Barbara and Gerry Dortch just completed an intense Ironman Canada in Penticton BC on August 24th. Despite heavy winds, Barbara finished the race in just 13 hours, 7 minutes and 2 seconds, good for 1220 place overall out of a field of 2211, and second place in her division. While Barbara was edged out of a Hawaii spot by a mere 15 min, her accomplishment was nonetheless incredible and a testament to her drive and determination. Gerry also succeeded in finishing 177th out of 246th in his age group, rounding out an impressive effort for the two of them.
Barbara and Gerry have been fantastic additions to the Just Giver team, and we are all proud of what they've accomplished.
Thanks to the generous donations of our sponsors and individual donors, Just Giver 2008 has so far raised approximately $62,260 to help fight against the debilitating effects of Parkinson’s Disease.
The money raised will be donated to Parkinson Society British Columbia and the Davis Phinney Foundation, and will go a long ways in helping to provide support, information, encouragement, and hope for those living with Parkinson’s and their loved ones. Equally as important, your donations and letters have let the 7,000 people living with the disease in British Columbia know that people care about them and are working hard to make their difficult future a better one.
An added benefit that has especially surfaced this year is the belief that people with Parkinson’s can continue to live their lives to the fullest, inspiring all of us – with and without the disease – to do the same.
In short, putting on the SuperCycle and completing the ride to Cranbrook has meant so much to us, and we are touched and extremely grateful that you care enough that it means something to you too.
On August 24th, Barbara and her husband Gerry will be competing in the Ironman Canada in Penticton. The course includes 3.8 km swim leg, 180 km bike section, and a further 42.2 km run, and will be Barbara’s third Ironman. Barbara’s biggest goal is to again qualify to compete in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. If she qualifies again though, she will be able to go to Hawaii to compete this fall.
What makes Barbara’s story all the more inspiring is that she has been training and competing over the past several years after having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease nearly 10 years ago. Despite her challenges, Barbara and her husband Gerry have been setting high goals and training hard towards a good finish. Best of luck to Barbara and Gerry from the Just Giver Team!
We have arrived back in Vancouver and now its time to unwind and get back to regular life. After 6 months of organizing and training the transition after the ride is always difficult but somehow getting back on the bike in the next week or so is on all our minds! Our official camaera is still in Osoyoos so no final day and night pics for a week or so. Once we have all the pics we will do one final blog to share the last stage and events in Cranbrook with you.
Most of all just wanted to thank everybody for supporting this event and following us along the way thru this blog. Its been a huge journey for all of us in indiviuals ways but the six of us made an amazing team of cyclists and friends! Thanks also to Penny, Monique, Shari and Wes who made up our amazing support crew. These 4 individuals donated their personal time to help support this ride and without them it would not have been possoible.
Just Giver 2008 Stats
7 Days
850 km
25 hours 53 minutes riding time (1 hour and 58 minutes faster then 2007)
Today was the toughest stage of the tour, the one that we’ve all been thinking about all this year. The mood at breakfast was somewhat somber, as everyone concentrated on what was coming up later.
The ride started out fun, with the local fire department supplying us with a fire engine as an escort out of town. It was a neat feeling being behind the truck when the lights and sirens went on, and we enjoyed every minute of it, since two kilometers later we were starting our first big climb of the day: a 17 kilometer monster out of Castlegar. We rode as a group, and spun over the top of the Bombi at a steady pace in two rows of three.
The rest of the ride through Salmo was relaxed, and as we took one final break to get water and food for the climb, we all wished each other good luck before setting off on the Kootenay Pass, a 24 kilometer climb at a consistent 8% grade. The climb was grueling, but everyone made it to the top just to be promptly congratulated by Nelson, Lori, Monique, and Penny. The mountain wasn’t finished with us yet though, as we were pelted by rain and then hail coming down from the summit. The storm lasted only a few minutes, and we soon broke through the clouds and rolled down into Creston through beautiful scenery, ranging from a picturesque stream amid evergreens to full fields of golden crops.
Once in Creston, we made our way over to the Columbia Brewery (home of Kokanee Beer) for a refreshing drink (or two) at their Summit Music Festival. Despite knowing what was awaiting us, we all struggled along through the ferocious cross-wind that came up off of the fields and slowed us down to a crawl.
When we arrived, we indulged in supplied beverages until it was our turn to go in front of the stage for a quick chance to explain our ride and our cause. Branko “Chachi” Radmilovic pumped up the crowd perfectly after taking the mic, inspiring several people in the crowd to rush the stage and empty their pockets. After Kelly had said a few more words, we rode our bikes back to our huge rooms at the hotel, where Wes and Shari had laid all of our stuff out for us beforehand. A great dinner and some well-deserved Dairy Queen courtesy of Lori rounded out a great day,
Stats : 121km - 4 hours 25 min - 27.2 km average - 40 km climbing
This morning, we left Grand Forks in much nicer weather, leaving the hotel on our way towards Castlegar. Everything went very smoothly during the nice, easy ride into Christina Lake, before we all split up for the 30 kilometer climb up to the Paulson Summit. Running at about 5-6% grade for the first two thirds before bumping up to 8% for the last several kms, our King of the Mountains jersey holder Mike “The Boss” Ryan solidified his lead on the field, blasting up to the top a full seven minutes before the Ironman Rob MacDonald arrived at the summit.
Rob had plenty of time to set off a bear banger to celebrate the end of the climb as we all collected at the summit. After one of the best downhills of the tour, we arrived in Castlegar to an escort by the fire department, and we were driven into the parking lot at the Sandman Hotel. There, we were greeted by members of the Lions Club, community representatives, a bagpiper, and most importantly, people from the local Parkinson’s support group. A sudden wind and rain storm pushed the group inside, but not before we were able to get some pictures and hear some great speeches.
After a fun swim in the pool (which included a cannonball competition), we went to Leo and Mable’s home for a delicious meal and some great conversations with our gracious hosts.
Tomorrow is our toughest day of the trip, with two steep climbs across 120 kilometers, including the dreaded 8% grade, 24km Kootenay Summit. Our reward though is the Summit Music Festival at the Kokanee plant in Creston, where 54-40 will be playing. However, meeting with people who have Parkinson’s, hearing people’s stories, and spreading awareness has so far been the biggest reward of all.
Stats : 93km - 3 hours 3 min. 30.5km average - 28km climbing
A staple of anarchy is the survival of the fittest, and it took all of our collective fitness to survive today’s roasting hot stage up Anarchist Mountain out of Osoyoos and into Grand Forks. Starting up the switchbacks of the climb, we were met by Branko and Penny’s friend Mike, who had climbed up to the lookout on his mountain bike. The climb was scenic, tough, and inspiring, and it was a thrill to see Osoyoos disappear beneath us as we rode on. Once out of the summit though, things started to get baking hot, and the subsequent climb into Greenwood and beyond was made even tougher by mid thirty degree weather (up to a high of 42 degrees on the road, according to our cycling computers).
We were surprised in Greenwood by Adam’s Uncle, Aunt, and cousins: Pierre, Sharon, Monique, Marc, and Camille, all wearing Just Giver shirts. As we left to finish our day, they drove off to meet us back in Grand Forks for a swim in the river when we were done.
Our first real accident unfortunately occurred just out of Greenwood, as a momentary lapse of concentration brought four of us down, fortunately with minimal injuries to bike and rider alike. Of course, tensions are high after a crash, but after a great 80km/hr downhill and some great pulls by Rob, Kelly, and Branko, we rolled into our hotel in Grand Forks without any further incidents.
After a relaxing dip in the Granby River followed by snacks and some wine, the details of the crash and the difficulty of the day became part of the post ride joking around, and after a great meal we’re all ready to get some rest before heading into Castlegar tomorrow.
Despite some competition from Rob “Ironman” MacDonald, we believe (none of us were close enough to see) that Mike has retained his King of the Mountains jersey. Adam remains in White, and seems to have it locked up for the year. Due to a lack of agreement on rules and a point system, there is no consensus on whether the green jersey still belongs to Dave “DK” Kosub, or is now in the hands of Kelly “Dean” Jablonski.
On last years journey we met the Sutherland brothers; Rob and Brian, as they travelled by bike on their cross Canada journey. Brian sent us this message last week from Ottawa as we prepared for our journey. Shortly after the ride Brian emailed me to say he had ridden 151 km on this day...........Thanks Brian!
Still sore after yesterday, we welcomed the flat, smooth roads coming out of Princeton, and set a high pace all of the way to Keremeos, making it into town after just an hour and a half of riding at a very high 39 km/hr pace. Along the way, Lori from PSBC and her husband Nelson drove by, taking pictures and even going ahead to get out and cheer us on. With just one puncture, the ride along the river went smoothly, and it was easy to tell that after three stages and the SuperCycle, the team is starting to work together like six cylinders of the same engine. Steady pulls and lots of communication made it feel like the time and distance was just melting away.
Stopping for a quick bite of fruit and a bottle swap in Keremeos, we hammered the rest of the way through the stage. Making quick work of the hills at the end of the day, we ended up in Osoyoos a full two hours before the welcoming party was set to arrive. A bit of racing on the decent finished up a great time in the shadow of Anarchist Mountain and tomorrow’s tough day of climbing.
The hotels though seem to just keep getting nicer, and the Econo Lodge here in Osoyoos has a great outdoor pool set in the middle of the hotel. After some soaking and relaxing, we got changed into casual shorts and our yellow jerseys, and set off to greet everyone at city hall. People living from Parkinson’s, the Mayor of Osoyoos, and members of the Lion’s Club were on hand for a short talk, and really drove home the reason we’re doing this. From here we can see the climb up Anarchist Mountain, the first part of our trip tomorrow on our way to Grand Forks.
After today, Mike remains in polka dots, Adam keeps his white jersey as the first place rider under 25, and Dave jumped out to snag an unofficial and somewhat dubious green jersey.
If karma does indeed exist, we definitely suffered for having such smooth sailing during the SuperCycle, and our event free day yesterday. Today had all the makings of a brutal ride: over 40kms of seemingly never ending climbing, 30+ degree heat, and headwind after Manning Park all of the way into Princeton. The team rode flawlessly together, only breaking apart on the excruciatingly long climbs. Again, the support from passing motorists was incredible, and we were even greeted by some excited supporters after our first big climb: Joe and Audrey.
With such tough conditions it was difficult to stay motivated, but I managed to find one mental game that worked well enough to get me to the top of each climb. As I rode up the steepest sections, I imagined everyone who has supported and encouraged me in both this trip and in cycling standing on the side of the road and cheering me on. Knowing that so many people have believed in me all along, I managed to finish the day.
After the ride, we rolled into the hotel to the sight of all of stuff laid out for us by our fantastic support crewmembers Wes and Shari. They had also prepared some food and a bathtub full of ice for us to dip into, which is quite the shock, but instantly pulls 50 kilometers out of your legs. Up next is a short nap before we get to ransack the next restaurant. With some of us burning over 5,000 calories today, the restaurant is in for some big orders.
Stage 2 Stats: 135km - 4 hours 51 minutes - 27.5km average - 45 km climbing
Tomorrow is from Princeton to Osoyoos, getting us closer to our final destination. So far, Mike is in polka dots as the King of the Mountains, with Adam taking the white jersey for best young rider by default.
Our ride started today with a great breakfast, put on by Branko’s mom Celia at her house in Langley. After filling ourselves on omelets, pancakes, fruit, ham, toast and jam, we left towards Hope, with Kelly’s dad Ben leading the way on his Harley. We arrived at the Albion ferry in no time, and then got into a quick pace along Lougheed. In what seemed like no time we were at the 50km mark, and rolled into Hope after just 3 hours and 20 minutes on the bike.
Highlights included the many honks and waves we received from passing cars. Even the odd less than supportive hand signals some gave us were easy to ignore in the wake of all the support we were receiving. Also, rolling along roads with such beautiful and changing scenery helped remind us just how far we’ll be going over the next week. Our only problem included a foot-deep unseen pothole that shook the whole group. Rolling through it felt like getting our bottom brackets hit by a baseball bat. Amazingly, there were no flats, and after an afternoon of rest and refueling, we’re ready to tackle a big day of climbing ahead on our way to Princeton.
Stats. 117km - 35.2km average speed - 3 hours 20 minutes ride time
Well the weather could not have turned out better as app. 45 cyclists participated in our first annual Just Giver for Parkinson's SuperCycle. Alex Stieda and Axel Merckx joined the riders along with the Just Giver team to encourage, motivate and simply have fun for day. There were a few riders who completed the entire 100km century while most chose to complete one, two or three laps of the challenging yet beautiful ride. Overall a great first day and the Just Giver team is excited about leaving for Hope in the morning! Global TV covered the event and did a wonderful job on creating a great story for the sunday night news.
Thanks to everyone who participated, volunteered or cheered us on; a great day and many new friendships created!
EVENT OVERVIEW
ALEX STIEDA INSPECTING RANDY CUNNINGHAM AND STEVE TUPPERS TANDEM
BRANKO SPEAKING WITH AXEL MERCKX AND ALEX STIEDA
JUST GIVER TEAM. KELLY JABLONSKI, DAVID KOSUB, ROB MACDONALD, MIKE RYAN, ADAM PERON, BRANKO RADMILOVIC AND GUEST RIDERS AXEL MERCKX AND ALEX STIEDA
TEAM WORK! ALEX AND AXEL HELPING OUT RANDY AND STEVE ON THE TANDEM
LINDA ROSEBOROUGH AND A FEW OTHERS ATTACK THE ZERO AVE CLIMB
GERRY DORTCH, AXEL & JODI MERCKX AND KELLY TALK ABOUT THE RIDE!
The amazing story of Rick and Dick Hoyt. One of the most inspirational stories I have ever seen. Also be sure to enjoy the last 4 minutes accompanied by the amazing voice of Isreal Kamakawiwo.
