Honestly, the title of this post is no joke. I survived the 4 Peaks 4 Parkinson's ride on Sunday June 5, 2016. A number of other people finished the ride too, but not everyone who started the ride in the morning, completed the ride fully. A number of people who signed up didn't even come out to ride.

Reasons? Well, it was bloody hot.

Strava and Garmin reported an average temperature of 25 degrees Celsius for the day, but a lot of the ride was 30+  degrees Celcius, with little to no wind, and exacerbated from reflection off of the dark pavement.

The morning began at 6:00 A.M. with breakfast and prep for the ride. Double-checking our gear, stuffing our pockets full of Clif Blocks and energy bars, ensuring our Garmin's were ready to start tracking and that we had ID in our pockets. I laid out my kit for the day, and Corey laughed at my selection of a windbreaker and arm warmers...it's habit, I suppose. I smugly put the wind breaker away and tucked just the arm warmers into my back pocket. My train of thought was that I'd rather be warm than chilly...boy, was I ever in for a warm ride!

We departed home in time to arrive at the starting point for around 8:00 A.M. There was a handful of people loitering around and getting signed in. A couple of my Atomic Racing team mates were present - so nice not to see team participation!

We got started at around 8:20 - 8:30 A.M. - a tad earlier than the scheduled start time of 9:00 A.M., but considering our pace and the heat, an early start was a great idea. There were only about 8 of us that got out for an early start, but it was nice to get going and the pace was manageable.

Climb #1 - Burnaby Mountain / SFU

We came up the back of SFU/Burnaby Mountain, from Lougheed, and pedalled up to the top (not the very top, just the roundabout). There was another charity event going on up there and some roads were (wonderfully) closed off to car traffic. I got Corey to snap a picture of me holding a sign that read "Actually I can...push myself further" which I carried with me for the ride so that I could partake in a Liv bicycles contest. The sign was in my back pocket, and even just after climbing one small hill, the sign was sweaty and ripped in half.

The first climb took us up to approximately 346m and was just over 20km from home.

Climb #2 - Seymour Mountain

Heading down from Burnaby / SFU, we travelled along Hastings Street and swayed our way around and over the Second Narrows Bridge, before starting to climb up the Seymour Parkway and towards the base of Seymour Mountain. The rest stop at the base of Seymour was a good excuse to stop for a moment, get the tunes pumping, top up the water bottles and have a few energy blocks. Corey sped ahead and tried his best to get a PR climbing Seymour...I rode on at my pace, trying to focus on the ride and remind myself that I would finish all four climbs. I was almost half-way!

I was at about the 9 km mark when Corey came back down from his ascent and met up with me. From that point on, he was by my side the entire ride.

At the top, Corey snapped another photo of me with the sign, we drank some Coca Cola and took a short rest, before flying down the hill and making our way over to Grouse.

Climb #3 - Grouse

Traversing across the mainland and the lower roads, we made our way towards Grouse. There were a few of us riding together in the pack, though I made no effort to try and keep up to them all. I knew I had to stay at a comfortable pace for myself, if I was going to finish the ride. Especially when considering the high temperatures for the day. We took advantage of the rest stop at the bottom of Grouse before riding the short and steep kicker up Grouse to the parking lots.

I hate the ride up Grouse.

It's steep. It's busy with cars going fast and people parallel parking without checking their mirrors and lots of cyclists and pedestrians that don't look both ways before crossing the street. It's almost a cyclist's nightmare.

But we managed. We didn't get hit, didn't hit anyone...we got to the top, grabbed some snacks from Starbucks and took a much needed rest. We were more than half-way finished the ride! Corey snapped another photo of my with the sign...which by now was getting pretty sweaty and dented.

Climb #3.5 - Getting to the bottom of Cypress

Getting to the base of Cypress is a climb in and of itself. No matter which direction you go, you have to climb before the climb.We have zig-zagged our way up through the British Properties, attacked from the highway out of Horseshoe Bay, climbed some crazy steep roads around 13th and 15th...we have attempted a number of different routes up to Cypress, and all of them are climbs.

This time, we followed the navigation of a fellow-Atomic Racing team member, and he took us up through some residential area, up and around to 15th, over the highway and to the base where we found a rest stop...at which we drank more Coke.

It was at this rest stop, that the majority of the Giver4PD riders were finished their climb and descent and were getting ready to head into town again...I'm sure many people would have been reconsidering their choice to complete the ride, or to pack it in and go home...but my mind was made up. I wasn't backing down or heading home early. I had set this goal, and no matter how much I struggled, I was going to complete this goal. Besides, I was well over half-way there, I was already at the bottom of the hill! Looking up at the beast of a climb I had in front of me.

Climb #4 - Cypress

Anyone who has climbed Cypress knows what it feels like. It's long (15 km) and steady. I began the climb at the peak of the afternoon - the sun was right above us, and the trees along the side of the road provided very little shade. My legs were already tired from the three mountains we'd already been up, and I could barely give my lady-bits a break from the saddle, since I didn't have the energy to stand and push. Besides, every time I stood to pedal, my muscles would feel more tight and cramped.

There's a beautiful look out on Cypress, and I made sure to stop there in the shade for just moments, and take a quick pee break. Though, I discovered, I didn't have to pee. Nor could I really 'hover' over the outhouse toilet seat...that was gross.

After the look out, I felt temporarily refreshed. We climbed on.

And on.

Each kilometre was a slow kilometre. Each pedal stroke was a struggle. The heat made it even worse. Hunger had started to kick in, but I had no desire to try and eat one of the melted bars in my back pocket. I had no appetite. My stomach felt like a brick - probably from all the sugar I had consumed from the Coca Cola and the energy blocks.

I tried my best to set aside all those thoughts. I tried to focus on the ride, on the climb, on the fact that I was getting closer and closer to the finish. Corey made the ride so much better - just him being there the whole time, right by my side, made a world of a difference. His support helped me so much.

Each patch of shade that we came to, we stopped to take a break in. It was such a relief to get a break from the sweltering heat.

I wasn't the only one who made the choice to struggle up one last hill to complete the ride - there were others that we kept leap-frogging with, taking breaks in the shade, climbing another kilometre or two...some people quit before they made it to the top, some people stuck it out.

We stuck it out.

I climbed to the top. And when I got to the top, I b-lined to the bathroom, splashed cold water all over my body and enjoyed the short break we took before getting back on my bike. My body was exhausted. I was hungry. I was so ready to be done.

I thought for sure I would cry when I reached the top, cry from happiness...but I didn't. I don't know whether that is because I had no extra fluids in my body to turn into tears, or because I had no energy to spend on being emotional...either way, there was no crying about to happen.

The Finish

Completing the four mountain climbs did not mark the ending of the ride. The finish line was back in the city, at a pizza place. I think I found a little extra strength from somewhere deep inside me, which helped me get all the way back to the city! I devoured a pizza, a beer and became 'one' with the chair I plunked in.

Summary

I love setting goals, making plans to meet those goals, and then crushing those goals. While I really stepped it up on this one particular goal, and struggled to complete the ride, I DID manage. I did meet my goal. Maybe I didn't quite crush it...but I got it!

There were many hard moments along this ride. The heat didn't help at all, but the aid stations along the route really helped. Without their help and generous offerings of Coca Cola and snacks, I don't know if I would have finished the ride. I had no idea Coca Cola could cure the shakes!

One of the best moments of the ride was when Corey and I were passed by a few riders who were not part of the 4 Peaks event. They were doing some hill climbing and we mentioned the charity ride we were doing - turns out, the mother of one of those riders has Parkinson's -- and this is the first time he heard about this ride. He'll be signing up and riding next year!

Another amazing part in my opinion, was the dedication of some riders. Many people pulled out and didn't complete the ride, but many people stayed and toughed it out. I can't blame those who went home early - the heat was tough. One lady in particular (I will leave unnamed to protect her privacy) I got to chat with her a little on our way to the bottom of Seymour. Afterwards, we were separated in our climbs. I saw her again as I was going down Grouse, and she was going up. Then again, as I was going down Cypress and she was going up. She must have been one of the last people to finish the entire four climbs that day. She trucked along, all day, at her pace, and she did it. She crushed it! I was almost in tears watching her climb Cypress as I was descending, and I'm almost in tears writing about it on my blog right now. She inspired me. People like her, with her dedication and drive, inspire me. It's not about being the fastest, or being first. It's about giving it all you've got, and being happy with your efforts in the end.

So, I've learned a lot from this ride. I don't know what my next goal will be, but I know it will be a good one.

Thank you to all the supporters, people who donated, and to all those who showed up and rode.

You can view my ride on Strava if you're curious: https://www.strava.com/activities/600025335