An Epic, 1,200 km bike ride of hope and determination from Vancouver to Banff

By Martina Meckova, Director, Vancouver/Lower Mainland Chapter

On June 19, a team of 20 dedicated riders set off from Delta, British Columbia for the 5th annual GearUp4CF, a long and challenging bike ride from Vancouver to Banff with the goal to raise awareness and money for CF research.

This year, I decided to join the team and dedicate my ride to Sharon and Daryl Boniface who lost their fight with cystic fibrosis before either of them could reach the age of twenty. GearUp4CF was my own personal and tangible fight against this terrible disease. People with CF struggle for breath each and every day. I felt that this difficult nine-day ride across BC and the Rockies was the least I can do.

                                       

And what an incredible journey it was! Without a question, the ride was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But it was also an incredible adventure. At the beginning, I was simply focused on getting to Banff (in one piece). However, with each day in the saddle, I realized that I was actually enjoying the “journey”! For nine days, we as a group shared our daily struggles, the highs and lows as we rode across some of the steepest highway mountain passes in British Columbia.

When we arrived in Banff on June 27, I recall embracing Tom Evans in a very long hug. We were both in tears, overjoyed with an incredible feeling of accomplishment. No words needed to be spoken. Tom lost his daughter Melanie to CF eleven years go.

GearUP4CF was a very empowering and inspirational experience. It was a reminder that we all are capable of impossible things if we only set our minds to it. Over the nine days, we traveled a total of 1,205 km, climbed approximately 8,100 meters of cumulative elevation and spent a total of over 52 hours on the saddle. But most importantly, we collectively raised over $120,000 for CF research!

Sharing this experience with the parents of CF children who were on the ride: Tom Evans, Leona Pinsky, Simon Ree, and David and Heather Strange, added a very personal insight and connection to cystic fibrosis. Having Margaret Benson, an adult with CF, on the ride was also very inspiring. Margaret is a double-lung transplant recipient and an incredible athlete. She and her husband Brian rode with us for the first two days from Vancouver to Manning Park on a tandem bike. I rode with them into Harrison on the first day and struggled to keep up the pace! When they finish the gigantic climb over Allison Pass into Manning Park on the second day, we were all amazed by their sheer strength and will power. Their bike weighed more than 50 pounds!

The dedicated researchers who were also riding with us expressed how important it was for them to be part of this ride and see how in a very tangible way they are helping those affected by cystic fibrosis. The work that they do in research labs across Canada, funded by the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, is the key to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis.  I was also moved by those riders without a direct connection to the cause who have simply donated their time and shared in the passion to find a cure for CF.

There are many people to thank when doing this ride. My greatest thanks goes out to all the riders who participated this year’s GearUp4CF: Brian Benson, Margaret Benson, Christoph Blohmke, Brenda Cairns, Justin Chan, Kitty Chavarie, Susan Edmison, Tom Evans, Rebecca Malott, Bob Payne, Jill Payne, Bernard Pinsky, Leona Pinsky, Simon Ree, Stan Shaw, Heather Strange, David Strange, Andrea Taylor and James Zlosnik. I felt privileged to be able to share this journey with such an amazing group of people and I am grateful for their incredible commitment and courage to participate in this year’s GearUp4CF.

A special thank you also goes to our support team of volunteers: Malcolm Kennedy, Wayne Kennedy, Tracey Lee and Simona Rolincova for their time and effort in making the ride such an amazing experience for all of us. 

We are very grateful to our sponsors and donors for making this year one of the most successful rides in the five year history of GearUp4CF. The hospitality of the Kinsmen and Kinettes that hosted us in many of the towns we passed through was simply incredible. Their ongoing commitment to the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is truly exceptional.

At the finish line, although a little sore and tired from the journey, we all agreed that this was one of the most remarkable things each of us has ever done! We were all in it for many different personal reasons that went well beyond riding a bike, but we shared one common motivation: to give hope and a future to children and adults with cystic fibrosis.

(This article was originally published in the Fall 2o1o Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation newsletter, "Commentary")