Final week of preparations
Dear readers,
We are in the final week of preparations and I thought you would appreciate a final brief overview of plans before starting our journey.
Fundraising status:
The best news first. To date, we have far exceeded our target of $65,000 for 2007 and are now about to pass a record $70,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer foundation this year. Very few members are just short of their goal and many of us have far exceeded our $2000 target. Currently, Novartis is second only to CIBC itself as the Top National Team, in additional, two Novartis team members rank in the top 5 fundraisers for Montreal. With our success this year, our three year committment to the Canadian Breast Cancer foundation is now close to $150,000. A MAJOR thank you is owed to you, our friends, family, colleagues and individuals who each deserve our team's appreciation and collectively have raised your committment to the cause and our team yet again--we sincerely appreciate your support.
Team uniforms:
The uniforms are in, but their location has been kept a carefully guarded secret at the office. The unveiling is scheduled for the eve of our ride this Friday night...no time for wrong sizing, but the rumours are that this year's jerseys (Louis Garneau) will have a strong mix of company colours and promise to be even faster. I personally hope we ordered the extra padding in the shorts. Pictures will be provided soon.
Riders & teams:
This year, we will now be well over 20 riders--of all different levels of fitness and experience. As such, it is impossible to ride safely as one pack for these distances (and in traffic), so we will be splitting up into three distinct teams of equal numbers based on individual preferences. Here are our team names and the (rough) average speeds.
Team 1: Relish the moment (25-29km/hr)
Team 2: Going the distance (30-34km/hr)
Team 3: Need for speed (>34km/hr)
Routing:
The route this year changes slightly by both adding new challenges and removing some rough road conditions. The new challenge will consist of "extra" mileage at the end of each day for the select few who wish to cycle 700km in 3.5 days... (33km after each full day's journey)
For the last two years, we have experienced rough road conditions after crossing the border from Ontario into Quebec. This has proven to be a safety hazard and contributed to a minor accident last year. This year we will ride a slightly different route, which will add a bit of distance, but promises to be a bit smoother. Here again is the map of the ride:
Weather forecast:
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words...
It is still early, but so far, the forecast looks very promising for Toronto with seasonal temperatures and partly cloudy skies--ideal for riding.
We are in the final week of preparations and I thought you would appreciate a final brief overview of plans before starting our journey.
Fundraising status:
The best news first. To date, we have far exceeded our target of $65,000 for 2007 and are now about to pass a record $70,000 for the Canadian Breast Cancer foundation this year. Very few members are just short of their goal and many of us have far exceeded our $2000 target. Currently, Novartis is second only to CIBC itself as the Top National Team, in additional, two Novartis team members rank in the top 5 fundraisers for Montreal. With our success this year, our three year committment to the Canadian Breast Cancer foundation is now close to $150,000. A MAJOR thank you is owed to you, our friends, family, colleagues and individuals who each deserve our team's appreciation and collectively have raised your committment to the cause and our team yet again--we sincerely appreciate your support.
Team uniforms:
The uniforms are in, but their location has been kept a carefully guarded secret at the office. The unveiling is scheduled for the eve of our ride this Friday night...no time for wrong sizing, but the rumours are that this year's jerseys (Louis Garneau) will have a strong mix of company colours and promise to be even faster. I personally hope we ordered the extra padding in the shorts. Pictures will be provided soon.
Riders & teams:
This year, we will now be well over 20 riders--of all different levels of fitness and experience. As such, it is impossible to ride safely as one pack for these distances (and in traffic), so we will be splitting up into three distinct teams of equal numbers based on individual preferences. Here are our team names and the (rough) average speeds.
Team 1: Relish the moment (25-29km/hr)
Team 2: Going the distance (30-34km/hr)
Team 3: Need for speed (>34km/hr)
Routing:
The route this year changes slightly by both adding new challenges and removing some rough road conditions. The new challenge will consist of "extra" mileage at the end of each day for the select few who wish to cycle 700km in 3.5 days... (33km after each full day's journey)
For the last two years, we have experienced rough road conditions after crossing the border from Ontario into Quebec. This has proven to be a safety hazard and contributed to a minor accident last year. This year we will ride a slightly different route, which will add a bit of distance, but promises to be a bit smoother. Here again is the map of the ride:
Weather forecast:
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words...
It is still early, but so far, the forecast looks very promising for Toronto with seasonal temperatures and partly cloudy skies--ideal for riding.
Other snippets from behind the scenes:
Many other volunteers have helped to organize the ride this year--and much of their time is spent outside the spotlight; PR coordinators have notified local media and advised them of our planned route, we now have three dedicated team drivers (who will be following each group of riders), and additional head office staff are coordinating the meals, accommodation, rental vehicles and uniforms. Our thanks goes out to them as we prepare to power our own way back to Montreal.
Lastly (and unfortunately), a few riders we know well have had to bow out due to their dedication to work, family or health--they will be missed, but no doubt will be reading these entries!!
Stay tuned for more posts this week as the ride kicks off!
Cheers,
Henry
posted by Henry @ 10:24 p.m.
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