And More

A couple well deserved days at the Calabogie Peaks Resort in Calabogie gave us a chance to rejuvenate after those grueling days biking the Cabot Trail.

A couple rounds of golf. 

And a chance to try new foods. How about sweet potato fries with curry yogourt?

Norma

We dropped in for a quick visit and lunch with Peter's Godmother Norma.

This was our first time visiting Norma in Montreal.  

What a great way to spend a couple hours with a wonderful lunch, time to reminisce and great conversation. 

Diner a la Cafe de Paris

Chateaubriand for two.

Go ahead, its okay to drool!

La Ville de Quebec

We over-nighted in Quebec City at the Champlain Hotel, which is situated within the walls of the old city.
Within the walls of this old city were many reminders of Paris.  Clearly the language similarities are obvious, but the design of outdoor fountains, cafes with outdoor seating, narrow streets, and the presence of artists selling their goods at outdoor stalls resemble those in Paris.

Happy New Brunswick Day

While some of us celebrated the Civic Holiday, in New Brunswick on Monday it was New Brunswick Day.

Meet Some of the Riders

This is Ron (from Toronto), the fearless marshal of the group that Peter rode with.   Ron lead the group his calm but supportive presence, encouraging and challenging riders around the Cabot Trail.














Meet Bob, who joined us from Woodstock.  Easygoing and quick with a smile, Bob approached Peter during the first morning of the ride and the two quickly became friends and riding partners.

Michelle and Jeremy joined us from Montreal.  Together with Patrick and Johanne, they formed team Desjardins, one of a number of teams entered in this Tour.
Jeremy and Michelle showed their humour, when after Jeremy's tire blew for the second time in three days, they each teased each other about being bad luck.

Remi joined us from Moncton. Although new to riding, he was a power house on the Cabot Trail. At one point, as Remi was leading the group, Ron asked him to slow down, because he was going too fast for some riders.
Remi's wife worked as a volunteer for this event, while also watching their two young children.

Ron an accomplished rider he also acted as a marshal for this event. His quick wit put everyone at ease. If you meet Ron, bring caramels!

Keith is originally from Sudbury but now resides in Mississauga.   A skilled rider with plenty of experience riding in the Tour of Kids,Keith was usually found near the front of the pack.

At seventy years old Franz was one of the more senior riders on this Tour.  He moved to Canada from Germany and now resides in Nova Scotia. A tough rider, he conquered the Cabot Trail in fine style, easily biking with men much younger than he. He quickly won our admiration.  Franz rode with his son Stephen.

At the End of the Tour

Having cycled over 300 kilometres up steep climbs, flying down treacherous inclines, against the breath-taking beauty of the Cabot Trail, the ride ended in Baddeck to the cheers of an awaiting crowd. 

Each rider received a medal for their efforts.  A local band played a concert for riders and again the volunteers provided a tasty lunch. Riders showered at the local arena and soon the group departed for various part around this country bringing with them memories and sore muscles. But most importantly remembering that through their pain, the children and families are the real winners.

In Margaree Forks

At the Fire Hall in Margaree Forks, volunteers from the community gathered with prepared snacks for riders and plenty of well wishes.  

Pictured here is the group of riders that Peter traveled with.

At Prayer

This must be part of a pre-ride prayer.  After all it was Sunday morning.

Rockin' It

Hannah, a rider and a survivor lead the final morning warm up with an all-out routine to "Wild One".  You Rock Hannah!!!

Final Morning Gathering

After breakfast riders gathered for a final address.

Stories of triumph were shared. 

No event is ever possible without hard work.  

These are volunteers with ''Give to Live" a national fundraising group. 

Derek volunteered to offer repairs and tune-ups for riders. 

Any event with athletes requires medics to help with injuries. These people volunteered. 

Much appreciation goes to the many volunteers who worked tirelessly to ensure this three day ride went smoothly for all riders. 

These volunteer marshals guided groups of riders along the Cabot Trail. 

Victor was the volunteer photographer. 

These three riders will be biking in the National Ride for Kids - yes, across Canada. Riding in three teams, they rotate shifts to ride across Canada, 24 hours/day for 15 days straight.

A huge THANK YOU to all the organizers and volunteers.

Best Volunteer Job Ever!

Victor, a professional photographer, volunteered for the three days of the ride to take photos.  He is seen here in an open sunroof photographing Peter's group of riders.  Victor took 2200 photos on the second day alone.  Add to that the 1000+ images that I gave him for that day and he will be editing for while before he posts these on the Tour website.

Day Two Begins

 

Parks Canada closed Ingonish Beach park to other campers, leaving this park area for Tour for Kids riders and Volunteers  This was a great setting to get to know each other. Volunteers had been up early preparing breakfast for the riders. Pancakes, bacon, sausages, berries, yogourt and oatmeal provided riders with fuel to begin the day.

Morning announcements encouraged riders to be safe on the road, warned of the 'hills' to come and offered yet another glimpse into life with a child living with cancer as a mom, who is a rider told of her daughter's battle with this disease and its effects on the family. 

 Two ducks led a hysterical morning warm up.

Then it was off for another day on the Cabot Trail.

A Whale of a Tale

The tough ride of this day was topped with a 'whale watching cruise' aboard the Love Boat. Into the Gulf of St. Lawrence we charted calm waters in search of whales.  We were entertained along the way by our co-captain who described in words and gestures the various differences in the many types of whales that we could see.
While we failed to find any whales, we enjoyed great company, glorious scenery and a couple beer along the way.
On an poignant note, Tim Horton's donated a bus for our group to travel from our tent site to the cruise. Our driver, Willis, had driven the group last year and insisted on completing his volunteer commitment to these riders this year, despite having lost his mother that afternoon

A Study in Determination

Rising 532m above sea level, Mackenzie Mountain offers beautiful views of Pleasant Bay and a true challenge for cyclists.
Before this tour many feared cold rainy weather on the Cabot Trail. Instead riders along this rocky face were exposed to temperatures in the mid 20 - 30C's and scorching sun.

At a 13% grade over 5 kilometers this portion of the ride was strenuous  but the heat intensified the difficulty of this ride. But with a lot of determination and a ton of sweat...

Peter conquered MacKenzie Mountain only to meet French mountain, and after a brief partial decent, he ascended to 535 meters above sea level over a 12% grade over 4 kilometers.

After a grueling 4 hours and 47 minutes, with average speeds of 20.9 kph, Peter had covered another 100 kilometers of the Cabot Trail.

We were told by Island folk, "God made the mountains, we just put roads on 'em".

Thinking

We walked the short trail to Ingonish Beach.

 There the cool ocean, warm sand and ever present sea breeze offered a wonderful backdrop to reflect on the day that had been and ponder the journey to come.

Remembering

The Tour for Kids raises money to help children living with and living beyond cancer  These sandwich boards are visible reminders of the main goal of the ride.
Each board tells the story of a child diagnosed with cancer. The stories tell of their diagnosis, treatment, and what they child wants us to know about them.  Each of these boards tells a story that contributes to the heart of this tour.

On the Trail

The Cabot Trail began with rolling hills and breath taking vistas

But soon, the sights were lost to the concentration required to navigate the hills and the turns.
And then came the Smoky Mountain. As the sign warns, this is a long steep climb, but Peter managed without stopping! His new found biking friends were quick to offer accolades as they had stopped part way to walk up the 'hill'.

In only 3 hours and 58 minutes, Peter reached the campsite having covered 101 kilometres at an average speed of 25.6 kph.
Way to Go!!

While Peter Rode

While Peter tackled the Cabot trail, I took in the sites and did a little shopping - at Baddeck Yarns, of course.

And They're Off!!

Check out the bagpiper in the background.  Now that is a send-off!

Looks like a great day for a great ride!

Getting Ready

As riders gathered for morning announcements we learned that this year's Tour for Kids will host 102 riders (up from 60 last year) from across Canada. This ride is the middle ride of the Tour for Kids 'Trifector". A handful of riders has already done the tour in Alberta's Rockies and are preparing for the Southern Ontario ride. These riders have a jersey with a crown on it.

During this gathering we also learned that many riders are from Ontario, and to our surprise, we were standing beside a rider who originally hails from the West End of Sudbury, but now lives in Mississauga.  Of course, Peter has worked with this man's niece and I skated with the rider's sister-in-law. The guy beside us now knows Sudbury is a small town.

A family graciously shared the story of their 14 year old son who lost his life to bone cancer December 28, 2004.  While the story brought tears to the eyes of many, the group was inspired to learn that the older brother of this young man will be swimming from New Brunswick to P.E.I. in two weeks. To add to the inspiration we learned that six months ago this young man, having made the decision to swim in his brother's memory, first had to learn how to swim!

Following a group warm-up bikers walked their bikes up a small hill from the ball field and began their journey..the first leg of this "Tour for Kids".