For day seven, we decided to start the day by wearing our special edition black jerseys, meant to honor our personal connections to Parkinson’s Disease. After receiving a bike escort from Osoyoos MLA John Slater, we rode past the city limits and off towards Kelowna once again.
The beautiful scenery was greatly appreciated, as we wound through wine country, picking up three local riders in Oliver for the ride into Okanagan Falls. As orchards and vineyards gave way to the the lakefront communities of Summerland and Peachland, the breeze from the water helped temper a scorching hot day.
The day also included a very special stop in Penticton, where we met the local Parkinson’s support group. As Penticton is Marc Bowles’ home town, he was the guest of honor, giving a moving speech on behalf of the team. Marc has two personal connections to Parkinson’s through his father and uncle, and has been a great addition to the team. We were especially pleased to announce that Just Giver 2010 has raised over $90,000 to date.
That night, we met up with new rider Perry Valchos, brother of our support staff member Stephanie, who, flew in from London, England to join us for the next three stages. After a team dinner at a local Chinese buffet, half of of the team hopped into the pool, clearing out a children’s baseball team with a series of canon balls while the responsible half of the team watched over with concern. After a difficult ride the day before, a bit of fun was definitely appreciated.
We reluctantly left our posh hotel this morning, and started out early on the toughest stage of the tour. With two big mountain passes and 40 plus degree Celsius heat on the horizon, none of us were happy to leave the comfort of our beds for the long, steep climb up to Big White. Unfortunately, we started the day without Adam, Laura, and Marc, all nursing minor injuries. Instead of subjecting a sore knee, saddle sores, and a bad hip to both climbs, the three joined up with the rest of the group for the hot and windy ride into Osoyoos through Rock Creek.
Some van troubles initially threatened to derail the day, but fortunately for us, Mathew from Kelowna was generous enough to give us a jump start, and we were able to rely on our first-rate support group for much needed cold drinks, ice cold wet towels, and some much appreciated encouragement (aka honking incessantly) along the way. Steph and Krystle received a donation from Sara, owner of the Westbridge General Store. Sara not only donated to our cause, but she also allowed Steph and Krystle to write our website on the bathroom door for those last minute donations.
As well, the girls met Judy, whose mother is living with Parkinson’s at the general store in Westbridge. Isn’t it amazing that you can find two personal connections to Parkinson’s by spending ten minutes in a general store on Highway 33?
Fortunately, despite the heat and the distance, we ended up at the familiar town centre fountain in Osoyoos, greeted by Maureen Olson along with delegates from both the Lions and Elks as well as the Mayor! - Most of whom have come out to meet us since 2006. No matter what route we consider each time, we always make sure to stop in Osoyoos. The support we’ve received there has been stellar, and it is always a special time for us.
We graciously accepted a gift basket from the owner of Pharmsave full of useful products as well as a generous donation from the Elk’s. A large portion of the $250,000 plus dollars Just Giver has raised over the past 5 years, is a direct result from the support of this community.
Arriving at our hotel, we all jumped into the best outdoor swim pool in Osoyoos while Tony gave pool side massages to team members and even to other pools side patrons for a donation to the Just Giver cause. Kudos to Tony for putting in a full days worth of work.
Today’s ride was another great day of scenic views, high speeds, and hot, scorching weather. We left Salmon Arm a half hour early to beat some of the heat, but knew it was a losing battle, as the sun was already out in full force at 8:30 am. Once on the road, we quickly settled into a fluid paceline, and made quick work of the mostly flat ride into Vernon. There we were met by the Parkinson support group at the community centre in Vernon. One of the most moving parts of the trip is meeting those with Parkinson’s, hearing their stories, and best of all, going for a bike ride with them. Phillip, who has been living with Parkinson’s for ten years, and his brother in law had brought their bikes, and after a minimal amount of coaxing, were able to ride with us to the edge of Vernon.
From there, the prospect of a dip in the pool and some cold “beverages” had us whittling the kilometers away, and save for a flat tire, the ride along Kalamalka was hot but uneventful. Thankfully, Tony had packed us some wet towels for the ride, keeping them in the cooler for breaks. With the temperature soaring over 40 degrees, we all enjoyed our new luxury. We sadly said goodbye to support staff member Andrea, who has to fly back to Victoria for work first thing tomorrow. Everyone was sad to see her go, and her sunny personality will definitely be missed. Thankfully, Krystle arrived soon afterwards to take over, and has already memorized all of our water bottle colours. Until then, we would like to leave you with a story about how Andrea got hit by a tree. According to Stephanie: “We were driving out of Kamloops nice and slow, and I thought: [since the riders were all together] this would be a great group shot. I told Andrea to lean way out, and said: ‘Hold on, don’t get the antenna in the shot,’ so she was leaning and I’m watching and all of a sudden I’m like ‘Tree, TREE!!!’ and then boom! Hat’s [fallen] off, she’s all disheveled.”
This is how Andrea described the ensuing moments:
“All I wanted to do was eat my orange. I said: ‘Let me eat my orange in silence.’”
PS: Verbatum quotes included against the request of our support staff.
After three tough days of hills, heat, and big distances, all of us were in the mood for an easier day. With the last stage measuring 170-kilometers, the 110 kilometer trip to Salmon Arm seemed like a leisurely spin. Adam’s uncle Michel escorted us out along frontage road for the first 25 kilometers, letting us avoid the busiest part of highway, and things just got better from there. Once on the Trans-Canada, the whole group settled into a rhythm, and we made quick work of the day’s stage. There is something about a “neutral” day to take away any heat-stroke, dehydration, and fatigue induced grumpiness, and everyone had big smiles on their faces the entire day.
We were all excited to finish this particular stage early, as our hotel is a spectacular one. For the second year in a row, the Prestige Inn has set us up with some amazing rooms, and the view from the pool is brilliant. More importantly, we were treated to a welcoming party consisting of Lorraine, along with her husband and grandkids, who had made signs with white and blue balloons for our arrival. After some relaxing/goofing off by the pool, we concluded that 40 is not the new 30 - it’s the new 11 - and met up with the Salmon Arm support group at the beach for a potluck dinner and some more cooling off in the water. Last year Salmon Arm really rolled out the red carpet for us and this year was no different.
Afterwards, we spent the rest of the evening hanging out, swapping stories and grape-based drinks until bed. Exactly what we all needed.
Today's stage to Kamloops was guaranteed to be difficult, and at 170 kilometers, is our second longest of the tour. We split up into two groups for the day, making sure to get started early to avoid as much of the heat as possible. Group one rolled into town to a fantastic welcoming party put on by the Kamloops PSBC support group, with group two showing up a little while later.
We all enjoyed the snacks and cold water provided by the group - a welcome sight after 170 kilometers, hot weather, winds, minor mechanicals, and some long hills. The day truly emphasized how important our great support crew is on the road - without the 10-odd bottles of water we each drank, along with food and the need to use the spare bike, none of us would have been able to make it into Kamloops tonight. Again, Tony and Geoff were busy tending to sore muscles and abused bikes all evening, and we are now all set to start tomorrow's stage to Salmon Arm. We hear that there is going to be something special set up for us there, and all of us can't wait to see it.
Pics to follow as we get some extra time in Salmon Arm
Day two was a stage that we all knew was going to be hard, thanks to the 15 kilometer Duffey Lake climb, located smack dab in the middle of the 130 kilometer stage to Lillooet. Truly one of the toughest hills most of us have ever ridden, the first eight kilometers goes straight up at around a 10% grade with no chance to soft pedal - even the switchbacks climb up at 10%! Though the next five kilometers level out somewhat, the climb left us all battered for the rest of the day. Coupled with 40-degree heat and some rough roads, we were all happy to see Lillooet and our masseurs Ken and Tony. Thankfully, everyone managed to make it through the grueling day, and enjoyed some great food at the local Greek restaurant. The day’s pounding on rough roads also made life busy for our awesome mechanic Geoff, who has so far fixed all kinds of problems without complaint.
Tomorrow’s stage will be another difficult day, with 170 kilometers to go before Kamloops. In order to make it on time to an event in Kamloops, we will be leaving two hours earlier than we would usually leave, so hopefully we will see everyone at the Desert Garden Pavillion at 2:30!
The fifth tour got started with a big group of people coming out to send us off. As we weren’t hosting the SuperCycle this year, we invited everyone to come ride through Stanley Park with us up to the Lion’s Gate Bridge, and the turnout was spectacular.
Several news outlets were on hand along with friends, family, sponsors, and Parkinson Society British Columbia board members and employees to see us off – definitely one of the best send offs we’ve ever received. Founders Branko and Kelly, along with veterans Dave, Rob, Adam, Gavin and Laura, joined new team members Joe and Kim Gard. Mark Bowles, and Mark “Squirrel” Huggan for pictures and speeches, including some heartfelt words from Squirrel, whose father is currently living with Parkinson’s.
The send-off is always an emotional time for us, as it’s sometimes easy to get wrapped up in training and forget what the ride is all about. Meeting up with the people whose lives are touched every day by Parkinson’s makes us all realize how important it is to fight this disease, and shows the true magnitude of your contributions. For those of you who weren’t able to make the send off today, please believe us that your help is sincerely appreciated.
The send-off also allowed us to introduce this year’s support crew, including Penny and Meagan, who have been joined by Stephanie Vlachos, Andrea Boyes, and Krystle Eng. Though we will definitely miss Wes and Sheri, our amazing support crew members from the past two years, the girls have already done an amazing job helping us out. We are also amazingly lucky to have Tony, Ken, and Geoff on board this year. Tony and Ken are registered massage therapists, and with Ken on for two days and Tony the rest of the tour, our sore muscles and joints will be well tended to. Lastly, Geoff has volunteered his skills as a mechanic for the entire tour, another huge bonus. Being treated like royalty is easy to get used to! All kidding aside, having such a great support crew makes the ride possible – it would be impossible to do this without them all.
After the send off, we rode up with a big group to the Lion’s Gate Bridge, then with a smaller group to Horseshoe Bay, before setting off with just the team and Adam’s dad Pat. With some hot, tough climbs over the course of the day, we were all happy to roll into Whistler for a dip in the pool and a big dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. After some much appreciated massages, we are all ready for bed, and looking forward to another long, tough day tomorrow
Along our 10 days the Just Giver Team will be meeting with 6 community based Parkinson Society British Columbia support groups. This is an integral part of our jurney to meet individuals, their friends and families who are affected by Parkinson's to help inspire, motivate and let them know they are not alone in this fight. Come join us at one of the events listed below.
Sometimes when your on a training ride you come across the most awesome things. Many of you might not know but the movie "Fubar" was the inspiration behind the Just Giver name.
Coming across this car on one of our regular rides up to Cypress put a smile on our face.
Mark "Squirrel" Huggan poses with the Team Fubar Ford Ranchero!
Some of the Just Giver Team jumped at the chance to celebrate Branko's birthday with a 150km training ride from Sumas to the top of Mt Baker return last Friday. What an amazing day of riding with good friends! These pictures show you that even though it is summer down here up at Baker there is planty of winter left!
The peak in the background of the picture below is what we eventually climbed up to
On June 3rd, I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with approximately 40 of the Kelowna Parkinson’s Support group about the Just Giver for Parkinson’s Tour. Like all the people I have met living positively with Parkinson’s and their caregiver’s, once again the reception, inspirational stories and generosity was beyond any expectations. The photo’s attached show Wayne Van Steinburg of Kelowna presenting myself with a walking stick that Wayne made after the presentation and DVD of the tour and what this means and the impact the tour has had on so many. As I have come to listen, learn and watch Wayne, you have to appreciate the time, effort and soul that goes into building a gift such as this. Wayne built the walking stick, inset badges of trails from all over Europe and then varnished to put the final finish on it. What Wayne didn’t realize at the time is that he inset 13 badges of different destination trails from Europe that he collected over the years. Significant because it reflects one trail for every 100km of the Just Giver Tour. Speaking with Wayne after admiring the gift and his work, he told me that some of the badges are over 50 yrs old. Symbolic again as it means I am as old as the walking stick. HHMM is there a message for me too? Just hope I can last as long as the stick Wayne has made for Tour. And in case anyone is wondering….we will have the Walking stick on the ride for any moments and mark every 100km we cover. For me this is truly developing into a tour where we will be riding and carrying the heart of many people with us. Thank you Wayne, your gift will be touching 1300km of this beautiful province of BC and even more people.
It seems as Just Giver grows so does the amazing group of people that we meet thru members or friends of the Just Giver Team. Jamie D. Grant is an amazing magician and visionary who is doing his part to help spread wonder, inspiration and the message to "NEVER GIVE UP"
Just Giver will play a very small part in helping to spread his message that anything is possible as one of his bottles travels with us to a secret location on the Just Giver tour!
Come join the Just Giver Team Saturday July 24th at 9am as we head out on this years journey from Stanley Park (Ceperly Park). Come and ride or just say hi! Anybody on bikes are welcome to join us for the 7km ride around Stanley Park before we exit onto Lions Gate Bridge.
Poster attached and we will be located on Beach ave entry to Stanley Park!
