Chaque moment est un cadeau... surtout quand on a le luxe de la santé! 

Looking Forward to the Ride

First, I must say that I have truly enjoyed the preparation for this great event. I have never been much of a cyclist before. In fact, all my athletic life has been spent in contact sports such as hockey and rugby. I guess as I age I am looking for less impactful sports. The Ride for the Cure has already allowed me to foster new relationships with my colleagues and build on old ones. This in itself is very rewarding.

I look forward to having more rewarding experiences over the entire ride.

I want to thank all of my sponsors. Without you this ride would not be possible for me. Please watch the site for my updates from now until the completion of the ride for 2006.

Best wishes,

Steve

2006 Preparations

Here is "current status" the 2006 ride preparations:

Current #of participants: 20 ! (still being finalized)
There are a number of strong riders this year, and with the size of the pack, we will likely be splitting up into a faster and slower group. Also of note--there is a good cross section of participants from across the company (and outside of the Oncology business unit). To read more about each participant, please review their individual profiles on this site.

Amount raised to date: $21,587

Ride route (same as last year):
Day 1: Toronto to Cobourg, 115km
Day 2: Cobourg to Kingston, 150km
Day 3: Kingston to Cornwall, 180km
Day 4: Cornwall to Montreal, 100km

*New* On the last day, we will meet another group of ten Novartis riders at the Ontario border who will ride with us for the final leg (65km) back to the head office.


Training regime: A series of Friday afternoon training rides has been attended by various team members over the summer. Distances started around 40km, and have gradually increased to 80-100km with one or two back-to-back rides. No training rides are scheduled in the final week for rest and others are currently biking a short distance to work to keep their legs tuned.

Team outfit: We can't yet release the design, but the team will now also be wearing shorts as well as the shirts. We will post the design once we receive it--we are all being kept in the dark by the person who ordered the uniform (much to his delight).

Ride support: A larger squad exponentially increases the logistics (and risks). We have recruited an additional driver for the trek so that one support vehicle can follow each pack of riders. In addition, we will likely be renting a van to transport all of the equipment to Toronto and a second van to get the last day riders to the border to meet up with the main pack.

Equipment: Many team members have splurged for the ride this year and convinced their spouses and significant others that a new bike was required (I am no exception). Many have chosen carbon road frames and upgraded componentry. Look for certain members bragging about their own new wheels in their profile.

More updates to come...stay tuned.

Cheers,
Henry