Eat - Sleep - Drive - Ride - Repeat

Yes, that is pretty much the schedule...and so far, there has been lots of eat, drive, and ride...but not much sleep. Time is a premium with all that is going on and each team must ensure we do our share of the ride each day. It means that we have to track and find transition locations, it means we have to drive about 500 km's every day to leap frog the other 4 relay teams. It also means we need to eat often and lots to ensure we have the fuel to do all the riding.

A few more awesome things to tell you about. The first is the great support from the IronDames who came out to our launch and provided each rider with a Buff for use on the ride. The IronDames are awesome. Thank you!

http://irondames.ca/irondames-turnout-to-support-wellsprings-peloton-challenge-oakville-on-to-austin-texas-october-12-to-19th-2012




Our envelope from our Warrior Donna today...contained band aids! Luckily we haven't needed them yet....but now we have them just in case!




The forecast before our 6am to noon ride did not look too good...there was a call for rain, thunderstorms, and even tornado warnings right when we were riding. We got up at 4am to pack up and begin hunting down our transition point about 50kms away. To our surprise...it was 15 degrees and dry!

The ride itself was most challenging...many, many hills....long slow climbs of which we generally don't see back at home. There were also significant winds for the second half. Regardless...long slow climbs also meant long fast downhills and the scenery in Ohio was fantastic:







So far...I'm not aware of any bike issues on the ride...so I had the pleasure of being the first to get a flat tire. I think my team feels that it may have been strategically planned, as it was right before the biggest and most challenging hill climb of the day. While they climbed...I was changing my flat in the follow vehicle...pretty good timing I must say!




In my last blog post, we had the bird hitting the van. Well...it continues. This time while enroute...the magnetic Wellspring sign on the front of the van decided to lift and crash into the roof rack and bikes. It all happened so fast...we didn't even see anything except hear a loud bang on the roof. Everyone nearly had a heart attack as we looked back expecting to see one or more bikes flying down the highway. Luckily...it sounded much worse than it was. Only the sign was damaged. There was an idea to cut up this limited edition, one of a kind, magnet, into pieces and sell them as a fundraiser for Wellspring! Hmmmmm....







And here is the eat part...Team 1 and Team 5 in Glasgow, Kentucky:



The adventure continues. Our next ride is tomorrow (Monday) from noon to 6pm.

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The first 24 hours...

I will continue to overuse the word AWESOME as I blog each day. I cant help it...because it is AWESOME. The first day started with our launch party...riders, volunteers, warriors, family, friends, and supporters converged on the Wellspring house in Oakville. Ann Rohmer from CP24 emceed the event and everyone had an opportunity to hear from our 5 Wellspring Warriors about what the charity means to them and the significance of the over $300,000 raised from this event so far. We heard of their experience battling cancer and how it affected their lives. Their stories were inspiring as we embarked on our non-stop cycling journey, knowing that the battles we will inevitably face along the way is nothing in comparison.













And yes...our first 24 hours had challenges. As we are Team 1, we did 2 riding shifts in this time period - 60kms from 9am to noon and again at midnight to 6am for 120kms...all with very little sleep in between. The night ride was cold - zero degree temps with winds....however our team persevered and completed the distance with time to spare. Awesome.

Team 1 after our night ride....notice the frost on the car windows!



In terms of bad news good news....unfortunately one of our volunteers was not able to make it across the border (don't ask...). We were down a key person for about 12 hours. Problem solving by our committee and the team at Wellspring kicked in. One of the staff at Wellspring, Julie, recruited her dad Derek, who graciously volunteered at the last minute, and was driven down to Ohio in the morning to meet up with the team. We are complete again. Awesome.

Oh yes...more challenge on day 1....a bird decided to fly into the windshield of our van...bounce up...and impaled itself to the front chainring of MY bike. I won't describe how much fun it was to remove it...




Our Wellspring Warrior Donna, gave our team an envelope for each day of the ride to help keep us going. Today...we got Starbucks Ready Brew coffee (Ryan holding the coffee in photo)! Awesome....can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow!




-billy

Departure Day....

Bags are packed. Ready to go...launch party at 8am....start riding at 9am. We are Team 1 - also known as Team BMOCA, thanks to our Peloton sponsor BMO Capital Markets. We will ride for 60km from 9am to noon, then see how Teams 2 and 3 do...before heading across the border to the US. It will be a long day, as our next shift will be later that day from midnight to 6am. YEP - we get the first night ride after being up early the day prior! No problem....will nap sometime....

You can follow our progress live at the following website:

http://wellspringride.ca/follow-the-ride

That's it for now! I will keep everyone updated as often as possible along with post photos here on this blog.





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Official Countdown!

Only 30 days to the start of our ride! We have been working on this Toronto to Austin event since January 2011...and it's exciting to get so close to the official launch. I thought I would use this opportunity to share some of the past month's activities through some photos...

The first photo is of one of our spinning events to raise awareness and do some fundraising...the day was very hot and watching everyone come out with cold drinks didn't help!


Labour training ride - round trip from Markham to Lake Simcoe:


At the Bike Expo with Julie and Christine from Wellspring promoting the ride and recruiting for 2013:


This is Lori who has been training hard this summer...and just reached her $10,000 fundraising goal!


Another rider this year, Sean takes over at the Bike Expo booth:


Enjoying a fantastic breakfast prepared by Gail and Wanda after our Markham night training ride...which started at 330am:


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Patrick Dempsey Supporting the Calgary Ride!

The Wellspring Cancervive group in Calgary will be doing their 8th ride this October - from Calgary to Lewiston, Maine....and their journey is actually being documented into a film, with Patrick Dempsey as the Executive Producer. They have posted a short sneak preview of the movie - I encourage you to take a moment to watch, as it reinforces many of the reasons why they have been doing this event...and why we have started this event for Toronto. Here's the link to the website with the video :http://www.thepelotonfilm.com/

As of the time of this posting...there is exactly 41 days, 11 hours, 46 minutes until we start our journey to Austin Texas. My fundraising has now officially surpassed $10,000 thanks to all the generous friends, family, colleagues, strangers, and organizations who are supporting this cause! My goal is to reach $15,000 by the time our 27 riders, 16 volunteers, and 5 cancer warriors arrive in Austin. If you would like to contribute - here is the weblink:  www.wellspring.ca/billycheung

Help me find a word that is better than AWESOME

Wow. I'm actually speechless. While last night's fundraiser was pretty fantastic...the awesomeness just continues. Bill Dawson is the person who provided the venue for our spinning at Unionville Main St...and apparently he is also the Chair and one of the founding members of Hockey with Heart. It is an organization that supports off ice community efforts...and we have just been informed that they will donate $1000 to Wellspring towards our fundraising goal!!! Wow!!!

Let me know if you have a better word for awesome. We can't thank them enough.


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What an AWESOME way to end the day!

Sometimes...the most awesome, amazing, fantastic thing can happen when you're not expecting it...and when you're involved with something like this ride to Texas...it happens more than sometimes.

It was our third and final fundraising evening of 'spinning' at the Unionville Main Street Bandshell. This round however, local singer for the night, Brian Roman, had both Ryan and myself up on stage to talk about Wellspring and the ride. He then very generously donated his CD for every $10 donation people made tonight!

This is what it's all about folks....meeting lots of great people who support a great cause and then they do some awesome things. I would have to say that the 3 evenings we spent spinning has been a tremendous success. We had the opportunity to raise awareness for Wellspring...we met and talked to many fantastic people...we recruited people for next year's ride....and we each raised money towards our $10,000 goal for the ride.

Awesome. Thanks to Mayo, Gail, Mya, and Ben for coming out to hand out brochures, rider cards, and talking things up while we were working up a sweat!

Less than 1.5 months remaining before we leave for Texas! If you want to support...here's a link to my donation page:

www.wellspring.ca/billycheung




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I'm officially a bike busker!

With thanks to Gail who made the arrangements, fellow rider Ryan Lau and I had the opportunity to raise awareness for Wellspring, the ride to Austin, and do some fundraising tonight. While the Sunday evening band played at the Unionville Main Street Bandshell...we rode our bikes on stationary bike trainers. Two hours of spinning, 60 km's of virtual mileage, 19 mosquitoe bites (not virtual), and a chance to talk to lots of people about the cause...



We will be back to the same location for this Thursday evening and next Thursday as well to do the same! Come drop by if you're in the area!

Only 2 months left until the ride! Still lots to do and plan before departure. Fundraising has been great - passed the $8,000 mark last week thanks to everyone's support. Keep the donations coming if you haven't had a chance yet!

-billy

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My longest training ride EVER....

My friend and fellow rider Ryan and I had the opportunity to participate in the GranFondo Ottawa ride last weekend. What a great experience - 1500 cyclists participated in the 100, 170, or 220 km routes. We joined up with 2 other Wellspring Peloton riders, Dave and Jetje, for part of the route. We planned to do the 170k route as our first 'Century'...somehow...I made a wrong turn and ended up doing 196k!




Here's the route and stats as tracked by my Garmin:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/201616080

So far with all the riding I have been doing this year...I'm actually feeling much stronger than last year. Actually, dare I say...I think I'm officially a cyclist now!

Less than 3 months to go...and fundraising has been going very well. Thank you to everyone for your support. We have some additional events coming up in August and September to give the fundraising an extra boost - will post the details another day.

-billy

COLD PLAY Tickets in support of Wellspring

Wellspring has a pair of tickets to the COLDPLAY concert at the ACC on July 23rd! An online auction has been created if you would like to bid on them. The show is SOLD OUT and the seats are fantastic (Section 119, Row 6)! 100% of the WINNING BID ticket price will be donated in support of the 2012 Wellspring Peloton Challenge. Please share and pass this link along to your friends and family:

Cold Play Auction Link

 The auction will be open until 12pm on July 16, 2012. You will need to create an account to participate in the auction (which should not take more than a few minutes). The winning bidder can choose to direct the funds to sponsor a specific Peloton rider (ie ME!).

If the above link does not work, copy and paste the following to your web browser:

http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/4222/auctions/4668/auction_items/90548

Video of the amazing cause and event

The Final Days

It was a long journey to Austin for us. Over the past year, we, the riders, invested significant time in planning, training, and of course, fundraising for this great cause. Our 5 teams rode 25k through the city and then converged to ride as a full group to the downtown Radisson Hotel. We were met with cheers as we arrived to reunite with our Cancervive Warriors, family, friends, and supporters. It's difficult to describe in words the experience...

Over the weekend, we all participated in the LiveStrong Events taking place in Austin. Cancer survivors from all over were here to support and raise awareness for cancer survivorship and prove that the disease can be fought and won. We did a 5k walk with Cancervive Warriors on Saturday. We then did a 65k bike ride with Lance Armstrong for the LiveStrong Foundation on Sunday ('with' is a very general term...Lance and his Peloton zipped by us pretty quickly partway through the route!).

This Wellspring Cancervive experience is one that I will never forget...the many friendships made along the way...the adrenaline of riding through the night...the opportunity to view the small towns, landscapes, sunrises and sunsets, on our unique route by bike...and the constant energy of a great group of people all dedicated to a great cause. It's a rare experience and one that I would recommend to everyone.

I'm preparing to work my way back into reality now. Its strange not to have to get on my bike for 6 hours a day at all hours! Thanks again to everyone for your support!

Photos:

Our full team...riders and volunteers before our final ride into Austin:


Riding into the city:


Arrival celebrations with our Cancervive Warriors, family, and friends:





It was awesome to see Gail, Mya, and Benjamin...and I hope this experience will encourage Mya and Ben to be involved as they grow up - Mya has already indicated that she wants to do the ride when she is 18!


All the riders have signed Jerseys to be framed for the sponsors as a gift:


At the LiveStrong 5k walk with our Warrior Kim and her friend Mitzy:





Cancervive Warriors and supporters after conquering the 5k walking with arms linked:


Start and finish line for the LiveStrong ride...on the same training roads used by Lance Armstrong. Hills and S-curves throughout....another awesome ride:








- billy

Day 8: Arrival at Bee Cave

We woke up that morning to see the final team arrive at Bee Cave. This team also included Shae, who had surgery for breast cancer only 1 year ago and proved that it can be done and that she can win the battle. We are all so proud of her!

With all the teams now together, we rested and celebrated as an entire team, riders and volunteers as one. Our day concluded with some short speeches, recognition to the volunteers without whom we would not have been able to make it happen, and a great dinner at Salt Lick to replenish our fuel for the final group ride into Austin the next morning.

Photos:

Team 5, supported by Team 1 - coming into Bee Cave:



Lots of congratulatory hugs, including this one for Shae:



Our team captain, Bill, who lead a safe and successful ride this year also celebrated his birthday:



Mark and Gwen, guests at the hotel, heard of what we were doing. They brought us these balloons for us to write the names of those we were riding for...and then they were released into the clear sky. Another example of the awesome folks we have met along the way.






Dinner and celebration at the Salt Lick...an example of the all you can eat Texas BBQ to the extreme...





- billy

Day 7: Riding to the light of the full Texas moon

Our last long ride was today from 6pm to midnight. The weather was perfect for cycling with no problems with rain, wind, or cold temperatures. We were able to bike in our shorts and jerseys for the whole time. We saw the sun set as we started the ride and the full moon lit up the roads for us the rest of the evening.

Along the way - we had to watch out for the many deer on the side of the road. We also met up with Maurice who allowed us to use his driveway for a rest stop. We chatted about what we were doing and he also joined us for a drink.

We completed 124k and handed off the baton to Team 4 before heading I to Bee Cave Texas by 3am. This is the location where all the team converge so that we can ride in together as a complete group on Friday morning.

We really can't ask for any better for our last long ride. It was dedicated to all those who use and benefit from the services offered by Wellspring.

Today's photos:

Notice the unique art on the fence of our motel:



We found a great authentic Mexican restaurant in a small town along the way:






As each day progresses...so do the games, pranks, and dares between the teams. A great way to share the fun and keep the spirits up through the long time spent in the saddle and sleep deprivation:



And yes....the games included modification of cycling attire...






- billy

Day 6: Photos

Entering Texas!


Along the way...


Wind farm...


This trailer thought he could do a U-turn for some reason...obviously he was not successful...



Charlene and Wayne, our RV drivers had moist towels for us at the end of the ride! Awesome!


Outside of the restaurant at dinner...


- billy

Day 6: Some friendly Texan's along the way

Our transition point for our noon ride was on the side of the road just across from a BIG Texan farm. As we prepared our gear and bikes, the owner of the farm came out to see if we were okay. He graciously offered up space on his property for the transition so that we don't have to be on the road, as well as wanted to know how he could send in a donation to support our efforts. Awesome.

Later on in the day around 9pm at a rest stop for Team 4 (we had stopped by to say hello)...the Sheriff's deputy dropped in to see if the riders were okay. His wife had called him letting him know that she saw a group of cyclists riding on the dark road as well as the 'silage' in the air. Apparently it can be dangerous when exposed to it too much in the air....no wonder my lungs felt like they needed to be cleaned out after our ride! Haha...all is good...

We did 113k today...toughest day in terms of riding due to a very strong wind (the wind farm we passed by was probably a big clue!).

Last long ride tomorrow. The 110k cap is apparently off and we my try for a full century (160k) - something to check off my list if we get there!

I will post photos from the day in a separate blog update.


- billy