There are also seven riders
who will also just ride Day 1... some will ride 25km and others 50km. Their
route is the same as the "round the lakers", but they turn around at 12.5km and
25km respectively. For this year, there were two different types of riders, both
a real pleasure to ride with for me. Both types are critical to the success of
the ride, so I commit myself to riding with them, and helping them learn about
group riding. 
So, off we went... and
right away, the experienced riders separated themselves from the less
experienced... we got stopped at the first traffic light. You could see the
determination on the less experienced riders faces... and sure enough they got
back into the pack. It was helpful that Ian and Barry the two leaders of the
ride had requested several support riders from one of Ian's riding groups to
sweep for this One Day Rider's section. They were with us in the slower group,
and they were great at protecting our backs from traffic while we were still in
the grasp of the city streets... unsung, but critical to having a one day riding
event... thank you!
This is when I started
riding with Cathy... for the second year, Cathy decided to ride the 25km ride.
Cathy doesn't ride a lot, and it is a challenge... but one thing she doesn't
lack is determination. There was a fair rise in elevation coming and I could see
her hunkering down on the bars and seat... grinding on the chain... we made a
turn into the hill and she made it to the top... wow, I probably felt as good as
she did about her making it. The support riders came up to ride with Cathy. I
moved forward and got to ride with Carol. It was a blast to see how much
stronger Carol is now than last year on the 25km ride. She had the same
determination, but she was in bigger gears, moving faster and not struggling.
These two riders are so important to the ride because they not only raised
around a combined $5,000... they also contribute countless hours to the ride and
to the fund-raising for the CIU.
We got to the 12.5km marker
and it was quicker than I remembered from last year. I didn't get a chance to
ride with Nina and Liz... but I know that they made it to the turn and that they
and Cathy and Carol headed back to the golf club starting point successfully.
Before leaving the turn-around, Cathy got everyone's attention and gave a little
talk that was clearly from the heart... on behalf of the Rotary committee that
is committed to raising $750,000 for the CIU, she very convincingly thanked
everyone for participating in the ride... this after Ian had announced that the
ride would be sending more than $38,000 to the CIU through the Rotary Clubs.
Wow, what a feeling... and you could tell that it put some zip into the peddles
as we took off for the next cut-off at the 25km point.
The second group of one day
riders that I think is so important to any ride is the group that is new to
cycling and to raising money through their ability on a bicycle. There were
three riders, Marisa, Cleo and Mirella who ranged from a little bit of
experience to "two weeks" of cycling, and on a new bike to boot. And all three
were game to keep up, especially on the flats along the lake. Riding with Marisa
gave me a chance to point out some safety situations and how to use the various
drive sprockets on her bike. She was like a sponge and picked up speed nicely. I
was able to catch up with Mirella as we started into a few hills. Getting the
gears right to facilitate climbing is one of the most important techniques in
riding. Mirella got into the hills and with True Grit climbed them... she broke
over the rim of one with a smile from ear to ear... again, the pride of
accomplishing another stage in cycling ability is worth seeing. We were talking
along the way about how some riders forget that at one time they were novices,
too... and everyone should take the time to help newer riders become better
riders. These are the folks who will be keeping Heart and Cancer rides
successful until we finally raise the dollar that actually pays for the
cures...
I rode for a while with
Cleo... she is an accomplished newer rider. The last time she climbed one of the
hills we were on this morning, she slipped while shifting rings... and had a
fall. Not today... she rode very well. I can see all three of these riders who
are all friends, becoming very good riders... and hopefully they will be able to
raise those dollars toward the cures for the Niagara rides to come. Everyone
made it back to the Golf Club safely... it was one of the fun rides that I will
keep in my memory bank for some time. I was feeling great and decided to
continue home to NOTL and added about 40km to the end of the ride... it was a
good workout in the end... one that I needed as I continue returning to better
health and conditioning. Thank you to the folks I got to ride with today... I
appreciated the chance to practice with each of them.
Bruce E.A. Ross
Remembering that... Success Nourishes Hope
And that "Life's a Bike"... and its all down hill from there
NOTE: Bruce's company, Affordable Roofing is a proud sponsor of the Tour du Lac. View the pictures taken by Lisa Ip of A.F. downloaded to a google album.
https://plus.google.com/photos/112203521645630249356/albums/5763232162571010689?authkey=COfwmsTczZnRLA
Remembering that... Success Nourishes Hope
And that "Life's a Bike"... and its all down hill from there
NOTE: Bruce's company, Affordable Roofing is a proud sponsor of the Tour du Lac. View the pictures taken by Lisa Ip of A.F. downloaded to a google album.
https://plus.google.com/photos/112203521645630249356/albums/5763232162571010689?authkey=COfwmsTczZnRLA
