Amazed by how moved people are by breast cancer

Yesterday we saw the generosity of people touched by breast cancer. It is fair to say that we feel even better about this challenge of mind and body. The recognition that we get by people on the street -- cheering us on from their back porches or decks, honking their horns, or allowing us safe passage on the busy road -- has been great. On top of that, we have met two great people touched by the disease. One was along Highway #2 near Newscastle. We stopped when a fellow Novartis colleague, Paul Simpson, drove by with his two children. We thought it was an ideal time to have lunch. We landed on Gail's front lawn, and she came out to talk to us. Turns out, she had been treated for breast cancer, and was very thankful for the effort that we were making. A lot of smiles and a bag of home-grown apples later, we were on on our way. When we arrived at our destination for the first night in the beach town of Cobourg (town of 18,000 on Lake Ontario), we went out for dinner at a restaurant on King Street called Oasis, an old home renovated into a very friendly restaurant. The owner of the restaurant (Carole) pledged to give us the price of our meal (with tip) as a donation to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Turns out, she had had a scare with breast cancer as well not too long ago. She was a wonderful woman.
From a pain (er, cycling) perspective, I had never cycled more than 60 kms in one day. I found the first 80 kms pretty good, a small tailwind and a sunny day carrying us along. After 80 kms, my legs, butt and lack were hurting, but the advice from the team helped a little. After 100 kms, I realized I was a little dehydrated and my legs were seizing up and aching, but I found the energy and mental focus to get to Cobourg. I am satisfied with getting here, but I know that we have 75% of our trip left. I am excited about today's journey, which will add another 30 kms on the total distance from yesterday. Thanks again to all those that have donated to this cause. Last night, we had a total of 140 visits to this site, and that was early in the evening.