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Ron Mitchell COAST TO COAST -- DAY ONE REPORT 5:45 AM. English Bay in downtown Vancouver. It was overcast, but perfectly still… not a breath of wind as the guys cycled down to English Bay from their hotels in downtown Vancouver. Supported by friends and family, including wives, children, brothers-in-law and cousins, some colleagues, even interested and intrigued passersby. At 7:00 AM, the entire 7-rider team walked $50,000 worth of high-performance road bikes down the water’s edge, and dipped their wheels into the Pacific Ocean. Supported by the cheers and tears of everyone there, they charged up the beach to Denman Avenue, and tucked in behind a police escort (provided by Officer Dale and another colleague of the Vancouver Police), for the ride out of town. They were on their way. A quick trip through downtown and out to the boundary of Vancouver and Burnaby, where the police escort bid us the best of luck and dropped away. A short time later, the pre-arranged schedule kicked in with three riders stopping for breakfast in the RV and four others — Scott Graham, Jamie Layfield, Erik Jensen and Kevin Wallace — continued on, racing away from the RV and the pickup support vehicles. Mitch’s Grandfather While the team was stopped, at about 8:30, Mitch’s cousin calls on the cell to tell him that his grandfather just passed away after a long struggle with cancer. He died at exactly 7:00 AM. Everyone recalls that was exactly the same moment that a brilliant stream of sunshine burst through the clouds and onto the beach at English Bay. We all noticed it at the time and thought it was some kind of divine intervention. Maybe it was. Getting lost After a quick reorganization of luggage and bikes, the pickup truck takes off to catch up to the four riders, and the remaining riders fuel up for their upcoming segment. Twenty minutes later, a call from Mitch in the pickup. "Uh, guys, we’re way ahead of where these guys should be right now and there’s no sight of them. I think I know where they might have made a wrong turn." Jeff and Hamish climb back on their bikes and get onto the road to the keep the pace. They are joined by a local rider, Chris, nicknamed "Pooch" by his pals. He pulls Hamish and Jeff for about an hour and provides invaluable insight into the best routes, including a spectacular ride along Highway 7, north of the Fraser River, taking us right into Hope. When we met up with him, he was out for a final training ride before a big race Sunday. After a few minutes, he told Jeff and Hamish he’d pull them as long as he could and forego the Sunday race. The wayward riders are soon found and brought back on track, including the final leg on a ferry back across the Fraser. So much for averaging 32.5 Km/H… that last leg was at best, 5 knots/hour. Smooth sailing. Once the was settled into a steady pace and good quiet rhythm, riding Highway 7, framed by a towering range on the north and the lush fertile farmland of the lower mainland, Ron read the first dedication of the day. Meagan Bebenek was only 5 five when brain cancer stole her away from her loving family. Her courage and strength was an inspiration to the riders. It took three team members to read through the dedication for them. There were many quiet tears shed. Hope. Or Hopeless? Everything’s running smoothly. Pictures being taken, video, lots of phone calls, music, blenders (for energizing smoothies), microwave (for steaks… yes, steaks… hard to imagine). Lots of electricity. Time to recharge those batteries. Turn on the generator. Nope. Try again. Uh, this thing’s not going to start. Drive into the Chevrolet dealer in Hope. Rudy helps. But more importantly Erik finds a sympathetic mechanic with a battery. One quick boost and we’re on our way again. Meagan’s Help The climb out of Hope is a long steady climb… 50 km off uphill. The last 15 Km, a real grind. The boys were head down and churning. Steady, controlled pace. And a beautiful 35 Km/H tailwind. Not only was the dedication to 5-year old Meagan Bebenek a powerful motivator to the riders, but now they knew that Meagan was also working her magic for us. This was the first westerly wind in these riders have encountered in over the past month and a half of training rides. Powerful stuff. Dedication to Heather Heather was from Vancouver, wife of Rick. She died of ovarian cancer at age 53 in 2001. We dedicated 100Km in the beautiful mountains south of Merritt to her. The sky cleared and the tailwind strengthened. Heather too was working her magic. Thanks, Heather. Flying into Kamloops. Route 5A from Merritt to Kamloops is a favourite of local riders. Beautiful, twisting blacktop. Great views. The blue of Lake Nicola is fashionably matched to the tan of the dry grass hills that surround it. It reminds us of Nicola Balzier who is a great friend of Denise Bebenek, mother of Meagan. Nicola helped organize Meagan’s Walk at Toronto Hospital for Sick Children. She also helped to arrange some free hotel rooms for us at the Four Seasons in Vancouver. Sweet! Thanks, Nicola. Twisting around Lake Nicola was an awesome ride and all the guys who were in the RV were giving Fred and Kevin the gears (pun intended) for being the lucky guys with such a great segment. The best was yet to come. As they passed a sign that said "Brake Test" they knew what they were in for… the last 5 Km is a long steep drop into beautiful Kamloops. Fred hit 80 Km/H. What Schedule? With powerful motivators, focus, commitment and determination — and an equally powerful tailwind, the team has arrived in Kamloops at 7 PM, 12 hours after the start, and a full 4 hours ahead of schedule. That’s the power of this ride.
7:00 PM Saturday — Day into Night Kevin continues on from Kamloops joined by Scott and Jamie, heading east toward Revelstoke and Golden. It will be a long, cooling night. The favourable tailwinds that pushed us along all day have now dropped off to nothing more than a wish. Kevin comes in after a five-hour stint, leaving Jamie and Scott to chug on. They are working perfectly as a team, pulling each other along, switching the lead often, easily and precisely. But it’s getting dark fast and from the front seat of the RV, it looks scary out there. This is a very busy piece of the Trans Canada Highway, with big rigs flying by, carrying God-knows-what to God-knows-where on a Saturday night in central BC. This is also a dangerous time… just when the day’s excitement and energy starts to mellow the body and mind, the exact opposite is needed: it’s just the time when extra vigilance is a must. Cars, partying kids, and long stretches of remote BC highway are a treacherous combination. We just read another dedication for Jamie and Scott. It was for 12-year old Stephen Morse of Pasadena, California. We all know that Stephen, a cancer survivor with immeasurable courage and determination, will guide Scott and Jamie and keep them safe. 11:00 PM. "Hey, was that a Tim Horton’s?" As Scott and Jamie tidy up a fantastic run with a final sprint up a long hill, Jeff and Hamish get ready to head out for the long haul to Revelstoke. Batteries are charged, bodies are fueled, bikes are eager to feel the hum of smooth pavement. A measured and safe transition, and our first one where the whole team comes to a complete stop at the same time. Success is calibrated by having the right headcount in the RV before pulling away to catch the riders. Soon after, the Erik the driver on duty, demands a Tim Horton stop when one is spotted. Everyone relents, but just for coffee. Hamish and Jeff continue on without benefit of warm caffeine. As they settle in to a smooth rhythm, they call on the radio, asking for their dedication. We read the story of Ashley Medina, a beautiful 17 year-old who battled her cancer hard, never giving up. The last words of the dedication read: "She danced her heart out for everyone in her life and battled cancer to the extent that she could. Even though cancer beat her, it didn’t win the battle. She did." In honour and memory of Ashley, Hamish and Jeff dig deeper for her strength in the darkest part of the night. 3:00 AM "Stairway to Heaven" It’s cold and dark. For the last 10 Km of their ride, Hamish and Jeff had been climbing. They ended their ride right on schedule at 3:00 AM and handed it over to Kevin and Freddy. Now scrambling to reset lights, water and Endura, they start their ride, their climb. And they climb, and they climb, and they climb. Thirty-seven kilometers of climbing without so much as 500 metres of flat. And then they start to climb even steeper, now with gentle switchbacks, and thinner air. They are climbing to heaven. Dr. Pat reads another inspiring and emotionally packed story of Jeff’s great-grandmother who lifted hearts with her life and saddened them deeply when she succumbed to cancer. The first occurrence of cancer in the Rushton family. It gave Kevin and Fred the energy they needed to continue their grinding, grueling climb. As the blackness of the dark night turned to gun-barrel grey skies and the awesome weight and mass of Canadian Rocky Mountains emerged from the darkness, they climbed on. Now the skies are lightening and the first sounds of life. More climbing. And then, almost suddenly, there it is: Rogers Pass, 1330 Meters. We all stop. Stand by the sign and have our pictures taken against the backdrop of the milestone. Smiles, handshakes, a hug of support. Then back on their bikes for a short, fast downhill. Up to 80 Km/H. Then more climbing. Kevin spots a deer running along the side of the road, blocked by the massive, sheer face of the Rockies on his right and the hulking slow-moving mass of the 30-foot RV of his left. We trail the deer for almost a kilometer before it finally spots an acceptable escape route and disappears into the dark vertical forest. Kevin and Fred have climbed for four hours. A truly heroic effort… they did it quietly, steadily, in perfect harmonious teamwork. Perhaps an inspiration to those whose challenges are not as assured of success. They can only hope. We’re now a staggering 5 hours ahead of schedule. We recalculate many times, but it’s true. We’re coming up on the 7:00 AM transition, the completion of the first 24 hours of the Coast-to-Coast Ride Against Cancer. There is an almost overwhelming sense of accomplishment, of pride in the teamwork and awe of the effort of these amazing riders. Day 1 has come to and end. Coast to Coast Ride Against Cancer 2003 is now very real. Coast to Coast — Day 1 Facts:
And most importantly…
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