I went to my massive email contact list and spammed everybody I knew (or didn't know) and some people actually pledged money. The other team members did their own fundraising and eventually we were able to raise about $8600 for MS. Thanks to everybody who contributed.
Because of the late winter, I wasn't able to get out on my road bike as much as I would have liked and got in one MS Bike Tour sponsored training ride and a few short rides on my own. Nowhere near the 90 or so km I was going to have to do each day.
On Tuesday Mary and I headed out to the MS Bike Tour office in far east Edmonton to pick up ours and everybody elses race kits. We also got to pick up the jersey I got for raising >$1000 (thanks again to everybody who donated). Mary got to pick up her special red jersey for riding with MS. This is jersey that nobody should have to wear but one that can be worn with pride. Many thanks to the volunteers at registration who really had a lot to do but handled it with incredible grace.
I also picked up the bicycle shorts that I got for raising >$2000 (thanks again). I have up to this time spared that world from the sight of me in Spandex and on receiving the XXL shorts held them up and thought, "I'm going to fit into these?"
The evening before the ride we met at Violinos for a pre race carb load. The food and the company were great and we had a lot of laughs before going home to rest.
This year knowing how slow it is getting organized I had vowed not get up to early but to relax and get there just in time. That didn't stop me from getting up at 0530 so I did some stretches, made some coffee, shoe-horned myself into the bike shorts and got on my jersey. I also smeared diclofenac gel over all the places I knew were going to get sore. Then we loaded our bikes on the car had headed out to the start at Ritchie Brothers in Nisku. We were at the exit at about 0630 but everybody else had the same idea as us and it was after 0700 before we got parked. We figured out how to put all the numbers and wristbands in the right place and pushed out bikes towards the start where we met the rest of our team.
It was a sunny day, still at little chilly in the morning with a wind coming from the northwest that promised to blow us to Camrose. Gradually the ride started as the riders pulled out in groups of 100.
We pedaled through the industrial areas and Nisku before turning west for 10 km and then south. As we got farther from the start the riders thinned out. Bernadette, John's wife who had apparently been training flew off ahead and we didn't see her until the finish. The rest of us headed on at our own pace, meeting up at checkpoint and the lunch stop. With a strong tail, I was able to get some impressive speeds giving me a false impression of my prowess as a cyclist. Eventually Mary took off on her own. Eventually I rolled into Camrose where Mary and Bernadette were waiting and the other men rolled in shortly after. After dropping our bags off it was time for some liquid refreshment in the beer garden.
Okay, I'm not sure why the photo of Danny and Will is upside down. I blame Windows 8.
While we were well fed along the way, Fat Franks just happened to be there and when Will offered to buy me a smokie, how could I turn it down. Beer was provided by Alley Kat which is a good thing because when you ride 90 or so km, Molsons or Labatts is not going to do it. Alley Kat had a grapefruit beer which wasn't all that bad.
Feeling just a little happy, we picked up our luggage and got on the Shuttle to the Travellers Inn, our home for the night. I will not comment further on my choice of motels except to say that there were no cigarette burns or mysterious stains on the bedspread. By the time we got showered and changed it was time to head back for the 1000 Club reception followed by dinner where we re-joined our team.
There were fewer speeches by politicians this year and the rest of evening speeches were uplifting and inspiring. We didn't stay for the band but headed home to get a good night's sleep for the next day.
We woke up the next morning at about 0600 and looked out the weekend and saw the flags flapping. Getting dressed and outside, waiting for the shuttle, it was pretty clear that the wind was definitely not blowing in the right direction. Back at the arena we all ate a huge breakfast, picked up our bikes and got back on the road. The sky was initially blue but quickly turned into a dull grey with threatening black clouds to the west. The wind came from the northwest meaning we rode into it whether we were going north or west. No speed records today.
We all rode on doggedly from checkpoint to checkpoint at our own speed. Mary soon left us, we all rode on meeting occasionally at checkpoints and at the lunch stop at Hay Lakes. The rain held off as we continued on north and west into the wind. Soon we were at the second last checkpoint followed by a hill of despair just before the last checkpoint 14 km from the finish. From there after a few km north, we turned west up a gentle uphill towards Nisku. From 10 km on there were signs every km, reminding us how near (or far) we were to the finish. After entering the Nisku industrial park it was 2 km to the finish and finally through the finish where we all crossed the finish line to applause, bell ringing and clapping. Mary was there waiting for me.
Will and Danny had to head off but John, Bernadette, Mary and I had a hamburger at the finish before heading home.
All in all another great experience and it was really nice to ride with a team this year.
As I had said before, the MS Bike Tour is a really class organization and I can't say enough about the volunteers who kept us happy and comfortable over the weekend.
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