# 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer thread



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Hi All,

I know there are some of us on here who do the Ride to Conquer Cancer every year...be it BC, Ontario, Alberta or Quebec versions... thought I should start up a thread for this year where we can encourage each other on the training and fund raising.

For me, Epic Impact day was big this year (this will be my 5th Ride in Alberta)....managed to get the boss to throw his support behind me on Wednesday so it looked great. I also jumped on-board as the northern coordinator for one of the largest teams in the Alberta Ride (the team itself is based out of Calgary and spun off their own riding club!).

I am looking forward to the new route this year and actually doing it on a road bike (I picked up a Cervelo S2 at the end of the season...did the ride previously on a Cx bike ('09 and '10) and a 37 lb full suspension mtb for '11 and '12).

I'm also starting on the trainer earlier this year and using TrainerRoad....maybe I'll be able to get a Century in this year before the Ride this year. 

Anyway, that's it for me...who else is in and how are things going?


----------



## Bevo (Dec 26, 2012)

My brother and I are doing the Toronto to Niagara ride this year, we have never done it. Looks like it will be a good fun weekend with a stay over at the falls.
My GF and I are pulling a fast one on them and have booked a wedding on the Sunday we finish. She really wants to get married but I really want a house so we are doing both, small wedding and new house long bike ride LOL!!

Training has been hard, cold and snow don't help but spinning classes and the gym bike are going to help..

I am up to $1100 in donations, not halfway yet but working on it.


----------



## marcusc (Jan 31, 2013)

I plan on doing the Quebec ride next year (2014 edition). I'm finishing up my degree this year and need to focus on that for now...

Actually who knows, maybe I'll be in Calgary by then!

Good luck to the 2013 participants!


----------



## .je (Aug 25, 2012)

I'm doing TO-NF again this year.

Been doing spinning at the Goodlife 2x/wk, up to 3 soon (I hate spinning class).


----------



## Bevo (Dec 26, 2012)

Je

Do you know exactly where the rest stop is halfway?
My brother and I want to get a room but we are not sure where it is.

Thanks


----------



## .je (Aug 25, 2012)

The rest stop is at Mohawk College (only one, for either direction). They have the tents, and the dinner, band, beer tent, massages, all that stuff is at Mohawk College.

CAMP
Mohawk College
135 Fennell Ave West
Hamilton Ontario L8N 3T2
(905) 575-1212

<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="https://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=135+Fennell+Ave+West+hamilton+ontario+l8n+3t2&aq=&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=34.365406,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=135+Fennell+Ave+West+hamilton+ontario+l8n+3t2&hnear=&radius=15000&t=m&ll=43.238262,-79.886056&spn=0.071946,0.071946&output=embed"></iframe><br /><small><a href="https://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=135+Fennell+Ave+West+hamilton+ontario+l8n+3t2&aq=&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=34.365406,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=135+Fennell+Ave+West+hamilton+ontario+l8n+3t2&hnear=&radius=15000&t=m&ll=43.238262,-79.886056&spn=0.071946,0.071946" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>

Have a look at last year's route on their website:


----------



## 8toes (Feb 28, 2010)

Bevo said:


> Je
> 
> Do you know exactly where the rest stop is halfway?
> My brother and I want to get a room but we are not sure where it is.
> ...


It is at Mohawk College in Hamilton and there is a Novotel right across the parking lot. I wish i had done that when I rode last year...at 51 yrs old, my body did not enjoy the tent thing...but camp was pretty darned cool. I will not be doing the ride this year due to a Sunday commitment but will be volunteering on Saturday at Toronto. I will register for 2014 while I am there. The ride is a total blast...you will have a ball and meet some great folks. The organizers have really thought of everything and take good care of you. Riding through the noise of the crowd at the finish line was the most awe-inspiring experience of my cycling life.

Make sure you book early.

Cheers,

Brian J.


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

I'm just hoping the Alberta Ride is dry this year. Day 2 in 2011 and both days in 2012 were super wet (if you don't believe me, my participant centre has a video from last year's Alberta Ride with some pretty funky shots of the wet...link in my signature). If there were hotels near the Alberta camp last year, almost anything would have been worth it to stay warm and dry...I managed warm, but overnight I had some seepage so the feet were wet in the morning (not fun).

8toes...too bad you're not able to drop in again this year, but good on ya for volunteering. I'm contemplating making it 5 yrs as a rider and volunteer (I've got a fair bit of experience as a bike patroller, so I help out the medical crew too).

Bevo, welcome to the event and it is a wonderful experience


----------



## Skinner222 (Aug 31, 2012)

I'm doing the Toronto to Niagara Falls ride; it's my first time. I'm really looking forward to it and expect it's going to be an exciting, emotional experience.

Cheers!
K


----------



## 8toes (Feb 28, 2010)

You will have a blast! Good luck.


----------



## 8toes (Feb 28, 2010)

Merc,

I will be back in 2014. It was the best ride I have ever done.


----------



## .je (Aug 25, 2012)

This year I won't be riding with my school buddy (who I bunked with in the tent) or the other fella I was riding with who had the tent next to mine (that's you, 8toes). My brother in law, who was working at the beer tent last year, is riding this year, but he might be working with that company on the ride/stop too.... I'll have to see who else from the team I can catch up with this year... but that's a few months off.


----------



## tober1 (Feb 6, 2009)

First year for me. Doing the Classic Plus - Toronto to Niagara. Been doing some spin at Goodlife and some cross-training mixed in. My longest ride to date is 100k, we'll see how it goes doing that over two separate days. 
I'm hoping the fundraising is the hardest part!


----------



## 8toes (Feb 28, 2010)

.je said:


> This year I won't be riding with my school buddy (who I bunked with in the tent) or the other fella I was riding with who had the tent next to mine (that's you, 8toes). My brother in law, who was working at the beer tent last year, is riding this year, but he might be working with that company on the ride/stop too.... I'll have to see who else from the team I can catch up with this year... but that's a few months off.


Jason make sure you keep in touch. I wish I had seen more of you during the ride. I am going to ride again next year for sure. You're riding with Steve's again this year, right?

Cheers,

Brian J.


----------



## greco (Aug 24, 2012)

First ride this year in the Quebec edition of RTCC. Looking forward to it. We got a great team of 19 friends.


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Well, Alberta's new start/end and camp spots have been released. Should be an interesting Ride....probably a little less climbing than in past years (2010 was a terror with over 1600m of climbing...with a big chunk being the last 35 km on Day 1).

I'm happily spinning away on the trainer....starting to get really close to the 500 km mark, which for me is a highest ever in pre-season training. By the time we've got black and non-ball bearing equipped roads (i.e. clear and dry with the sand and gravel taken off), I should be ready to see what this Cervelo I picked up at the end of season can do.

Something tells me I am gonna love this year


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Well, I'm making progress on my training and fund raising. Just about at the minimum thanks to a nice donation from work and fast approaching 600 km under the back tire on the trainer (gawd, Trainer Road is such a life saver when it comes to putting in the hours before the roads are clear).

How's everyone else doing? Getting some training in? I hear that some ON folks might actually be getting out on asphalt these days.


----------



## Bevo (Dec 26, 2012)

I have 52% of my amount so far but chipping away at it.

Training I have not done much, 2 hours a week on the spin bike and on warmer dry days I get the bike out.

Anyone in the Toronto area, once it warms up we can meet up for a ride north of the City, lots of country roads..


----------



## 8toes (Feb 28, 2010)

Burlington here. Not doing the ride this year, unfortunately. I thought I trained enough last year....then the ride came


----------



## .je (Aug 25, 2012)

8toes said:


> You're riding with Steve's again this year, right?


I am, but the LBS closest to me (that I really want to buy from) is starting a team this year, and training rides local to me. It would have been nice to link up with them for this. Steve's is a good team, but they're scattered everywhere, most being around Niagara. I think they have regular weekly rides I can join, so I might do that, since the weather is really warming up.


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Great last couple days for me...reached the minimum, got the person I am riding for this year confirmed (I offer and let the person / family decide) and have now hit 740 km in training (a personal high...that's a lot of time on the turbo trainer!!!).

Now, if only Mother Nature would give me a break...more bloomin' snow this weekend


----------



## .je (Aug 25, 2012)

Today would have been a good day to get out on the bike, if I wasn't too busy to do it, and of course, didn't have the flu.

Have any of the Ontario people seen the route map? Event Details and Schedule - The Ride to Conquer Cancer

The look to be a couple of steep climbs and a descent at km 110 and 120.
View attachment 278565


Or it could be this one, at km 55, 80, 90.
View attachment 278564


Do you know what roads these are?


----------



## drussell (Aug 6, 2010)

That one toward the end in both cases is probably the Dundas Valley? Down Sydenham Road, through Dundas then up the other side to camp a Mohawk. Not sure which road goes up, but it should be easy to figure out from a map...

Edit...looked at the Google Map of the route. First big climb is probably up the escarpment at Guelph Line - it's a manageable 3% for a couple of kms leading up to Miller, then kicks up to 10-13% for a short bit to the top. The valley toward the end goes down into Dundas at Rock Chapel Rd/Valley Road (~5% downhill for a couple of kms) and up the other side at Osler Drive and Wilson Street (Wilson is 4-5k at 2-2.5%).

Make sure you put some hill intervals into your training!


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

drussell said:


> That one toward the end in both cases is probably the Dundas Valley? Down Sydenham Road, through Dundas then up the other side to camp a Mohawk. Not sure which road goes up, but it should be easy to figure out from a map...
> 
> Edit...looked at the Google Map of the route. First big climb is probably up the escarpment at Guelph Line - it's a manageable 3% for a couple of kms leading up to Miller, then kicks up to 10-13% for a short bit to the top. The valley toward the end goes down into Dundas at Rock Chapel Rd/Valley Road (~5% downhill for a couple of kms) and up the other side at Osler Drive and Wilson Street (Wilson is 4-5k at 2-2.5%).
> 
> Make sure you put some hill intervals into your training!


I sure hope our course is that nice this year! 

The Alberta Ride has been fairly punishing in years past when it comes to climbing. Our typical two days have been 1600 m (low) to ~2000 m (high). In 2010, from Day 1 lunch to camp (only 35 km) we had 27 km uphill for a total of over 400 m in that portion alone...needless to say, there were lots of shutters on that stretch  

New course for this year, so I am hoping it'll be a bit flatter.


----------



## Bevo (Dec 26, 2012)

Does not look to bad at all, thats not much climbing over 100K.

Is anyone going to the social on the 18th in Mississauga?
Its at a Boston Pizza.

I am going and if you are let me know so we can say hello!


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Woohoo! On-line check in done for Alberta 2013  Now if only the weather would cooperate *sigh* Had more flurries here this morning


----------



## Bevo (Dec 26, 2012)

I just hit my goal today!

Anyone in Toronto doing the training ride this Sunday?
I signed up for the 40K to back up the other 50K on Saturday.


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Ouch!!! I've been doing some TrainerRoad to supplement my training prep for the Alberta Ride...and I finished the 8 Days of California. Ouch simply sums it up. I am hoping it pays off in a few weeks 

Still working on fund raising even though I am over the minimum and will be getting my gold helmet this year.


----------



## Bevo (Dec 26, 2012)

Great job!

I am also done and registered, my brother has a long way to go but may just pay it himself.


----------



## .je (Aug 25, 2012)

Weather in TO next Saturday is 22 degrees, a 90% chance of rain showers. I hope it doesn't rain!


----------



## wanton007 (Mar 9, 2011)

2 weeks before the BC ride. I'm at 2200 so decided to just self pledge and hope the rest comes in.


----------



## Bevo (Dec 26, 2012)

If it does rain in T.O. I hope it does like the last few days....not!!!
I skipped my Thursday ride for rain and it was an amazing day! I came home built my new frame and rode anyway.

On the positive side my 260LB brother is now 210LB and we did 75K today and he did not suffer on the bigger climbs and the overall pace was faster, the best part was at the end of the ride he had gas in the tank...he will be good!!

As a fast racer type guy its going to be brutal for me but I am doing for my Mom and brother so I will just suck it up and help him get through it at his pace.

See you out there!!
I am on team Sugoi with a black and white shirt with a black and white Colnago, say hello if you see me!


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Well, I got a Metric in on the S2 this past Saturday. Threw on my Aliante Gamma XM saddle and I prefer it to the Arione...made it a much better ride. 

In spite of some poor roads (crack filling using chipseal...wtf?) and the threat of showers, I put the hammer down pretty decently. On the open road, I was averaging in at 29+ km/h solo...in town, I dragged that down to just shy of 28 km/h...still, to do a Metric in 3.5 hrs is a pretty impressive feat for me....on my CX bike I could do it in 4.5 hrs and the Delirium T slowed it down to about 5.3 hrs...needless to say, I am liking this road biking thing on a road bike. Surprisingly, I probably could have done more, too.

I think I'm in good standing for the 22nd-23rd when the Alberta Ride hits the highways 

Good luck to all those doing the TO Ride


----------



## tober1 (Feb 6, 2009)

Nice work on the Metric! Did the Ride for Heart this weekend in TO. Ended up being about 90k for the day. We were flying too. Avg speed for the 75km route was 34.5k/hr (21 mph). Going to have to reign that in for the RTCC.

A couple easy rides this week should set me up nicely for next weekend. I'm mostly worried about time in the saddle vs the distance. 5-6 hours is a loooong time. 

Either way I'm pumped!


----------



## .je (Aug 25, 2012)

I looked at the TO forecast for Saturday, and now it's 17 with 0mm of rain - and only a 40% chance of that too. A nice change from the all-rain forecast before.


----------



## Bevo (Dec 26, 2012)

Told ya!!
But beware it will change again....

Bad news, my riding partner brother won't be doing it with me this week, he was getting in really good shape too!
He came up with surgery excuse and said it was some kinda emergency...lame!!
His appendix had some issues and had to be removed later today or tomorrow morning, kinda sucks as we worked hard on it..

See you out there!!


----------



## Bevo (Dec 26, 2012)

Are we ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weather looks ok out here but whatever I have gear for anything..

Have fun and be safe out there!


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Good Luck TO Riders!! Ride safe, have fun and make a difference!

Out west, I received my gold helmet notification today and I can pick it up at bike drop-off (yay!! I can get my Otus Safe Sounds on it for the Saturday....I'll have beats to keep the tempo up). Something tells me I will greatly enjoy the Ride this year now that I am actually doing it on a road bike. 

Btw...I'll be thinking of you Ontario Riders this weekend as I am out for a training ride and enjoying a spin on an S5 thanks to a Cervelo Bike Demo day at one of the local dealers


----------



## .je (Aug 25, 2012)

Back home, another great ride this year!

Other riders, tell us how it went over the next 3 weekends in Alberta, BC, and Quebec.


----------



## Bevo (Dec 26, 2012)

My rides went well, 4:10 on Saturday and 3:30 on sunday with longer stops waiting for friends Saturday.
Sunday I just let it run and had a blast with a few folks I ran into..damn some of those girls are strong!!

Overall great weather and event!!

How did you guys do...did you see me?


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Good on ya, ON Riders!

I did a 73 km windfest ride, complete with a puncture on a 2" nail, on Saturday to try to top up my training for the 22nd. At least now I know a 16g CO2 cartridge only does 90 psi in my 25mm tires on wider rims 

I am starting to wonder about the Alberta Ride route for this year. Just mapped it again on Google Maps...if it is correct, we're looking at ~7,000' of climbing this year (though less big hills....just a lot more false flat). Thank goodness I have found some dual-lock tape to put my tunes on my gold helmet  I'm gonna need it to keep the pace up.


----------



## 8toes (Feb 28, 2010)

Bummed that I couldn't ride this year due to a Sunday commitment. I did, however, already register for next year's ride. Good job to all of you riders. Now the fundraising begins again. Last year I did not register until November so I hope to have an easier time this go round.

Cheers,

Brian J.


----------



## .je (Aug 25, 2012)

I just read this: Teen cyclist killed near Seattle on B.C. Cancer Foundation bike ride | CTV News



> CTVNews.ca Staff
> Published Sunday, June 16, 2013 3:15PM EDT
> Last Updated Sunday, June 16, 2013 5:10PM EDT
> 
> ...


Sincere best wishes to his family and everyone there too.


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Getting close....Alberta Ride this upcoming weekend


----------



## boogermin (Aug 30, 2012)

I'm from NYC and rode the 2013 Becel Ride for Heart for the first time this year. Not sure if it's worth the trip next year (a great cause nevertheless). From what I've read of RCC thus far, this may be worth the trip, and another worthy cause? I'm assuming the event is well organized?


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Update / FYI - The Alberta Ride has been postponed until August 10-11, 2013 due to extreme weather in southern Alberta. Many of the towns and roads used by the Ride are currently dealing with 1 in 100 yr flood conditions (portions of Calgary evacuated, Okotoks under a state of emergency, Turner Valley / Black Diamond had a sour gas leak and flooding with evacuations, many roads underwater or washed out).

Not fun for those down south...send positive vibes, prayers etc. their way, please  

Oh well...just means I have another 6 weeks to raise ~$2,800 (to hit a new personal fund raising best and to be without hair on my head, face and legs for the Ride).


----------



## 8toes (Feb 28, 2010)

boogermin said:


> I'm from NYC and rode the 2013 Becel Ride for Heart for the first time this year. Not sure if it's worth the trip next year (a great cause nevertheless). From what I've read of RCC thus far, this may be worth the trip, and another worthy cause? I'm assuming the event is well organized?[/QUOTE
> 
> It is a wonderful event and everything is taken care of. I rode it last year and I am ridig it again next year. I have never had a better time on a bicycle. It is certainly worth the trip and the countryside through which the ride traverses is beautiful. I used to live in Mamaroneck (grew up there) and I miss it. I now live 1/2 hr from the start line in Toronto. Please keep in touch should you decide to do the ride.
> 
> ...


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Well, I guess now we get to find out how nasty things have gotten because of the delay from June 22-23 to August 10-11. Big push for confirmation just came out and an offer that if you cannot ride, then someone can go in your stead for a $25 registration fee (Alberta Ride due to flooding all around southern Alberta).

I'm still in and I cannot wait to see what the S2 can do now that the engine is doing a bit better (2 metrics so far this year and my average speed is a lot higher than in years past). I'll be trying something different with my video this year too...stills, lots of stills. I'll be doing a time lapse of the entire ride by going 1 frame every 5 seconds and then condensing it into a video. If I can, I'll borrow a friend's Hero3 Black for the good stuff (opening ceremonies, camp, good hills, finish line), but get the stills for everything else.


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Less than 3 weeks to go to the postponed 2013 Alberta Ride. Been getting some good km's under the wheels, but the last two metrics have made me order a set of aerobars for the long distance stuff. If I were more of a group rider, I don't think the wind would have irked me as much, but 100+ km solo fighting the wind most of the way is a royal pain (great for training, sucks to ride).

Must admit, though...sure is nice to have a road bike  I think that this year's Ride will be a bit quicker on the new bike. I suspect that if they go north from Calgary (the revised route hasn't been released, but their planned route is out due to the flooding in southern Alberta), the flatter terrain will speed things up a fair bit more.


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Well, 11 days to go until the postponed Alberta Ride hits the road. Added a set of clip-on aerobars to the S2 for the long distance stuff I am doing for training....we'll see how I do in the next week to see if they stay on for the Ride. 

I have to say that I am certainly burning up the asphalt with my riding this year....far more km's and I'm far lighter than I have been for this point in the year anytime in the last decade. Hopefully it should make the Ride a bit easier


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Well, the postponed Alberta Ride is this weekend....the bike is pretty much ready to go (working on some detailing), I'm partly packed, easy to finish tonight before heading down tomorrow. Looks like it'll be cooler (19-20-ish) with some wind and isolated showers...not too bad, considering.

Wish me luck all


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Survived it. A little shorter than in past years (only ~210 km), more climbing (6080 vertical ft)...but doing it on a road bike allowed me to complete in a little over 8.5 hrs. A little tired, but it was a great experience once again.


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Ok....not the greatest rendering (it's only 800x800 thanks to some old video editing software), and it is only my temporary video...I'll revisit it once I get better editing software and the official Ride photos are up...but here's the Alberta Ride condensed to a 10 minute YouTube video


----------



## MercRidnMike (Dec 19, 2006)

Well, I finally got the "good" video done and it can be run in HD (yay for different editing software!). The video parts weren't shot in HD (haven't upgraded yet), but the time lapse frames were 5MP, so they are HD, but the time lapse process introduced some noise... still, better than my past versions. 

Here's the link:

2013 Ride Video Final Cut - YouTube


----------

