Great Ride, Great Cause

I don't know why I was worried as the day loomed close.

I had only managed to get on my road bike twice in April. Springtime in Ottawa can be unpredictable with the weather and we certainly saw weird weather, with snow falling as late as last Wednesday, April 27—four days before the event! I think that's the latest we've seen snow in memory.

April 27.

The wind has been strong over the past couple of weeks, and that bothered me the most. I'd rather have rain on my ride than wind.

It's likely the lack of practice on my bicycle that had me worried the most. With other long rides I've done in the past, I've had several weeks worth of time in the saddle, leading up to the big day.

But I needn't have worried as the CN Cycle for CHEO approached.

I've been riding my spin bike at least five times a week since last November, when it became too cold to venture out on the road. On the day of this charity fundraiser, I had already logged more than 1,726 kilometres on my spin bike.

I was ready.

Sunday couldn't have been better for the ride. Not a cloud in the sky, the wind wasn't a hinderance, and the temperature wasn't too cold nor too hot. I wore leggings under my cycle pants and a lightweight, Merino wool sweater under my cycle jersey, and stayed comfortable. I started the ride with a toque under my helmet, but removed it after about 25 kms or so.

I was fine.

It wasn't my fastest ride, but I averaged a respectable 23.6 kph and covered the 70 kms in just under three hours. I didn't push myself but I didn't crawl.

I was good.

Most importantly, I had support from family and friends, and together we raised $300 for CHEO, which is 20 percent more than my goal. Thank you to all of my sponsors.

Overall, the event raised $1,426,840. That's something to celebrate.

I really needn't have worried about the ride. When I finished, I stayed to listen to the Commotions, who were performing on the War Museum grounds. I had a hamburger that was provided by one of the hundreds of volunteers, and then I cycled to a spot where DW could pick me up and take me home.

The way I felt, I could have cycled the extra 20 kms to get home. But I didn't.

I was worried about how I would feel afterwards.