.

Stan and I solved all the worlds problems today and felt good about our ability to do that! HAHA.

Stan-->

I was hoping for more wildlife but we just saw a few wild drivers instead. It's funny how you can ride the shoulder and leave a large flat highway for all the other vehicles and still make folks angry? I thought we were supposed to go "green". We can't get much greener than a bike right?

I rode a few kms with a triathlete cyclist today, who tagged along briefly with us near Canal Flats. I admired his chilly icy slurpy on his handlebars. If he wasn't so fast I would've grabbed it and zoomed off!

The scenery here can't be beat, no wonder its called Beautiful BC, man o man.

Canal Flats-->

The Hoodoo's are something to behold, also love the glacial streams and rivers, such a contrast to the silty rivers we have seen the last few days.

<--The Hoodoos, on the way to Invermere

Food on the road is amazing, I can't believe how good it all tastes when you roll in for lunches and snacks, thanks to Simona, Tracy, Wayne and Malcolm for setting out great spreads.

Thanks a zillion and a half to Andrea for keeping our bikes in such good shape. Some of us riders are newbies and need her expertise, a real bonus to have her along. My seat felt a lot better today after the adjustment it recieved this am. (my bike seat that is!) I had aching knees yesterday and she resolved that with
her knowledge.

I have loved having Brenda as my roommate, so much more mature and patient than me so a great mentor. She has done seventeen Ironmans in her athletic career, and has tons of knowledge to share so I have lucked out having her to spend so much time together.

ONE MORE RIDE, I have almost seen the whole province from the seat of a bike, what a visual feast. Try it you may like it!

Love from Kitty

(P.S. - More photos are coming - if not tonight, certainly over the next few days!

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name above, or anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site. Then simply click on the button "Sponsor this Rider".

Day 7 - Creston to Cranbrook

2010-06-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Stan Shaw

It's hard to imagine that in only three days we will be arriving in Banff. The week has gone by so quickly. Already, we've traveled over 844 kilometers in six days. I'm feeling great, despite that massive climb yesterday.

Our route today, 110.1 km, as plotted on my bike-mounted Garmin GPS. Click on the map to enlarge. For more details, click here-->

<--Our elevation profile, a gradual rise with gentle, rolling hills, then a final descent into Cranbrook.

Our day began at the Chatka Family Restaurant, which specializes in hearty home-style food with a Russian flair. I left quickly to pack our belongings to be forwarded onto our next destination, Cranbrook, approx. 108 km away. We headed out, basically together, however, it wasn't long before some riders, including myself today, broke away to ride at a faster pace.

Breakfast at Chatka restaurant-->

I love both styles of riding . Group riding is my preferred method of cycling long distances as it allows for great conversation, and helps to save energy. But solitary riding is nice too, because you can ride at your own pace, and simply tune in to the beauty around. I chose the latter today, because it was a relatively easy, short ride that allowed me to settle into my aerobars and enjoy the kilometers float silently by.

I met up with the lead group of riders at a morning rest stop at Yahk Provincial Park.

<--Justin Chan, pointing the way

Within minutes, however, everyone on the cycling team showed up, exuberant over the ease of the ride. All riders are cycling stronger now, thanks to six days of major climbing.

While we were at Yahk, we, of course, "yahked" about the great ride we had enjoyed this morning. Nice rolling hills, perfect cycling weather, and NEW pavement for several kilometers leading to the rest stop. After traveling over 900 km so far, we're gourmet road connoisseurs now and appreciate such fine things in life.

Left to right: Rebecca Malott, Jill Payne and Martina Meckova-->

As for the goofy sounding name "Yahk"? Apparently, in the language of the Ktunaxa First Nation, who live in the region, Yahk means "cariboo" or "arrowhead". Originally settled in 1928 by families of railway workers, it's now a small retirement community, sprinkled with farms.

<--Train outside Yahk

Along the way, I stopped to take photos and learn a bit about the places I was travelling through.

Martina, Justin and Rebecca (barely visible)-->

The Creston-Cranbrook region has a rich and colorful history. The ghost town of Moyie, on the banks of Moyie lake, for example, was once a bustling city fuelled by the Eugene silver mine. Ruins of the mine can be seen along the highway, along with the ruins of an old church and, beside it, a cemetery nestled in the woods.

<--what remains of an old church, near the St. Eugene silver mine alongside the highway. Click on photo to enlarge.

Pioneer cemetery in the woods-->

Moyie's remarkable footnote in BC history originated with the Kooteney gold rush in the 1850 and 1860's. At the time, thousands of American prospectors rushed to seek fame and fortune. In fact, all trails led north-south into Washington and Idaho, with the vast bulk of trade took place along these routes. It's hard to imagine what might have happened if an all-British route had not been created along the Dewdney trail.

<--Wild flowers by the highway

The Dewney trail started Victoria-Vancouver and extended south to Rock Creek, linking small towns and mining communities along the way. We actually rode through Rock Creek three days ago . With concerns over American economic intrusion into the Kootenays, James Dewney was commissioned to extend his famous trail into this region. The Dewney trail is now gone. But approximately 80% of it is part of the Crowsnest Highway that we are cycling on.

A rather colorful road sign (click on photo to enlarge). After traveling over 844 km so far, some of us were wondering whether this was the road we were actually travelling on!-->

Moyie Lake began to be settled after a Ktunaxa first nations member, Pierre, found a rich ore deposit containing lead and silver in the nearby hills. Father Coccola, of the St. Eugene Mission, who apparently was also something of a real estate broker, negotiated the sale of the claims. Proceeds from the sale were used to build a new home for Pierre, and a new mission church. The discovery and development of the mine led to the expansion of Cominco and the construction of the Crowsnest Pass Railway.

<--Water tower of the Moyie firehall (now restored), built in 1907.

At last, after a gentle descent into Cranbrook, I found myself rolling through town, past a large railway museum beside the tracks on the highway. Next tine I'n in the area, I simply must stop in to see it.

<--small lake and park on the outskirts of town

Water tower used to fill steam locomotives at the turn of the century-->

<--Old engines parked on sidelines near the Railway museum.

We soon found ourselves at the Sandman Inn. It was a good thing we arrived early, as the time changes between Creston and Cranbrook. Since this meant I lost an hour due to Mountain Time, I had just enough time to get a hot shower before a shuttle took us to a Kinsman and Kinette's dinner at Mission Hills golf course.

The dinner was wonderful, and the conversation with our hosts, several of whom I had met during last year's tour was very enjoyable. At the end of dinner, we were presented with a donation on behalf of the Cranbrook Kinsmen and Kinettes - a welcome gift.

Afterwards, we tried out the local driving range, with hilarious results. Justin found he could throw the ball farther than he could hit it with a golf club.

<--Jill trying her hand at the driving range

She kept us in stitches with her valiant attempts to master the fine art of hitting a golf ball-->

....unlike Bob and Simon, who hit those balls with a mechanical precision that was quite awesome. After thoroughly embarrassing myself in the last two golf tournaments I've ever attempted (outside of pitch and put), I could appreciate it.

Left to right: Andrea, Rebecca, Susan and Tom-->

<--Simon, James and our volunteer driver, Wayne, enjoying the show!

What a great day. It was made even greater with news this afternoon that we have raised $119,000 for Cystic Fibrosis research so far. The support we have received on this ride has been tremendous.

I didn't mention that, after dinner Tom, who lost his daughter to Cystic Fibrosis, gave an impassioned speech to all of us about the need to raise funds for the children and young adults who are living in hope for a cure.

Can we do better? We have just two more days before our ride is complete. If you have not donated yet, here's your chance. Every dollar means hope for the children and young adults we are riding for.

Tomorrow is a long but easy ride into Invermere. I remember thoroughly enjoying it last year. Look for more photos and stories when we arrive!

- Stan

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site. Then simply click on the button "Sponsor this Rider".

Day 7 - from Creston to Cranbrook - Today was easy?

2010-06-25T22:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Kitty Chavarie

Hey again out there in blogland. The day was lovely..great weather for smooth cycling. The big trucks full of stinky cows made for some gripping experiences a few times for Brenda and I as we were on the inside of the rumble stuff and it was squeezy at best, then there was the embuttment to make it even more narrow....this made for a bit of stress but here we are in Cranbrook regardless.

On mountain time now, got in early and ended up at nearly the same time anyway, hardly fair. We all loved that we have time to socialize before dinner and hit a nearby sports store for some needed cycling supplies AND clean groovy clothes to boot!

Only two days to go, hard to believe. This is my first experience with having to ice my knees..I guess that one mile climb yesterday did that to them (not a guess, I am sure that was the cause) We rode through "Bountiful" today, no sign saying "welcome" so we didn't drop in. Oh, and a town called Yahk, somehow that made me giggle. I think all this pedalling makes one delirious to some extent.

Oh I forgot to mention our delicious breakfast at a Russian restaurant this morning in Creston. Martina and I enjoyed a double hit, eggs (real delicious eggs from a real live chicken who runs around outdoors< I am sure of that!) Home made bread and veg.

THEN the piece de resistance crepes with sweetened sour cream...delicious. Dinner tonight is at a golf course with the Kinsmen and Kinettes picking us up, oh going back to real life and cooking and being responsible may be an adjustment for all of us...

- Kitty

P.S. Some GREAT pictures will be posted here soon, likely tomorrow (Saturday) night.

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site. Then simply click on the button "Sponsor this Rider".

Day 6 - More about our ride from Trail to Creston - 122 km

2010-06-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Stan Shaw

I'm now at the Skimmerhorn Inn in Creston, watching riders roll in one by one. No heroics today - we were all climbing the mountain in survival mode today - except for, perhaps, Simon Ree, who blasted up the mountain pass at a breathtaking on hour and twenty minutes, hitting the last 8% rise at 46 kph.

We left Trail just before nine, as the sun was rising and the chill, cloudy weather the night before was disappearing. I found myself stripping off rain gear, then cold-weather clothes one by one simply waiting outside for the others to get ready, as the temperature rose minute by minute. By the time we left, around 8:45 AM, it was already pretty warm. What would it be like when we started the actual climb?

Justin, and two of our wonderful volunteer support drivers, Wayne and Malcolm, packing our trailer before starting off-->

Susan Edmison and I headed, and found ourselves riding all the way up the mountain together. A quiet, steady rider and delightful cycling companion, we found ourselves saying very little, but helping each other by drafting against a slow but steady headwind that blew down the valley. Conserving energy, knowing we had a huge climb before us, is so important.

<--Susan

We met up with a small group of riders for lunch, at the base of the mountain. By now, the sun was beating mercilessly down, forcing us to drink enormous amounts of electrolytes to keep from becoming dehydrated. And then, after a brief, ride along a mountain stream, the real climbing began.

Brutal.

I don't have much of a description beyond this. The grade was not much different from what I had prepared for on Cypress Mountain - about 8%, but the combination of heat and a light headwind seemed to make every pedal stroke that much harder. Susan and I switched places in the lead frequently. It was so helpful riding with an another cyclist up the mountain.

This ride was difficult, one of the hardest climbs I've done in a long time. I must say, I nearly lost it in the last half kilometer before the summit. It was all I could do to lay down one pedal stroke after another. My altimeter steadily clicked away... 2700 feet... 3000 feet.... 4000 feet... 5000 feet... 5500 feet.... my God, where's the summit?

And then came Andrea, who had reached the summit ahead of us, and was now whizzing back down the mountain towards us, here cheery smile encouraging us that we were nearly there. Before we knew it we rounded the corner to find the summit, and our incredibly helpful GearUp4CF support team waiting for us.

<--Stan

Susan-->

<--Andrea

David,

arriving at the summit-->

<--view from Bonanza Summit

And now... the reward. A thrilling 25 kilometer descent from summit, down to Creston's lush green valley below.

I left ahead of the others and found myself drifting off asleep in the warm sunshine at the base of the mountain as they arrived.

Together, Tom, Susan and I rode into town, and a very welcome hot shower at the Skimmerhorn Inn.

The folks at the Skimmerhorn were wonderful hosts. I am now relaxing in my room, waiting to go out for dinner with my son, Robert and his wife Courteney, who only a few blocks away. It will be terrific seeing them again!

I so enjoyed Kitty's description of the ride today. This tour has brought us together, not only in helping each other through an extremely difficult journey, but in sharing a common purpose - to help the children and adults we are riding for, who are living each day in a life journey that is every bit as difficult. I am inspired by what I have learned through parents of CF kids on this ride who, despite the continuous challenges they face each day, are with us on this epic ride. Every dollar raised for CF research improves the chances of a better life for their children, and, we hope soon, a cure. If you have not contributed to our ride yet, please help us now as we approach our final goal of this tour.

Sunset in Creston-->

Tomorrow we ride to Cranbrook, thankfully it will be an easier ride, 108 km, with no major mountain passes. I am looking forward to taking time to chat with my fellow team riders along the way. Will add photos of today's ride in this entry at that time.

- Stan

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site. Then simply click on the button "Sponsor this Rider".

Day 6 - Trail to Creston: Tears, Cheers and Thanks

2010-06-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Kitty Chavarie

The day began with a family visit from my aunt and uncle, then, we did an interview with Trail Times. Finally, off we went to seek out the base of our climb.

<--Our route today, plotted on Stan's Garmin GPS. Total distance 122 km. For details, click here.

Our elevation profile, plotted by GPS. At 1,545 meters (5,036 feet), Bonanza Pass is one of the highest mountain highway passes open year-round in Canada-->

<--Bob Payne, arriving at the summit

Wow, I had no idea how long 1 mile up could be. Salmo-Creston pass is a place to ride forever to find yourself. There's lots of personal time working our way up there. It took me a total of 2.5 hours in order to get wonderful hugs from everyone waiting at the summit.

We made it!! Jill Payne and Kitty-->

<-- Jill and Bob experience a moment that won't be forgotten for a long tine.

ZOOMING down was a rush and I managed it without the fear I felt on our ride down Sunday Summit a few days ago. The dry helped me get over the fear as the visablity is a bonus.

Watermelon, sweat, and cold clean air then hot hot air will be my memories of this day, combined with lots of love and acceptance.

Support drivers Wayne and Malcom with Kitty--
>

Thanks....

I just want to add a bit to this journal about thanks.

Thanks for all my  friends and supporters who helped get me to where I am today. I had no idea
so many people cared so much about each other and were willing to help out so much. Life is sometimes about luck, some of us are lucky and get healthy bodies at birth and carry on to reproduce another generation of healthy kids, and some of us arn't so lucky. This ride is about the other folks.

We all take lots for granted in life, doing this ride with parents of CF kids, researchers, friends and family with CF connections has taught me more than I could ever have imagined. With all of your support raising over $7000. became a reality, and now with all of your cheers, good wishes and "go do it's" daily here on the Internet I find the willpower and strength to finish the challenge of getting to our next stop everyday.

To all you boilermakers in Kamloops a special thanks for really kicking it up a notch, I feel the love believe me., you women and men are special to me in ways you can't imagine...I think of you as I am pedalling for hours on end up and down endless roads here thru our beautiful province. It is a different sort of way to see this place, we see, smell and hear things you can't experience in a car, so worth it.

I am tired, no doubt about that..my parts are aching but so are everyone else's and we are a tight team now so none of us will quit until we finish this thing.

Thanks again, enjoy every breath..love, kitty

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site. Then simply click on the button "Sponsor this Rider".

Memories of Day 1 and Day 2 from Margaret Benson - Thank you all

2010-06-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Margaret Benson

Just thought I would touch base and let you know Brian and I survived the big bike ride and amazingly are still talking to each other.

Margaret with Hannah, one of the CF children she rode for this year-->

What an incredible journey, two days of joy, uphill grinds, laughter, swearing, sweating, sunshine, misty rain and of course tears. It was one of the most memorable weekends of our lives and to raise awareness and funds for Cystic Fibrosis a cause so close to us, was the best.

We traveled over 253 kms in the two days and were in the saddle approximately 12 hours. The first day we were given a police escort out of the city of Ladner. There were many families there to join in the send off.

Hanna, one of the CF children we were riding for, was there with her family. It was sunny and the journey rather flat and in farm country with our final destination Harrison Hot Springs.

<--Brian, Margaret and Hannah

We enjoyed lunch in Sumas at one of the Kin director's home. Fantastic food and the deputy mayor of Abbotsford joined us.

<--I was able to take pictures from the back of the tandem which was loads of fun.

The horse picture was actually taken upside down, but that is the beauty of digital cameras and the rotate button-->

The second day was the day of Hills, Hills and more Hills. From Hope to Manning Park is one gigantic hill. It is relentless. Let's just say we both had to dig deep, swear a lot, cry and totally think of the people we were riding for, to give us strength. They were our light of hope at the top of every hill.

When we finally arrived at the summit we stopped for a very grateful and emotional picture. (Thanks to my donor family and donor)

All I kept thinking was 11 years ago I was dying of CF and now Brian and I are pedaling our tandem bike to the top of the Hope Princeton Highway, seemed like the "Top of the World." What a celebration there was when we came down the final hill into the Manning Park Lodge. Our cycling friends were there to meet us. The looks on their faces and tears in their eyes said it all, "WOW, what an accomplishment!!!!"

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey. There are no words to properly thank each and everyone of you, but just know that we appreciate all of you for your love and support.

Nathan Stedman (the brother of Alex Stedman... Alex is the young man James is riding for), together with Brian, Margaret and Hannah-->

Special thanks to Brian for, just being "Him."

<--James, Margaret and GearUp4CF rider last year, Chris Blohmke, who rode with us for the first two days.

On a final note, George Keulen, one of the CF adults we were riding for, received his double lung transplant late Friday night or early Saturday morning. What a blessing. We were thinking of him while we were riding. Here's hoping in a few years he'll be part of the CF ride too.

- Margaret

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site. Then simply click on the button "Sponsor this Rider".

Day 5 - Grand Forks to Trail 130.9 km

2010-06-23T23:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Stan Shaw

Hi everyone, this is a very quick note to say, we've made it in Grand Forks. Everyone is safe, and we've had a wonderful time so far. I loved Kitty's brief account. I'll write more soon, as I have a ton of photos to share, and some very interesting information I learned about Cystic Fibrosis, which will be part of my account. However, right now, I need to get some rest.

Stan at the top of Paulson Summit, after his first ascent up the mountain. My eyes are a bit swollen from road debris as the latter third of this massive climb was under road construction. Feeling GREAT, though!

Like many riders, I"m feeling stronger each day. It's remarkable what the human body can achieve, even at my age, soon to be 54 (in August!). But I cannot help but be grateful for health and strength to do this incredible ride, and for the privilege of riding for Roman, Madison and Hailey (click on the link to learn about them), who I think of often. Someday, I hope, with the possibilities of research that can not only save their lives, but improve their quality of life as well, perhaps they can do a ride like this some day. I can dream of this, knowing what Margaret Benson, who also has Cystic Fbrosis, did only last Sunday with her husband Brian, in conquering Allison Pass on Manning Park. If you have not read about it, here's the link to our Journal account. With your help to support Cystic Fibrosis research, we can give these kids the best chance they have of achieving their own dreams, and experiencing adventures that will, no doubt be every bit as wonderful as this ride is for us.

<--Our route today, plotted by my bike's Garmin GPS. The team's distance was about105km, but I did a bit more, making my total distance 130.9 km today. Calories consumed on the ride 4,657. You can imagine how hungry I was tonight! For details, click here.

My personal elevation profile. The steep rise, starting at 26 km outside of Christina Lake is the ascent up Paulson Pass, a massive climb.

But, wait... there's TWO identical peaks in that profile! - ?? . The reason is, I went partway back down the mountain (at around 58 km) after achieving the climb as one of the lead riders, then rode up again with several others in the group. My Garmin GPS faithfully plotted the result.

Here's a more representative elevation profile of the route our team did, from my journal last year.

Jill and Bob Payne, on reaching Nancy Green Summit, the second major peak of the ride (at just under 80 km). It's been so great to have them riding with us this year-->

On arriving in Trail, we were taken out for a lovely dinner by the local Kinsmen association. The support we received from these wonderful people is so appreciated.

<--Sunset in Trail. Those clouds look ominous. I hope that doesn't mean rain tomorrow.

There's more to come tomorrow night, after we reach Creston!!! For now, however, I simply must get some rest. We have a hard climb tomorrow on our way to Creston, one of the most difficult of the entire tour. Please think of us.

- Stan

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!

Day 5 Grand Forks to Trail - Kitty's account

2010-06-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Kitty Chavarie

Left Grand Forks feeling groovy after my wonderful massage last night...the ride by Christina Lake was beautiful, sunny and summery. Then we climbed and climbed thru a yucky construction zone, don't know when I have ever had a semi closer to me other than maybe leaning on one in a parking lot! SHEESH it was scary...made it to the end of the climb ok regardless.

<--A quick roadside bike repair

Lots of folks had bits and parts fail them today..you can tell we have done lots of kms by the wear and tear on our bikes. Mine keeps making this velcro rippy sound just out of the blue then it goes away. SO far I am not looking for the problem cause
ignoring it seems to be working...not so smart but I think my brain may be getting a bit soft and tired after all this pedalling...

Lunch break was accompanied by some cute little critters, we think it was a chipmunk and a squirrel (different than island critters) turns out they like peanut butter and bread quite a bit.

LONG long descent into Rossland with head wind that made my freckles exhausted but here we are in Trail now. Had a lovely dinner out with the Kinsmen here...this being treated so well is very very doable for all of us.

Loving all the friendships with this ride, nice folk to talk to all day and share stories. Anyone who wants to feel community and purpose with fitness in mind might want to look into this. I only started riding a road bike in April and here I am managing to get all this way and still in one piece! WOW

- Kitty

More stories and photos will be posted for Day 6 on Thursday night, after we arrive in Creston.

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!

Day 4 - Osoyoos to Grand Forks 131.1 km

2010-06-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Stan Shaw

We've arrived at Grand Forks! It's hard to imagine that we've already traveled over 590 kilometers in four days, and are travelling deep in the heart of the interior of British Columbia.

Our route today, mapped by my Garmin GPS. Click on the image to enlarge. For more details, click here-->

<--Our elevation profile. Breakfast had hardly settled before we were faced with the massive Anarchist Pass rises out of Osoyoos.

Today was of interesting things to see. But the first challenge to overcome was what was perhaps the most intimidating hill climb of the tour - Anarchist Pass, overlooking Osoyoos.

The view partway up Anarchist Pass, overlooking Osoyoos-->

What is perhaps the most difficult part of this particular pass is the heat. Osoyoos is, for all intents and purposes, a dry, hot desert. Fortunately, there were clouds overhead this morning, which kept the temperature down a bit. Still, it was a tough hill. The grade, mostly around 6%, was a bit easier than Cypress Mountain back home, but we were climbing for 35 kilometers, before a thrilling descent into the valley below.

Jill and Bob Payne, two of my splendid riding partners today-->

Once over Anarchist pass, we passed rich farmland and beautiful rivers.

<--Brenda, enjoying the ride

Traffic was better, too, as, thankfully, the southern route along Highway 3 is not quite so heavily traveled. Still, it takes nerves of steel to keep from being blown off course as a big semi-trailer roars passes by. They travel pretty fast along those narrow highways! For the most part, however, drivers are very considerate, giving wide berth as they see us riding up the highway.

We passed by lush green farmland and old homesteads. This part of BC is full of history. Passing through Hedley, we came across massive slag heaps, the product of copper smelting at the turn of the century.

<--Turn of the century stores at Greenwood looking much the same now as it probably did then.

Old railway tunnel just outside of Greenville. The date reads 1913-->

One major goal of the ride, to share with Madison, Hailey and Roman's elementary school, is to find wildlife!

Kitty found it, but I think she didn't really want to get as close as she did. As she was cycling along the highway, a mother bear, with three cubs nearby, tried to break through a wire fence that separated her from Kitty, who was riding on the highway. Kitty didn't dare take photos! That mama bear was not looking very friendly.

Deer, hidden in wild flowers-->

<--Sheep and horses grazing in a farm nestled in a valley below the highway

.... and all sorts of unusual animals....

<-- a lama, inside a farmer's pasture pacing back and forth along the highway fence.

And, guess what I found, at the top of Anarchist pass? (I think that's an empty Kokanee beer case in his hand) -->

<---OK, this is not exactly the wildlife I was looking for, but at least this fellow didn't run away. I quickly decided riding a bicycle is safer, and I'll get there a lot faster!

Along the way, we cycled over the Rock Creek Bridge, which spans a terrifying (looking down) 300 feet above the creek below.

Those pointed bushes below are the tops of trees!-->

Eventually, we rolled into Grand Forks, a town that is steeped in BC history. Incorporated in 1897, a group of pacifist refugee emigrants from Russia moved there in 1909, and became home to many Russian descendants who live there. Even today, Russian is still taught in schools.

There, we stayed the night at Johnny's motel, situated beside the convergence of the Kettle and Granby rivers. Every year the GearUp4CF team have stayed here, they have found the staff to be wonderfully helpful. This year was no exception - when they heard we were riding to Banff again on behalf of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, they offered to do our laundry, for free!

Tomorrow, we're travelling between Grand Forks and Trail. It's going to be a hard climb. I must leave early, but will write again when I arrive.

- Stan

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!

osoyoos WHOOPEE

2010-06-22T22:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Kitty Chavarie

That was a climb and a half! WOWIE!!. My thighs feel like Arnold Schwarzenegger moved in. I did it though, all twenty three kilometers. So I am super happy about that. And then I rode all day to land in Grand Forks in time to hit the pool and cool off the nether regions (we talk a lot about this heating problem in the shorts but not about to share any here!)

<-- Kitty

Getting ready for the big ascent. Left to right: Volunteer drivers Wayne and Malcolm, riders James and Rebecca-->

<--Justin Chan, at viewpoint, in the first stage in Anarchist Pass

I had my first "real" wildlife event today, I was cruising along alone for a bit and heard this pinging sound of metal on metal, only to see the barbwire fencing part and a black bear push thru and move towards me, my speed really really picked up at this point!! I found resources I didn't know I possessed....happy happy day, I made it thru in time to eat at a great barbecue. So life is better than good.

My speedometer heading down the pass, reading 44 kph.. pretty fast!-->

I have to say that Brenda and my end of day massage from my good friend here in Grand Forks was a major highlight. She got my head to turn like a regular person and ironed out heaps of knots I have accumulated. It was really nice to be in a home again. Life is great out here in Pedalville.

- Kitty

Day 3 - Manning Park to Osoyoos 193.2 km

2010-06-21T23:59:00.000-07:00

What a huge ride. I must confess, the pain of the this stage of the tour had become a dim memory after a year's time.

Out route today, plotted by my Garmin GPS. Click on the image to enlarge. Total distance 193 km. Calories consumed (based on heart rate), 6,025 . I could not eat enough all day. Still hungry.

Our elevation profile. Looks like it's mostly downhill, doesn't it? Well, it was a pretty fun ride down from Manning Park. But then, we 'hit the wall', about 25 km down the road. Sunday Pass. Beyond this, between 120 - 160 km, are undulating hills. They look small, but they are 7-8% grade, in sweltering heat, slowing even the strongest riders.

<--The rustic lodge in Manning Park where we stayed the night

We woke this morning to solid rain outside. Have I ever seen Manning Park in the sunshine? I'm sure it happens. Sometimes. But every memory I have of this mountain is that it's a sodden hill, lashed by every rain cloud that hits landfall on the Pacific coast. At least this year, we were warm and our clothes were dry starting out.

Bob and Jill Payne starting out from the lodge. Bob is optimistically wearing sun glasses-->

Heading down the mountain, though, those nice dry clothes lasted about five minutes. By then, we were gripping handlebars with rain-sodden gloves and spitting water out of our nostrils. I stayed for a few minutes with the large group, but then found I was getting cold and tore off down the mountain in search of warmer weather. Amazingly, I caught up with Simon and James, then passed them when I realized they didn't have decent mudgards on their bikes. Drafting behind a biker without mudguards, spitting mud that flies up into your face, is not exactly what you'd call a pleasant experience. I carried on, ripping down the hill. Until I hit the wall. No warning, just an immediate and pretty tough climb to the top of Sunday Pass. What a great relief to find the support car at the top, waiting for us!

I turned back down the hill to pick up some of the others still coming up. Before we knew it, however, we were back at the summit, joyously taking photos at the top. And thank goodness, the rain started to abate.

Susan Edmison and Tom Evans-->

Descending down that mountain pass was a great reward. Especially after working so hard to climb it. As we descended, the rain disappeared, replaced by a warm breeze that came in from the Interior. Riding through Merrit, in fact, the "breeze' became a heavy headwind, forcing us into a tight single to conserve energy.

This time, I found myself riding with Martina, Rebecca, Justin and Kitty . We worked together, shielding each other from the wind by rotating every two minutes or so so that the lead rider didn't have to face the headwind for very long. The miles rolled by.

By the way, HELLO TO THE KIDS AT ROMAN, MADISON AND HAILEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!!! It was such fun visiting your school a couple of weeks ago (If you have read about it, click here),

You will be happy to know I'm still looking for wild animals. I found one, lurking in the grass, by the river. No, wait. That's me.

We have some pretty wild bike riders, though.

<--Here's Kitty. She thought that the road sign says to go "Up". So she did. As you can see, we're having a LOT of fun on this ride!!

Along the way, the lush green grass of the 'wet coast" was replaced by dry scrub brush. Little chance of rain here. We progressively peeled our clothes off. First, the rain jacket, then the balaclavas, leggings, and full length 'rain gloves'. Water bottles emptied quickly. You must keep up not only fluids but electrolytes on a ride like this, or the engine pushing power through your legs will simply quit from exhaustion.

<--A farm in the valley below us

At last, we made it to a delicious lunch, prepared by our fabulous support team.

Car outside of Keremenos-->

I could not help but marvel at the climate changes we experienced today. We had started out rain lashing into our eyes, gripping handlebars with sodden gloves, and now were stripping off clothes and rubbing down with suntan lotion. By the time we made it to Keremeos, it was sweltering. Actually, the heat was deceptive, for by that time the wind had changed direction and we were being pushed gently along from behind. 35 kph was practically effortless.

However, the drawback is that you felt as if you were in a vacuum pocket of dead air. So there was no relief. Just for fun, I rode up ahead on occasion, turned around and rode back to the group. What a difference. With the wind in my face, and my hot, sweaty jersey, it felt as if I was facing an air conditioner! I just made sure I wasn't upwind of the other riders.

<--A 'fixer upper'. Just a little TLC, and you've got a mansion!

Finally, at long last, we reached the final hill, major climb in desert-like heat that sapped whatever energy that remained in us. Whoever put that last hill there, at the 170 km mark of our ride, was just plain mean.

And then, at long last, we reached the summit, and a magnificent view of Osoyoos nestled in the valley below. After a thrilling descent, we found ourselves at the Popular Motel, a resort we stayed at last year. Situated on the east side of town beside the still lake, it was a lovely end to this big ride.

And there, to greet us, were the Kinettes and Kinsmen from the Princeton-Osoyoos-Oliver region, with a great BBQ dinner. It was so good to meet John again, who had been there the year before, together with fellow kinsman, Matt, Diane, Diana and Laura and several others that I wish I could remember.

Matt and John, our BBQ hosts-->

The support we have received from the Kinettes and Kinsmen has been wonderful.

<--Our GearUp4CF team, with some of the Kinettes who helped host our dinner tonight. Thank you!

Sunset in Osoyoos-->

And so... to bed. But not before I get this journal done. Tomorrow is another big climb, Anarchist Pass just out of Osoyoos, on the way to Grand Forks, about 125 kilometers away. The weather forecast is predicting 28 degrees tomorrow. We simply must tackle this in the early morning, before the sun starts beating down.

- Stan

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!

Kitty's ride Day 2 (Harrision to Manning Park) and Day 3 (Manning Park to Osoyoos)

2010-06-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Kitty Chavarie

Well everyone who is following along, I must say the last two days were tough for me. No mincing words, very very tough. Weather, winds and wicked fast downhills are a real life challenge. The real life support from all of our riders and from our Kinsmen drivers, Malcolm and Wayne, and our young lady drivers Simona and Tracy have made me able to continue on in the face of a scary day today.

Kitty starting out from Manning Park to Osoyoos on Monday, the start of day three. It was pouring rain in the morning!

The scenery has changed tons in the last few days, from cold enough to see your breath, to hot enough to strip to summer gear. When yesterday we slept at Manning Park and could see our breath when we headed off this morning. But tonight, I actually dipped in the lake here in Osoyoos!

I personally haven't seen any wildlife (other than a few of the crazy brave riders!) but enjoy the marmot moments, HUGE ravens and birdsong that is very different from the coast. The scents in the desert are lovely too. I am just plain to tired now to go on. Tomorrow is a new day with new sore bits to show for it. Thanks for cheering me on out there., means tons to me.

Cheers from Kitty

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!

Day 2 - Harrison to Manning Park 116.7 km

2010-06-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Stan Shaw

This was the day I dreaded. Last year, the ride up Manning was rainy, and bitterly cold, hovering around four degrees Celsius as we climbed towards Allision Pass. The weather forecast today was not much better. Grimly, I put on my cold weather gear and prepared for the worst.

Stan -->

Our route today, as plotted by my Garmin GPS. It's not quite right, though. I forgot to turn it on!! So, the first 19 kilometers is missing. I have witnesses, though... yes, I did every kilometer! Total distance: 116.7 km. For more details, click here

Our elevation profile today, just out of Harrison and up Allision Pass-->

<--Starting out from Harrision: Left to right: CF researcher James Zlosnik, Martina Meckova (who is riding with us, and is also the director of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Vancouver Office), and Chris Blohmke, a CF researcher and graduate student who rode with us last year and is riding with us to Manning Park today.

We started out with low cloud hovering over us, but, thankfully no rain (yet). As we did yesterday, we began riding in a tightly riding Peloton formation. This worked very nicely as we had a bit of a headwind going out of Harrison, so it was possible to draft behind each other and save energy for the big climb.

By Hope, the rain had still not started. What a relief. Last hear we were already being treated to a torrential downpour. We counted our blessings and pushed on through town and headed up the highway toward Princeton and Manning Park.

The air was fresh, a welcome respite from the smog-laden highway leading up the Fraser Valley yesterday.

The road beside was lush green, and filled with wild flowers. Numerous mountain streams babbled quietly beside us, a sound that no automobile or motorcyclist can possibly enjoy.

As we left town, the traffic melted to a manageable level, making it possible to chat comfortably as we rode together. David Strange and his wife Heather joined us today from Victoria, having managed to overcome car trouble that had prevented them starting out on Day 1. They are riding for their five year old son, Carter, who was diagnosed with CF two years ago. David is a middle school principal in Victoria. Heather is also an educator, however, after Carter was born, raising him has become a full time occupation. They were joined in this ride by David's sister Jill Payne and her husband Bob who I had met yesterday, and had come all the way from Newfoundland to do the ride. Jill and Bob have a young family as well, however, the kids are being looked after by their parents while they do the entire ride. For them, GearUp4CF is truly a family affair.

<--Heather and her sister-in-law, Jill

As we rode along, Heather told me how they had become heavily involved with the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation chapter in Victoria, and had participated in a major presentation to their local MLAs, pressing for newborn screening for Cystic Fibrosis. Like Roman (the eleven year old boy who I am riding for, together with his twin sisters), Carter had been diagnosed late, at three years old. Carter is now five, and struggles with CF every day. Of all people, they understood how much Carter might have benefitted from an early diagnosis, the earlier the better. This does not necessarily help all children, but for those who do not display immediate clinical symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis, it can be of life saving importance. I was able to tell them of my wife Hilary's work in establishing the CF newborn screening program in BC through Children's Hospital. It was a remarkable conversation, one that I will long remember.

As I was riding, I kept a sharp eye for wildlife. Not sharp enough though! Someone just ahead said they saw a moose going into the woods! Drat, I missed it.

Lunch beside the road was terrific. The help we have received so far from our team of volunteer drivers and support staff has been tremendous. I am looking forward to introducing them to you to them later in the week. In the meantime, after lunch, we settled into smaller groups heading up the mountain. Lead riders tore off up the mountain. I held back, enjoying my ride, realizing that at 54 years old I'm not out to prove anything. It's a long way to Banff, and I'd like to make sure I'm able to ride very kilometer. During the ride, I shifted to different groups as I encountered them on the mountain. Eventually, I completed the ride to the summit with Bernard Pinsky (Leona's brother-in-law), and Kitty Chavarie. Riding together as a threesome, we rotated positions, helping each other as the kilometers up the mountain rolled slowly by.

Along the way, we crept past Craig and Joel, two cyclists with legs like iron, and laden down with camping gear. I road ahead and chatted with then briefly. It turns out they had just started from Vancouver about the same time we did. But they are on their way to Newfoundland! They expect to get there within nine weeks. Looking at them, I'm sure they'll get there. And my wife thought I was crazy doing this ride!

Craig and Joel, hell-bent for Newfoundland-->

Further on, we were treated to an unusual sight - flowers blooming within the heart of the forest. There is a rather unique grove in Manning Park where rhododendrons grow. We stopped at the small park area where the nature trail begins and chatted with a family who were holidaying in the area. They asked about our ride, and why we were doing it, and then offered to do a donation as soon as they get home!

<--Rhododendrons in the forest

I reached the top of Allison Pass, then doubled back to find the others coming up the hill. I'm so glad I did, for I was privileged to be there for one of the most momentous events of the entire ride. Margaret and Brian Benson had slowly but relentlessly cycled up the entire mountain on their Tandem bike. Margaret had been diagnosed with a stress fracture in her tibia while running a few weeks ago, but refused to let this stop her. Together, the manhandled that heavy Tandem bike up a nearly continuous 8% grade for thirty kilometers.

Margaret and Brian-->

We rode together to a victorious conclusion at the top of Allison Pass. An amazing feat. And even more so, as eleven years ago, Margaret was barely hanging on, her lungs nearly gone as a result of her lifelong battle with Cystic Fibrosis. Thanks to her double lung transplant eleven years ago, she was here, with us, on the top of one of the biggest climbs of the tour. Brian and Margaret will be writing more of this, but for now, I can only say what a remarkable couple they are, and how inspiring their example has been for all of us.

Joyously, we freewheeled down Allison Pass to the Manning Park Resort at breakneck speed. At the bottom, several riders and support team drivers were there at the entrance, whooping and clapping as each rider rolled in. What a team!

Leona Pinsky's victorious ride into Manning Park-->

<--Margaret

And the rain? It started literally ten minutes after we arrived. Someone "up there" was looking after us today. After a hot shower and a huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs, (cooked by Malcom one of our volunteer support drivers, and his grown son who came out specially to make dinner for us), and I felt like a new man. My goodness, did that hot tub feel good that night.

Tomorrow is a new day, and a new challenge. I remember it well from last year. 186 kilometers to Osoyoos, with a major climb to the top of Sunday Pass in-between. I just hope the rain doesn't continue through the morning.

- Stan

P.S. This entry was actually posted in the early hours of June 22nd as we didn't have Internet access in Manning Park. As far as I know, we have Internet in most other locations on the tour, so we'll try to keep you informed of our progress every night going forward.

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!

Day 1 - Vancouver to Harrison 150.4 km

2010-06-19T23:58:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Stan Shaw

I cannot adequately say what I was feeling when we arrived at 8:30 AM to embark on our ride. At one level, arrivin at the Ladner Kin House, where we had departed last year, gave an instant feeling of "I've been here before, done that". However, this year is so different. Last year, I barely knew anyone associated with the ride, or CF, for that matter. This year, I am accompanied by friends, who I have met through riding last June. And I am riding for three children, Roman, Madison and Hailey, who I've come to know well over the past year since first meeting them in Harrison on arriving following our first day of the tour.

I'm ready to go! Stan in his new GearUp4CF 2010 cycling jersey-->

On arriving, I quickly unpacked my bike and stowed my gear in the support vehicle and rushed over to the area where short speeches were held and our official GearUp4CF 2010 group photos were taken. And then, after hurried hugs, we were off on the road, accompanied by a full police escort to the edge of town.

<--We have a great team this year!

We had a few mishaps. A little typo in the route sheet sent a small team of fast riding, including Simon Ree, up the highway, past a critical turnoff. By the time we discovered our mistake, we had lost our lead to the slower riding folks on the tour. Eventually, thougth we made it down to US boarder at the Douglas truck route crossing at "Mile 0", However, just shy of making it to the US boarder, we veered off onto a beautiful country road, appropriately named "0 avenue", that runs parallel along the boarder, travelling east. This gave us an opportunity to really spend time riding together. We have some terrific riders this year. Simon is as strong as ever. Tom Evans lost a huge amount of weight and has worked hard to be ready for the ride. It shows. He's out among the leaders, as is Susan Edmison .

And Andrea Taylor is a smiling, friendly little powerhouse that rips up hills and will disappear over the top before you can blink an eye. An avid cyclist on the racing circuit, she works at West Point Cycles, one of our corporate sponsors on the ride this year.

Andrea -->

One couple I met was Bob and Jill Payne, who came all the way from St. John's, Newfoundland to join our ride on behalf of their nephew Carter, the son of David and Heather Strange. A delightful couple, I was astonished to learn that this was their first major ride, ever. However, they rode well and obviously had been been training hard to prepare for it. This all the more remarkable given how poor the weather has been in Newfoundland this winter!

<--Bob

Jill-->

Bob and Jill have a young family, however their parents offered to look after the children so that they could complete this nine day, epic ride across British Columbia.

Along the way, we rolled into a lovely private home, set on a hill, where a beautiful lunch had been prepared for us by the Kins Women.

<--Kelly

It was so good to see Kelly Parker, who I had met last year. Kelly and her team of volunteers has bee providing lunch in Abbottsford, and dinner in Harrison every year since GearUp4CF began five years ago. This year, we were also honored by the arrival of Patricia Ross, the deputy Mayor for Abbottsford, who came to send send best wishes from city council.

Patricia Ross, deputy Mayor of Abbottsford-->

We're all getting to know each other, learning how to truly ride together as a team. The long flat ride today gave a perfect opportunity to try out paceline riding, especially when headwinds started to pick up in the afternoon. Riding through Aggassiz as a 15-member, tightly riding single paceline was a sight to behold. Margaret and Brian Benson rode with us, creating quite a sight on their Tandem bicycle. Folks on the street waved, and traffic, which was heavy in the afternoon, seemed to part like the Red Sea. Most of all, we had fun, because, riding together, we were able to chat along the way. When you are riding for six hours, enjoying each other's company makes a huge difference!

Remarkably, our somewhat slower paceline arrived in Harrison before our much speedier "A Team" who rode far ahead of us. The problem? Riding well ahead of even the lead support vehicles, they took a wrong turn (the route was pretty complicate this year) and ended up riding back to Harrison via another route. Simon had a flat, which slowed him a down a little as no one in their riding group had a spare inner tube!. But despite this, nearly everyone converged at Harrison within minutes.

A big surprise was waiting for me that afternoon. Jacqueline, the mother of the three children I am riding for, Madison Hailey and Roman, who, I thought, were not going to make it that night due to a family commitments, phoned just as I was upstairs in my room, changing into dinner clothes. They were in the lobby! They had changed plans and come out to thank us for riding for them this year. I had met the children last year for the first time in Harrison last year, which made their arrival all the more special. I could not help but feel how much we, as riders on the tour, were doing, not only in raising funds for Cystic Fibrosis research, but also to bring hope to these incredible children, and young adults, and their families.

<--Our route. 150km. Calories consumed, 4,800. If you are interested in a pretty effective weight loss program, this is it. You can eat anything after a ride like this! For details, click here

Our elevation chart today. Pretty flat. It will be different tomorow. Guaranteed.-->

The weather, which was brilliantly sunny today, is clearly changing. An ominous sign. It looks like it will be rain, lots of it tomorrow as we go up that monstrous mountain pass on our way to Manning Park. Please think of us.

BTW, there is no Internet access in Manning Park. So, as long as we can get on-line, we'll be sending our update when we arrive in Osoyoos on Monday.

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!

Kitty's ride on Day 1: Vancouver to Harrison

2010-06-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Kitty Chavarie

Hello to all my good friends, family and supporters. WE did it..rode all the way to Harrison Hot springs and it was a great day for all of us (I hope) good company so very nice to ride with a team for a change. Our new GEAR UP GEAR is spiff, we looked like business out there on the roads.

Had a delicious lunch break provided by the Kinswomen and menfolk...bathroom break was lovely too!! Didn't rain on us once which is a complete bonus considering the conditions we have been training in!

SO much fun, a relaxing holiday, even with the sweat equity it is just so nice to ride beside like minded folk..can't really explain it. IF anyone ever has an inkling in their mind to "give back" this is a cause with a ride that is so well worth it....Life is worth living... keep smilin' and remember to give back..

cheers from Kitty and the gang
Stay tuned - more photos and stories of Day 1 to come later tonight!

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!

This is it!

2010-06-19T07:01:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Stan Shaw

It's finally arrived. The day that we've all been working so hard to prepare for. In a few hours time, we will be assembling at the Ladner Kin House and then head out on the first leg of our journey, towards Harrison Hot Springs, approx. 140 km away. What will the next nine days bring? We can only imagine. The excitement between our team riders, and the children and young adults we are riding for, is electric!

I don't have very much time to say anything not, but here's a big THANK YOU for everyone who has made this day possible. To our Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation organizers, volunteers, Kins folk, our families and friends, and most of all, to YOU, our sponsors, I cannot say enough to express my appreciation for all of the help you have done to make this day possible.

<--The state of my room at 1:00 AM this morning

Assuming we have Internet access in Harrison Hot Springs, look for an update on this Journal late tonight, filled with photos and stories of our first day on the road. As for me, I've got to finish packing!!!!

- Stan

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!

Training in Victoria - my rides so far

2010-06-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Kitty Chavarie

Well the countdown is really getting close. I have not climbed as many mountains to train as I could have. But, considering this is my first experience with a road bike ( bought my Trek just 2 months ago), and between learning clip shoes, positioning and handling the speeds these fast bikes go.. I am happy to say that while I know I won’t be the fastest on our team, I have tenacity and stubbornness that should help me on my way.

My last big ride was last weekend, rode to Qualicum Bay and back from Chemainus (about 210 km). I did it in two days so I could fit in some visiting in between, almost made it home dry but the rain caught me just outside of Ladysmith so once again my bike was washed organically!

Probably my only complaint about training is lack of company on the road. I feel lucky if I can find a friend who will ride over ½ hour at a go so most of my riding is alone (other than Ruth, speed demon-my riding buddy on Mondays!) I'm SO look forward to the ‘group event’ this coming Saturday.

Thanks to everyone from Chemainus and Ladysmith communities for your local support and heaps of thanks to the guys at the shutdown in Kamloops for their generousity. My bosses Dr.Danny Dares and Teya for putting out the initial sponsorship to get me going on this big ride.

I am away from my home computer so can’t add any photos, can’t wait to get my team riding gear and see my teammates soon

….sincerely Kitty on the coast

PS Hi Sandra, see you very soon!

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!

Brian and Margaret's Burger and Beer Night - a Huge Success!!!

2010-06-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Brian Benson

I simply don't know where to begin. Our fundraising Burger and Beer night on June 4th far exceeded our expectations. We want to say a big thank you to our many friends, family and supporters who came and joined us. We'd also like to thank those who bought tickets and made donations towards our night even though they could not attend.

Brian and Margaret Benson with their tandem bike-->

I must also say I had very little to do with the organization of the event. One day a number of weeks ago Margaret said "Let's do a Burger and Beer Night Fundraiser".

<--Margaret

Before I had time to say anything, I think it was a done deal. She took the bull by the horns, secured the location, got multiple door and raffle prizes, silent and live auction items and the list goes on. I put up a poster at my office and sent out a few emails.....that's about it for my efforts.

Courtney and Margaret. Courtney is the mother of Hanna, a little girl with CF. Margaret is riding for her. Margaret, who has CF herself, is also riding in memory of Isabelle Tonolli, mentioned in Margaret's bio. Click on Margaret's name for details, and for her own remarkable story.-->

The one thing I did was blow up balloons for the balloon pop. At $10 a balloon I was hoping we'd sell at least half of the 30 I blew up. Within 10 minutes of people arriving they all sold. We should have done 50 in honour of the 50th Anniversary of the CF Foundation but had no idea of what to expect. The silent auction went well with other patrons of the bar and staff also taking part. My niece won the toonie toss for the bottle of Vodka which was half the size of her, then my brother won the Crown Royal in the toonie toss. Go figure. I'm a little worried about the reputation my family will get given the fact you can't "rig" a toonie toss and there were lots of other people participating. Obviously I know where my Brother and his Daughter's strength's are. Toonie tosses for liquor!!!!

Then came the live auction. My neighbour in the Cariboo was interested in the Corona Cooler. He told me to bid up to $75 on it. Little did I know my Brother also wanted it. The bidding war began. Not that I'm competitive or anything but when my Brother said $40, I said $50. Back and forth it went. I thought I knew how to stop the bidding process........$110!!! But no. He goes higher. I go higher. I am simply not going to lose against my Brother on this one. He beat me up enough when we were young that losing this battle was not an option. The noise from the crowd kept getting louder and louder. Next thing you know......we are over $200!!!! By the time it hit $276 my Brother held my arms down so I could no longer bid him up higher.

Needless to say there was some serious laughter coming from the crowd by this time. "The Battle of the Benson Boys" was over. He won. All in good fun as you know with the funds going to such an amazing cause.

<--The Benson Boys - Craig and Brian

Now here's the clincher. He "forgot" his cheque book. And asked me if I could spot him the money. And now he has the cooler. I paid his debt. I always tell people he is smarter than I am......this reinforced my belief. Whether or not he ever pays me back is not my concern. Over the years he has been tremendously generous in his donations and support of CF. He jump started our fund raising efforts for GearUp4CF with a substantial donation. If I never see his money for the cooler it's OK. With the funds going to CF I'll consider it one small way of thanking him for supporting Margaret, myself and CF. Thanks Craig.

I think everyone enjoyed our humble fund raiser and when we totaled the money we simply could not believe it. We are delighted to say over $4000 was raised, bringing our Grand Total to over $8700!!! Thank you everyone.

- Brian

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!

Our final team training ride - we're ready!!

2010-06-12T21:14:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Stan Shaw

There nothing like a massive goal, like this one, to work towards. Today's ride to Cypress was a tremendous opportunity for all of us to see how far we've come.

I managed to get away early on Saturday morning, so I headed over to West Vancouver and did my first climb up Cypress from 21st Avenue on Marine Drive before the others arrived. What a beautiful morning. The sunrise as I was riding along Kits beach on the way to the Lions Gate bridge was spectacular.

Team riders Leona Pinsky, Martina Meckova, James Zlosnik, Rebecca Malott and Brenda Cairns met me back at Cindy's Cafe on Marine Drive in West Vancouver. Brenda had come all the way from Victoria the night before just to be part of the ride today.

<--Brenda Cairns

It was terrific meeting her. I was astonished to learn that she has done seventeen Iron Man competitions over the years. A pretty remarkable athlete!

Together, we headed back up 21st avenue to reach the Upper Levels highway. That hill coming up from Marine Drive is brutal. It's not quite as bad as 22nd avenue, the next street over, but the grades are a pretty constant 11%, at times touching 13% on the way up. Once we got to Cypress, the grades become a bit easier, 7 to 8%, and more in line with what we will be experiencing on our big mountain passes going to Banff.

We made it to the Cypress viewpoint almost exactly half way up the mountain, a great opportunity for photos.

Left to right: Avi Ostrey (alumni rider), Brenda Cairns, Martina Meckova, Leona Pinsky, James Zlosnik, Rebecca Malott, Stan Shaw --->

Our new GearUp4CF 2010 custom jerseys arrived this week - they look and feel terrific! Kudos go to Martina for the great design she did.

While we were there, fellow team rider Justin Chan rolled in on his bike. You will probably read about his adventures in Justin's personal riding journal, (click here). Justin had just come from Seymour mountain and was climbing Cypress mountain as well. We have some pretty strong riders on our team this year.

After our short stop at the viewpoint, I then headed back down the mountain to Marine, while the others continued up to the summit Feeling pretty good myself, I tackled 21st avenue from Marine Drive for a third time and managed to reach the viewpoint half way up the mountain just in time for the others to come off the summit to meet me there.

<--Our route plotted on my bike's Garmin GPS. Click on the photo for a larger image. For more details, click here

Saturday's grade profile, ascending from Marine Drive once to the top of Cypress, then twice to the Cypress viewpoint half way up. The three very sharp grades are the ascents up 21st avenue from Marine Drive-->

A quick return over the Lions Gate bridge towards home got Brenda back in time to make the ferry back to Victoria. On the way, we stopped in to Siegel's Bagels on Cornwall, and basked in the sunshine with a well-deserved bagel and coffee to finish the ride. Then everyone disappeared to rejoin our families for the afternoon. No doubt they were wondering why we were so late getting home!

What was especially great about the ride, aside from the HUGE accomplishment for everyone on making it up Cypress, is that we had a chance to meet each other and chat along the way. I had never met Brenda, so it was great she could join us, before our big ride. And it was so good seeing Christoph again. A Ph.D. candidate who is planning to complete his thesis this year, he is specializing in Cystic Fibrosis research. We rode together during last year's ride, and, I was delighted to learn, will be riding with us for the first two days this year.

James Zlosnik-->

James, who was riding with us today, is a post doctoral research fellow at the Centre for Understanding and Preventing Infections in Children, here in Vancouver. A veteran GearUp4CF cyclist, he is planning to present some of the work his lab has been doing in CF research during our ride. The lab where he works is headed by Dr. David Speert, an avid cyclist himself, who founded GearUp4CF five years ago. His research team will soon be joined by Rebecca Malott, who has been working in research back East but is coming this summer to start a new CF project in the Speert lab. Riding with researchers like James and Rebecca (and Justin Chan, who is also a researcher, doing related work at Children's Hospital), makes the effort we are doing in raising funds for Cystic Fibrosis research so relevant for us. We see exactly where these donation dollars are going.

If anything this final training ride proved today, it's this: We're ready!! And, thanks to your incredible support, we're ready from a fundraising perspective, too. I heard on Friday that we've surpassed our goal of raising $90,000. What you, our sponsors, have done is to provide hope. And hope is so important to the children I am riding for, and many other CF children and young adults who are struggling to breath each day. So let's not stop there. Let's do even better than that. If you have not donated yet, can you help us?

Only five more days to go!

- Stan

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!

My visit to Roman, Madison and Hailey's elementary school

2010-06-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Stan Shaw

This morning I'll be arriving with my Trek carbon-fiber bike, my riding jersey and helmet to walk into a full school assembly at Roman, Madison and Hailey's elementary school to talk about our upcoming ride and Cystic Fibrosis. Jacqueline, the children's mother, will be coming to help out. This will launch a school-wide fundraising effort for our Ride! Roman has been in hospital this week for a lung function 'tune up', but there's a chance he may be able to be temporarily released on a morning pass so that he can join us, after which he will be returning to continue treatment. Madison and Hailey will be there too, of course.

To be honest, I'm rather nervous having to stand in front of 200 kids. I've done lots of presentations before to adults, but this is a REALLY tough audience to please! I am so looking forward to it, though. Roman, Madison and Hailey are looking forward to it, too. The school assembly begins 10:45 AM, but here's an on-line version of what we are presenting. Wish me luck!

- Stan

Update - after the presentation
- Submitted by Stan Shaw

This is an event I will remember as one of the highlights of the entire ride - and the tour has yet to begin! I arrived on time, bringing my bike, its lights flashing, and wearing my full riding gear, complete with helmet. I didn't actually ride my bike to the school. I just brought it along for "special effect". Close to two hundred kids came filing in with their teachers and quickly seated themselves on the floor, in front of the projector we had set up to display my slide show.

It was great seeing Roman there with his mother. For a while, we weren't sure whether he would make it. However, he managed to be temporarily released from Children's Hospital on a morning pass so that he could attend the event. Madison and Hailey sat among the kids, while Roman assisted Jacqueline and I during the presentation.

I quickly found out that the vast majority were enthusiastic bike riders. So, we had a lot in common! We talked about some of the big bike rides they had done around home and on holidays. The kids had many questions around our ride to Banff, but even more about Cystic Fibrosis.

Roman and Jacqueline, his mother, gave a demonstration, holding up a maple leaf with fine branches to give an idea of what lungs look like. Next, Jacqueline had the kids stand up and run in place for a few minutes. The floor reverberated with stamping feet. She then asked them to breath out of a straw that Roman had given out while they were coming in the door. Roman explained that this is what it is like to breath for him when his lungs are filled with mucus. We then talked about their treatment. Jacqueline showed a table laden down with bottles of different medications (empty, of course, for demonstration purposes), they take every day .

Together, they showed an IV set that Roman had just finished using before he left the hospital that morning.

Roman then showed one of the breathing procedures he does every day to improve lung function, in combination with inhaled medications.

We went on to talk about the ride, and what students at the school could do to help. When the principal started telling how the kids were going to raise funds over the next ten days, you could feel the energy in the room. The enthusiasm was tremendous.

And what great questions!!

Question: "Does Cystic Fibrosis affect only the lungs, or does it affect other organs"? Roman's answer - "It affects my lungs, digestion and kidneys." He also went on to say that, for him, it affected the liver as well."

Question: "How do you get Cystic Fibrosis"? Roman's answer - "You get it when your mother and father are carriers, and if they are you have a one in four chance of getting it; and when you do, you are born with it."

Question: "How many pills do you take every day"? Roman's answer - "About forty. My sisters each take about twenty."

We didn't have time to answer all the questions. The school principal, however, invited the kids to write down their questions, so that Roman and his sisters, with Jacqueline could help answer them.

Fundraising for GearUp4CF aside, the goal Jacqueline and I had today was simply to raise awareness with Roman, Madison and Hailey's schoolmates. The ride was a wonderful opportunity for this. And, judging by the enthusiastic response we received, it was very successful. The kids will continue to follow the tour, as the school is setting up an Internet display so that this Rider's Journal is shown during recess every day during our ride.

Roman is back in Children's hospital now, where he will be until sometime next week for his 'tune-up', a special two week series of treatments designed to help improve lung function. If all goes well, he will be out of hospital sometime next week. If so, we'll all be meeting together with Madison, Hailey and their parents, at the end of the first day of our ride in Harrison Hot Springs, on Saturday, June 19th. It won't be long now. Only nine days to go!

- Stan

Would you like to sponsor a favorite rider? Click on their name anywhere on this journal to open their "bio" on the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation GearUp4CF web site, click on the button "Sponsor this Rider", and you will join our team!