Ask any of my friends or coworkers and they will likely agree that I have an obsession a love affair with donuts. I talk about them all the time. I dream of eating them. When I travel, I like to find the best donut shop in town. I know all the places to go for good donuts within my city, and in some other cities too.

One of the best days I had was when I got a coupon for a FREE donut from a local gourmet donut shop. I was equally as sad when I thought I lost that coupon...and then overjoyed when I found it!

On the topic of donuts, I was browsing Etsy the last couple days and found some ridiculously perfect things that I should (probably) own.

Some people have been asking me lately, why it is that I wanted to be a part of the Ride to Conquer Cancer. Yes, I've mentioned on my fundraising profile that I'm riding in memory of my grandmother and in dedication to a few people in my life who are fighters and survivors. That's all very true.

Then I mention that I'm riding it for me. That's very true as well.

What I don't go into detail of, is why I'm riding it for me.

I can say all of those inspirational lines, such as "to prove how strong I am" or "to do something good in this world..." and neither would be false. I am doing the ride to prove to myself just how much I can do and to do something good. My karma cup is feeling pretty low these days. But those aren't the real reasons I'm doing this ride.

I'm doing it because I too, have had a close encounter (too close for comfort) with cancer.

My partner is known for going on really, really long bike rides. 200km, 300km, 400km rides...followed by an 'easy' ride recovery day of 100km +. He's a bit nuts. But I like it.

He has done a few bicycle touring trips, and he really enjoys them. I had never done anything like that. Until this weekend.

I agreed to go on a mini bicycle tour to Vancouver Island, to the city where I was born...Victoria.

Day 1 - Vancouver to Tsawwassen, Swartz Bay to Victoria

I booked us a cheap hotel, packed my bag, sent the dog to a pet sitter, and pulled on the lycra.

We hopped on our bikes after work on the Friday, and headed towards the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. Since bikes aren't allowed to ride through some tunnel, we had to take a long way around - riding all the way down River Road, and then over the Alex Fraser Bridge, and all the way back along River Road. Of course, the distance was only worsened by the fact that we had to fight a head wind nearly the entire way on the second half of River Road and all the way to the ferry.

We were also on a deadline. The ferry would leave at 7pm. We didn't leave any space in our timing to get lost or for any mishaps. So what happens? We get lost, of course! We took one wrong turn and ended up having to find our way through the scenic Ladner, rather than the more direct route.

The change in route, and slower pace, meant that we were ultimately late for the ferry. It wasn't as if we didn't try to catch the 7pm. I tried best as I could to sprint as if my life was ending, to keep up with Corey, in a head wind, with a big back pack, and we still missed the ferry. We were a couple minutes too late. 5 minutes after 7. The ticket clerk wouldn't let us on or sell us a ticket...even though the ferry was not finished loading yet.


What a stump in our trip plans!

After finding something to eat at the ferry terminal, we impatiently waited for the 9pm ferry to arrive. Once on the ferry, I tried to get a hold of the hotel we booked, to let them know we would be late. There was no answer and no answering machine...turns out that the hotel closed at 9pm. So not only would we be arriving into Victoria late, but we would have no hotel booked.


We arrived into Victoria, Swatrz Bay after dark, around 10:30pm. It began to rain just as we left the ferry and the rain drops continued for about a half-hour. It was around this time that I realized that my chamois was not comfortable, something was rubbing, and I was starting to get saddle sores. THIS WAS NOT NORMAL! I haven't had too many issues with saddle sores...and here, on day one of our bike-packing trip, I was developing some. SHIT. Wieners.

The ride into downtown Victoria was pleasant, especially after the rain stopped. The bicycle route was well-marked and spacious - we were able to ride side by side nearly the entire way. Some of the route was a gravel pathway through trees and farms, and very quiet and eerie. I nearly got hit in the face by a bat, who decided it didn't like the way I looked. Holy f'n scary! I've never seen a bat that close before, and it nearly made me fall off of my bike.


We arrived into downtown Victoria near midnight, found a hotel along the bike path and got a room for the night. It was a bit more expensive than the hotel we had booked, but it was a place to sleep and clean up. Showering felt amazing!

The hotel bar downstairs was still open, so we treated ourselves to a beer. We just rode about 100km...it was a very well deserved beer. A Facebook friend of mine came to join us, and took us on a cruise to a local pizza joint --- delicious!

The night ended late and we zonked out quite quickly.

Day 2 - Victoria to Sooke, to the Meadery, and Return

On the second day, we checked out of the hotel, cycled across a bumpy pedestrian bridge to Esquimalt, found coffee and breakfast, then headed on a tour towards Sooke.

The cafe we found in Esquimalt was super neat! It was a bike shop, combined with a bakery, combined with a coffee bar - they all shared one space, but had separate service counters. We shared a meaty, bready sandwich; I had a tasty Americano.

After our tummies were satisfied, we found our way to the (again, well marked) bicycle path, and started the trek to Sooke.

The roads were peaceful and quiet for the most part, and the bicycle lanes were well-marked. In many parts, the bicycle paths were off of the road and hidden in the bushes, they were wide, but shared with pedestrians. They felt like bicycle highways. We had no problem navigating our way to Sooke and only ended up minorly lost once. The highway out to Sooke was clear of debris and quick. Though, the saddle sores I had accumulated the day before were really being a pain in the ass. Literally. No amount of chamois butter was helping.

When we got into Sooke we were hangry. Almost to the point of fighting. So we made rest at a restaurant and devoured lunch. I attempted to eat a gigantic bowl of poutine...to no avail. Corey had the most amazing soup and sandwich. Once full, fat and happy, I decided I wanted to cycle the extra 10km further and visit Tugwell Creek Meadery. I had heard about the place when I worked at the fruit winery, but I had never been. Now was the time.

It was actually kind of a romantic sort of ride.

Tuesday nights. I always look forward to getting out and playing at the crits on Tuesday nights. After the previous week's challenging race at UBC, I was looking forward to racing the fast and flat course at Glenlyon this week.

I felt nervous, because I would be racing on the Argon. It's not technically my bike, and it's fancy (to me). I was scared of dropping it, but not scared enough not to race. I used the Argon at the UBC race the other week too, and I think that along kept me from riding crazy. Last thing I want to do is destroy a beautiful bicycle.

The women's cat 4 field was decently large, though not as big as some races - it seems that a lot of the girls are starting to move up into the cat 1, 2, 3.

The race pace was quick, but the pack held together well. There were a couple coaches riding with their girls on this race - and one coach in particular seemed to get in people's way. It was quite annoying, and I lost my line a couple times to this coach, to the point where I was pushed up against the curb. Not cool.

I certainly feel more comfortable taking the corners now, but I keep seeming to get stuck behind or next to girls who don't. I had to brake a few times to avoid being hit or hitting someone's rear end because they were braking a lot in the corners. I really hope they get the hang of this soon! Last thing I want to do is cause a crash.

There's also still a few girls that are a bit sketchy to ride near, braking, not taking turns pulling, moving in random directions without any warning. I have a good idea who to look out for.

My plan for this race was again, to disrupt team formations. Didn't happen a whole heck of a lot, because I kept getting boxed in and had difficulty advancing and positions.

Prime lap was taken by some adorable tiny gal -- good job on that sprint!

Unlike the last race, the pack stuck together pretty well after the prime lap.

On the last lap, I tried to keep a front position, to be in the top ten. I pushed from the last corner to the finish line, passing a number of other riders. I was happy with my placement, but I know I had a lot more in me in terms of energy and improvement. I didn't give this race my all.

Next race, I need to work on exhausting all my energy and concentration on the race.

Sunday was an eventful day; my cycling team hosted a race up Mount Seymour.

I know, sounds fun, right?!

Racers gather in their respective categories, then race as fast as they can, lungs burning, muscles screaming, to the top of the mountain. Whoever gets there first, is the winner. Of course, anyone who finishes the race, is awesome too.

It's a 12 km ride up the mountain with nearly 900m of elevation gain. Whatever you do, don't forget to start your Garmin before you begin the climb --- don't forget, like I did!

So, where was I? Back to Sunday!

My morning started early (5 am) so that I could get myself, my dog, and my bike organized in time to pick up my lovely friend who volunteered her time to help at the event (big thank you!!). We were at the bottom of the mountain just after 7 am to help with the race set up. Winston was pretty excited to be out and exploring, taking in all the aromas of North Vancouver.

We had the registration table open at 8 am and cyclists were already started to trickle in.

At 9:30, the first wave of cyclists departed from the start line and began their race up Seymour. My partner was in that race, with the cat-4 men. He achieved a personal record on his climb, and placed in second in his category! So proud of him!

At 10:10, we - the women - took our start. There were 8 or 9 of us in total, which is large in comparison to some races. I hadn't had a chance to even really warm up, having just tossed the wheels back on the bike and managed to change right before the start time. My legs were slightly sore from the Gibson's Grind the day before, but I knew they would warm up in time. I had no intention of sprinting from the start line anyways!

I did the climb in 1:00 hour and a few seconds. This shaved 10 minutes off of my personal best!...which I only achieved about a month ago! I placed second in my category as well (women's cat-4), so I'm pretty happy with the results and my performance. I had a goal of keeping my speed above 10km/hr all the way up, and I manged to do just about that. Seeing everyone's speed and pace on the results after the race made me realize just how much harder that I can and need to, push myself. I was just barely suffering, if at all, on my climb. I would like to shave another 10 minutes off of my time before the end of 2016., and have a comfortable climbing time just under 50 minutes by next summer.

I was really impressed with all of the riders who came out to race up Mt Seymour. We had riders of various ability levels and experience, all taking a chance. It's great to see more women getting out and riding and racing too!

As I do with any race, I realize how much further I have to go. I have so much more room for improvement, it's crazy! The other women who rode up the mountain have given me a bit of inspiration to push harder and climb faster on my next ride.

Have you ever done the Mt Seymour hill climb? What was your time? What was your favourite part of the ride?

Some pictures of me getting to the top of the road - finished the climb!

Another night, another race.

The weather held out, yet again, and the rain didn't come pouring down.

The women's cat-4 field wasn't overly large this time, and a number of women have moved up into the cat 1-2-3 group.

The roll out at the start of the race was friendly enough, though I got stuck behind a girl who just couldn't figure out how to turn a corner without cutting it...and I had to brake in the corner to avoid being smushed into the sidewalk. Not fun.

I was still feeling pretty tired from my venture to Victoria (write up still to come) and the 300km I had rode over the weekend. I could feel the soreness in my legs and I knew I wouldn't have the most power to sprint at the finish. As much as I tried to stay near the front of the group I kept getting stuck behind or beside some unsure riders, who left me feeling as if they would cause a crash. People cutting corners and not holding their lines made the already tricky corners on this UBC course a pain.

The bell lap for the prime (preme?) sounded, and the pace quickened as per the norm. There's one woman that always snakes her way from the back to the front and sprints to get that lap and point - usually, the group will manage to re-form after that lap. This time, that didn't happen, and the sprinters kept going and got a good lead on the rest of the group.

Just after that, the women's cat-4 was being overtaken and passed by the men's group, and we were to neutralize. The two women that I was next to DID NOT neutralize (yet again, recurring issue) and took advantage of the situation. The women from behind me did not signal that they were racing again, and took advantage of passing a number of us. CHEAP. Taking advantage of situations is not a nice thing to do. Play nice!

I honestly started to just feel frustrated with the whole race, the poor neutralization and the break up of the pack. I let the frustration get to me. I let it eat at me and affect my performance. It wasn't until the last two laps that I snapped out of it, refocused on racing, and started to try and actually get around the riders who were 'blocking' me in, and try to get closer to the front of our now very small group.

Last lap I did my best to move up some more and hold a better position for the sprint to the finish. I finished in 9th place. I didn't have much of a pain face. I didn't suffer as much as I could have. I didn't push myself hard enough.

Next week I will return, with better rested legs and a better attitude. I will remind myself that I cannot change some things, so I must learn to accept and adapt.

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