Cyclists ride for research
Challenge route or classic, both raise money to fight cancer
Alex Blodgett was riding his bike in Stanley Park last July when he suddenly blacked out. The next thing he knew, he was in a hospital bed, hooked up to networks of plastic tubes connected to an array of medical equipment.
After a battery of tests, Blodgett learned he had latestage B- cell non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the lungs and intestines.
“I went from riding my bike to being on my deathbed,” he said. “At one point I was told I had three to four weeks to live.”
But after intensive chemotherapy, Blodgett, 54, is back on his bike and raring to go. A corporate investor by day and an adventure racer the rest of the time, Blodgett was among more than 3,000 cyclists who hopped on their bikes on the weekend to take part in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer.
The ride, now in its fourth year, is an annual cycling challenge to raise money for cancer research and generate greater awareness of the disease.
Cyclists of all skill levels pedalled more than 200 km to Seattle over Saturday and Sunday. They had a choice of an endurance- testing challenge route across the foothills of the Cascade Mountains or a comparatively relaxed classic route along the Pacific Northwest’s coastline. Similar rides to fund cancer research will take place next week in Alberta and in Quebec in July.
Blodgett, who tackled the challenge route, had numerous surgeries in addition to chemotherapy to deal with his cancer. He said that after he was discharged from hospital in August, he had to work hard to get back into respectable shape. Now, he said, he is happy to be able to help fund cancer research by doing what he loves.
“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the money spent on [ cancer] research years ago,” he said. “This is a great event for me.”
This year’s event raised $ 11.2 million for research, up from $ 11.1 million last year, said Doug Nelson, president and CEO of the BC Cancer Foundation.
The number of cyclists and donations have both grown steadily from year to year since the ride started in 2009, he said, with about 200 more participants this year than last. He said 100 per cent of the proceeds go to research at the BC Cancer Agency.
The ride is evolving from a cycling event to one of hope and inspiration, said Nelson.
“For the over 3,000 people, there were at least as many stories about how cancer touched their lives. There were a lot of hugs, tears, and celebration.”
The event is especially significant for Krystyna Hunter, a four- time cancer survivor who opted for the ride’s classic course.
“I know many people who have lost their lives to cancer or who are currently battling cancer,” Hunter said. “This ride is really for them, to celebrate their lives.”
Her initial exposure to cancer came when she was 17, and her father was diagnosed with colon cancer. He died soon after.
Then, in 1974, when she was 22, she learned she had Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She was treated successfully, but as an adult, she had three more runins with cancer, culminating in a full hysterectomy for uterine cancer in 2010.
Hunter said her family knows how important and wonderful the ride is to her. Her husband was with her at the Cloverdale starting line on Saturday and her children cheered her on by texting encouraging notes.
Hunter, a casual biker, said she did not think the classic course was too physically demanding, but nevertheless had a way to keep herself focused on the finish line.
“I carry a little note in my back pocket,” she said. “It has the names of everybody I’m thinking of when I’m riding. There are ones who passed on from cancer and there are ones who are still fighting the good fight. I look at it once in awhile and the emotion kicks in. It pushes me to ride a bit harder.”
The BC Cancer Foundation estimates there will be 170,000 new cancer cases in Canada this year with about 75,000 expected deaths. In B. C., based on current incidence rates, one in three British Columbians will be diagnosed with a form of cancer in their lifetime, says the foundation.