Hello Again

It dawned on me the other day that some time had passed since my last post. I had to think about why so much time had elapsed and simply chalked it up to other things taking precedence.

 Like most things in life, we need inspiration to produce creativity,

 and sometimes our inspiration comes from other sources.

Having said that, I was inspired today to bring my readers up to date on the progress of these two great words, Hope and Gratitude (which as you can see I choose to capitalize).

I thought it would be fun to do a small pictorial of the things that have offered me hope and gratitude in the past year, a snapshot of how the past months have filled my days.

My readers have always enjoyed and let me know how much they appreciate the photos that accompany the text of my blogs. Perhaps the visuals give more context, 

and for whatever reason, it works.

So, hello again, it's nice to be back....

Gratitude for sharing my rides with Timmy and giving my son Chris

 the gift of a bike for his 18th birthday...

Gratitude for being fortunate enough to ride my bike

 to work, and for the view along the way..

This was featured on the back of my 2013 Ride to Conquer cancer

team jersey. There are over 100 names of people touched 

in some way by cancer in this image.

Hope for a cure...

Gratitude for my team of fundraisers,

Team Hope and Gratitude

Hope for the future and it's endless possibilities...

Gratitude for being involved with a wonderful cause.

Team Ian Ride 2013 in memory of Ian Van Toch

raising money for cutting-edge cancer research

Reflections from one of my rides..

Gratitude for a business that people appreciate..

A collection of my fundraising jerseys that for me represents hope...

...and let us not forget the bracelet..

It has taken on a life of its own. Many who wear the bracelet

now document its whereabouts. This was taken in one of my favourite

places in the world, Lake George, NY at the top of Prospect Mountain.

Gratitude to be able to share a special moment with a friend and

fellow cancer survivor, one who defied many odds to get

to his special day..

Proud and grateful to see my son Chris achieve his goal of going to the 

Junior pan-Am games

My amazing team... an incredible group of committed individuals,

of whom I can also call friends

and one of my many valued donors all of whom deserve

my heartfelt thanks..

Gratitude for family...

Friendships...

Happy moments..

and not so happy moments..

Meaningful causes..

Memories of a great dad..and hero..

33 years since his passing..

Some people say I look like him.. I like that compliment

Hope and Gratitude...

See you soon...

Love, Valentines, Cycling and the Magic Formula.

I once was told from a trusty source that there was a formula for the number of bikes one should own.  Simple enough, the formula was N+1.  Of course, I was curious to know what the formula was, but he was quick to put me off before telling me one of his long-winded cycling stories surrounding the love of our beloved sport on two wheels.

Being Valentines, I decided that my wife needed that brand new set of pedals for her sleek carbon road bike, an ergonomic set of titanium handle-bars and the newest moisture-wicking wind resistant, aerodynamic spandex tights that fit snugly for optimum performance.  The only problem was that my wife doesn’t own a bike.... and all of the above only came in my size.

So out I went with my trusty friend to buy them anyway. I figured she would understand. 

The day went on, and with the story-teller at my side, I decided that maybe, on a hunch, I should pick something up for my wife that vaguely resembled a Valentines gift.

I was appalled when the store manager told me that he couldn’t sell me chocolate or jewelry, or for that matter a nice lovey card for my wife.  I responded, “What kind of lousy bike shop are you running anyway?”.  He stood there motionless.

So I bought myself a nice riding jersey.  I figured my wife would be so happy to see me all buff  every time I was about to go out for a ride.

Feeling somewhat guilty, I pressed on to search out that card, and with a stroke of luck, found one with the picture of two lovebirds... cycling off into the sunset.  Perfect. It was genius on my part.

I got sidetracked soon after that... after bumping into a few old friends. A few beers later, having shared a lifetime of  not-quite true tales of cycling bravery, I realized I had missed the dinner date with my wife at the espresso bar... of my local bike shop. It was supposed to be the end to a perfect day, and now I was destined for the couch and a few days of uneasy silence.

She took a cab home that night, and hid my bike in the garage of our neighbour. I admit, I deserved it, and spent the rest of my evening in my room.... reading the latest issue of Bicycling Magazine.

But like the love we have for our bikes and the people we meet along the way, the relationships we forge in the cycling community, and the gear we continually seek out to better our rides, I have learned the importance of expressing our love to our partners as well, because they need it too....

After all, she hasn’t thrown me out of the garage yet. 

PS…. N+1?  Simple: The number of bikes you own….plus one....

(From "The Rules", www.velominati.com)

Dear Lance...

I feel somewhat betrayed today, knowing that for years I have given you the benefit of the doubt, perhaps a little naive on my part.  Maybe I just didn't want to accept that you really could have doped for that long...that many tours.  

I still want to believe you, because I understand the world is a cruel place, and sometimes the truth is not that easily understood.  The powers that be have chosen to strip you of your titles, and you staunchly admit no fault. Perhaps I want to be naive, but I am not naive enough to know that maybe you did just do all those inconceivable things.

So today I have decided to not have an opinion, except to say thank you.

Thank you for contributing to the growth of cycling in the mainstream.

Thank you for your work with Livestrong.

Thank you for writing a book about your journey with cancer

 It helped me deal with my own journey.

Thank you in part for allowing me to become passionate about cycling.

And because of that, thank you for allowing the sport of cycling

 to keep me fit, strong, happy, stress-free.....

Cycling has changed my life so many ways, on so many levels. 

 There is good to be found, a silver-lining in everything.

and so...

Gratitude for the bicycle and its wondrous benefits....

...and Hope that maybe, just maybe, you told the truth....

Timmy and Aurora - Two kids taking Action

I was profoundly touched this week by what my son Timmy and his cousin Aurora did for me, but more importantly for those suffering by the ravages of cancer.

Two Kids taking action

Timmy is 12 years old, his cousin Aurora 7, and both participated in the Terry Fox Run, like the thousands of kids across the country do every year to continue the work that Terry started with his Marathon of Hope.

Algonquin Park, Aug. 2012

Earlier this year, Aurora cut her hair to raise money for cancer research, and in the process raised more than one thousand dollars.  

They only see each other a few times a year

but remain very close

Terry ran for us.  Lance rides to Livestrong.

We all do what we do to make a difference.

Some of us ride, some run...some walk... some paddle.

It doesn't really matter. What matters is that we do something.

And without saying a word to anyone, they sure made a difference in my life this week.

Thank You Terry for bringing cancer awareness to the mainstream.

Thank You Timmy and Aurora for making sure the good work he started continues.

And I will continue to ride with Hope and gratitude..... and do my

part to make a difference for others less fortunate.....

Down the 401: Riding for the Kids

Mission Accomplished!

In all, we were 38 riders, many of whom had not met until we boarded the train to Toronto on August 7th to embark on the 401 Bike Challenge, a fund-raising ride to benefit Sarah's Floor of the Montreal Children's Hospital, and in particular, pediatric oncology.

I, for one, only knew a handful of this large and varied group of dedicated individuals, but as I would soon find out, our commitment to raise money for this wonderful cause, and the time we would spend together helping each other ride 586 kms in just over two days would form a bond one cannot quite explain.  Perhaps that is why they call it being part of the "401 Family".

My Niece Aurora, who raised over 1k herself by cutting her hair
for a cause

My friend Andy Frank....Two friends, two survivors

My brother Pete and our niece and nephew

My sister Sue and her family in Toronto

I sure felt that connection from the moment we boarded the train. We were all eager to share our story, the "whys" of why we were riding in this epic challenge. I have rarely seen such a committed group of people,  from many different walks of life, banding together to help these kids who so needed our help.

Leaving Toronto

And so, on a sunny, warm August morning, we set out from the Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto for our 586 km return back to Montreal. We were all running high on adrenaline, partly due to having a police escort lead us out of the city at rush hour, sirens ablaze, onlookers baffled by this valiant group of cyclists racing through the downtown core.  What an incredible feeling.

The first day was warm, and getting out to the city limits proved to be slow.  It wasn't until after Oshawa that we were really able to get going. A nice prepared lunch in a park in Port Hope allowed us to regain our energy for the afternoon, and at suppertime, 195 kms later, we arrived in Belleville, more than ready for a beer and a wholesome meal.

Lunch in Port Hope

My friend and roommate Tom Belliveau, who has dedicated many hours
 to raising money for cancer. 

All night, we kept looking at the weather, and we came to the realization that day 2 would be more of a challenge than we had hoped for.  We set out at 7am from Belleville, and for the first part of the morning, we had avoided the rain, but the clouds kept lingering, and upon our entry onto the Thousand Islands Parkway just east of Gananoque, the heavens opened up. The spray from the wheels ahead of us in our peloton was like being hosed down after a muddy bike ride. We were cold, wet, and questioning how we were going to be able to ride the day in conditions like this. At this point, we had headwinds and more than 130 kms ahead of us. We had already ridden 125.

The rain started...

Whatever happened that day is irrelevant now, except for the supreme desire and motivation on behalf of each rider to get the job done - nothing was going to stop us from doing this for the kids.

At 7:40 PM, 12.5 hours after departing Belleville, we reached our hotel in Cornwall, amidst tears of joy, hugs, elation, pain.... we had come here to do what we promised to do.

Arrival into Montreal

Our 130 km ride into Montreal on the third day was flawless, and we were running high on energy and a desire to finish off what we had started.  Our arrival at the Childrens hospital can only be described as deeply emotional, and while every rider had his or her reasons for taking on this challenge, we all shared something in common at the finish line...... we had done this together... as a family.

And to my wonderful family and friends who took the time out to greet us at the end...
 I am deeply grateful.

This picture sums it all up for me...

I will never forget my experience and gratitude for being a part of this wonderful ride.

Many thanks to our visionary, Gene Piccoli, who had an idea eight years ago....

 and did something about it.

In the end, we raised $275,000 for the kids at the MCH

Hope and Gratitude for the kids, the friends I have made, and the endless

possibilities that lie ahead.....


Please follow the link below for a  wonderful video of our ride called:
"Down the 401 : The Ride of a Lifetime, Coming Home"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxdRrCH4uCU