Sarah Kristolaitis

Day 11 (yes, I will eventually get this done!)

This is it - the last “big” day before we ride into Halifax. We begin the day in New Glascow, Nova Scotia, and will finish the day in Lower Sackville. One last big push, and we’ll be 40 km away from the end point. In a way, I was incredibly sad to wake up this morning, knowing that soon enough it would all be over. I’m not quite ready to go home yet. I’ve been feeling stronger on the bike every day, and have been feeling a deeper and deeper connection to the cause with every story I hear, and every child I meet. Including an incredible little girl we met this morning - Sidney. To look at her, you’d never know she’d been ill, and her family was so positive. Yet another reason to ride strong today!

We had a beautiful climb in the rain and fog to start off the morning. Despite the rain, I really enjoyed it - there’s something very surreal about riding in fog. The only slight damper to my morning happened when we stopped for what Tim likes to call a “bio break”. Heading off to the side of the road, I managed to step in a sizeable, very muddy puddle. My cycling shoes, once white, are definitely no longer so (although I can hardly say they had survived up to this point unscathed - I suppose they’re just MORE grey now!).

By the time we reached our midday pit stop, the sun was coming out, and we were celebrating! We had some great music blaring, and once again had a dance party, cancan line and all. Feeling good, we set off for the next section of riding. This is where we came upon the road that gets my vote for Worst Road in Canada. Although the roads on the east coast had generally been very good, this one was a major exception. Navigating this was like running an obstacle course, and I have to admit, I was a little scared riding it. But, as convinced as I was that this adventure was going to end rather badly, we survived!

Riding-wise, the rest of the day absolutely ROCKED!! Why? We had a music system set up - a large speaker sitting in the back of the van, cranking out tunes that we could definitely ride to. As a fitness instructor, I’m very used to working out to music - all of this riding without it had seemed kind of a drag at times. This was the boost that we all needed at this point in the day - we picked it up quite a bit after that! And just in time, because we were about to tackle a fairly hilly section - and I couldn’t have been happier! I’ve come to love climbing, especially after getting a lot of great tips on it. A perfect way to finish off the day. At some point during the day, we saw the first sign with the mileage to Halifax. We considered this a good enough reason to stop and take some pictures :)

We did manage to get lost… again. But we eventually found our way to our next stop, where we met some more wonderful people and had a fabulous time. Next up: setting up camp in Lower Sackville, and awaiting the arrival of teams 1 and 2! We showered, and had a fabulous dinner - someone had even thought to bring me gluten free microwave dinners, which just made my day. This was gourmet eating after eating on the road for 2 weeks! After dinner, I convinced Carl to give me a ride on the tandem - wow, what fun! I was pretty sure I was going to die at first, but the second lap around the parking lot was just a blast! I have pictures, and I will post them!

Then, knowing we had a nice leisurely start in the morning, and only about 30 or 40 km to ride, we settled into a good night of fun! Team 3 was dancing up a storm (yes, even me!), we swapped stories with the other teams when they arrived, and just generally had a ball. We even convinced Terry and Carl to become true road cyclists by shaving their legs - Jason had joined the club a day or two prior, so now we could all ride into Halifax looking like real riders. And just for your information, looking like a “real” rider includes the following: road rash, or at least scars from previous crashes, really funny looking tan lines on the legs, arms, ankles, and possibly hands, and smooth legs, regardless of your gender.

Overall, this was probably the best day of the past 11 days. We had so much fun - it was all positive, all fantastic, all the way. Reuniting with the other teams was just fabulous. It was great to see that they had all had some great experiences, too. I’m not sure when we toddled off to bed, but the bunk truck soon started to remind me of sleepovers I had as a kid - no one wanted the night to end, so we ended up laughing and carrying on a while before finally getting to sleep. The team has bonded so much over the past 2 weeks… it’s absolutely incredible. The other riders and crew of team 3 have become like family to me, and I know I’ll be incredibly sad when we have to say goodbye in a couple of days.

One more day to go.

For those still wanting to know… Day 10!

Day 10… we traveled from Riviere Bleue, QC, to Woodstock, NB. Today was a fabulous day for food! We started off the morning at an actual restaurant in Riviere Bleue - what a great way to kick off the day after so many days of bagels, bagels, and… bagels ;)

I didn’t start off the day as I would have liked… the first 5 km or so of the ride was through a construction zone in which the road was EXTREMELY bumpy. I rode a kilometer or so before someone told me how far the construction went, and promptly decided to get into the van to save my hands from swelling up again. I had spent a lot of time the night before taking care of them, and I certainly didn’t want to have to get off the road again that day! Thankfully, this seemed to have been the right call - the whole rest of the day, my hands felt fine, and I got to ride the whole day without any major issues.

The scenery as we passed into New Brunswick was just beautiful!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place so green in my life. I had  plenty of time to appreciate it when we stopped for lunch at a park, where we were once again served some hot, homemade food. Our hosts had made pasta for the riders, but very kindly made me some rice so that I could eat too! I took a few moments to wander off and enjoy the scenery by the river before we left. During the morning, we also had the pleasure of visiting Edmunston, NB, where we were kindly received by the mayor and city hall. There were some really cool things around this place… pics to follow!

Overall, it was a great day for riding. I was so happy to be able to ride the whole day, tackle a few fun hills, and then have some challenge in the wind later in the day. Towards the end of the day, we started to get hit with a pretty crazy crosswind (can you believe that this entire trip, we never ONCE had a tailwind??!!). This was the kind of wind that forced me to ride leaning over to one side, just to stay upright! We set up a rotation, and pretty soon we were pulling at 32 km/hour, even in the crazy wind! It was quite a workout for me, as at this point I was having a hard time keeping my bike on the road, but what fun! The team was working really well together, and it was a great way to see the strength of our team. What cyclists!!

We really appreciated the dinner we received after that ride… we were greeted with homemade stew and soups at our next stop. Now I know why people on the East coast are so well known for their hospitality! We ate so well this day, and we were all incredibly happy for it.

The day ended off with a little more hill climbing than we had anticipated.. heading into Woodstock, we made a wrong turn that took us down a rather long hill. None of us were too happy to hear the honks from the support van that meant “stop”. We all just KNEW we were going to have to go back up that hill! Thankfully we were well fueled today, and made it up just fine.

Overall, it was a fabulous day. Good food, incredibly scenery, and a few challenges make for very happy riders! I finished off the day happy that I’d been able to ride, but I found myself starting to feel a little sad that the ride was going to be coming to a close so soon. I was starting to realize that we only had one major day of riding left, and then a short ride into Halifax. As frustrated, tired and hungry as I had been on parts of the trip, I was really starting to enjoy myself, and didn’t want it to be ending so soon. After 10 days on a trip like this, your teammates become your family. The ride becomes your life. The cause - the kids, the families… they become more important than ever before. And it seems crazy that a journey that has lasted 8 months, will be coming to a close.

I went to bed that night, vowing that we would make day 11 the best yet!

Day 9 - Ottawa to Montreal

I awoke in Ottawa this morning, after a good night’s sleep. The weather wasn’t the greatest, but that’s ok! I began my day very inspired - I met a childhood cancer survivor who had stopped by, wanting to give the riders a small token to take with us on the ride. It was a metal feather pendant on a red string, which I later attached to my handlebars. She couldn’t stay for the breakfast, it seemed she had somewhere she had to be, but I was touched that she stopped by just to give them to us. Yet another reminder that what we’re doing matters.

I also got another much appreciated visit this morning… my brother Peter and his girlfriend Kat came by to see me. It was so nice to see them, especially after having seen my parents the night before. I was a little frazzled this morning - it seemed I had lost everything I needed to ride, including my helmet, and so I didn’t get to spend as much time with them as I would have liked. I just couldn’t seem to get myself together that morning, and barely got ready in time to leave! My brother, thankfully, knows me well enough to know that I’m often like this - in fact, he was probably sitting there laughing at me, just a little bit. :)

In order to make all of the events and ride-alongs we had scheduled, the group got split into two today. So our little group of 6 national riders and several ride-alongers set off for the day. I was feeling good, feeling strong, when suddenly - flat tire! My front tire went, and I had to get into the van while Daren fixed it. We didn’t want to slow the group down by making everyone wait. I eventually was able to get back onto the road with my bike intact. I got to ride maybe half an hour to an hour when suddenly - flat tire! This time, the back one had gone. Back in the van I go. At this point, I’m a little irked. This is the 7th or 8th flat I’ve had since Vancouver, and all I wanted to do today was just ride my bike. Is that so much to ask?

I get back on the bike again, and eventually we get to one of our stops. I had a fabulous time chatting with some of the ride-along people!! Just like the national riders and crew, and all of the people involved in this event, they all have their own stories, and I’ve loved hearing them all across the country. I can’t even count the number of incredible people I’ve met on this trip so far.

I start to realize that after riding over a rather bumpy, pothole-ridden road, my hands and wrists are really starting to hurt. I ask Kelly to wrap them up (I really don’t know what I would do without her!!), and get back on the road. After we stop for lunch, we head back out, and promptly get lost. As I wait for new directions, I have a look at my hands, and realize they are VERY swollen, and hurting quite a bit more after having taken a rest at the last stop. I’m incredibly frustrated at already having had to take time off the bike because of the flats I’d had, but I know that pushing it could mean an injury that would take me off the bike entirely. Very, very grudgingly, I get into the van again so that I can ice my hands.

I was eventually able to get back on the bike that day, after some serious ice application. Was I ever glad I did!! We rode, as a small team, through some rural roads in Quebec, and we rode hard. We were just flying through the most beautiful scenic places - what FUN!! We rolled into a Sears store in Montreal and were greeted by the biggest party I’ve seen yet! There was music blaring, people dancing, and the other 6 members of our team greeted us with big cheers and hugs. We’d only been apart less than a day, but I think we missed each other already.

This was a momentous stop, not only because we had SUCH a good time, but because something really amazing happened while we were there. As we got onto our bikes in preparation to leave, one of our team mates, Craig Senior, informed us that he no longer had a girlfriend - he had a fiancée!! WOW!!! We were all so incredibly happy for him… congratulations again, Craig!!

Our last stop for the day was the children’s hospital in Montreal. We were told it wasn’t far away, but that there was a bit of a hill to get there. This “bit of a hill” turned out to be a bit of a monster. It wasn’t particularly long, but it was the steepest thing I think I’ve ever climbed. From the bottom, it looked to be maybe 100-150 meters. Not too far at all, so a few of us decided to give ‘er up the hill. We got a lovely surprise - it flattened out for a street, and then continued to go up, on an even steeper incline!! The light was red when we got there, so from a dead stop, we had to continue climbing. I think it made up for the riding I didn’t get to do that day!! I talked to Tim about it later, and he seemed to think that the second part of the hill was around a 20% grade!! But we did what we always did with hills - we “laughed at them” (please read with a British accent, to get the full David Morland effect!).

It was well worth the climb. We heard the story of a girl the same age as myself - a childhood cancer survivor, who was now working as a nurse. It was incredible to hear her speak about it. Like yesterday, I’d had problems, major frustrations, and even got a bit angry about it all. But by the time we packed up for the night and headed for showers, I was inspired again. I have to say once more how much I admire all of our ambassadors - it takes great courage to battle cancer, and even more to be able to tell your story to the world. This ride could not happen without all of them - their stories keep us all going. To all of the ambassador families - you all thank us for what we’re doing, but I want to thank YOU.

Day 8 - Woodstock to Toronto

We had a great night in Woodstock - our shuttle was less than an hour, so we got to spend the night in our bunk truck instead of the RV! Unfortunately for me, I was completely unable to sleep, so I went to Tim Horton’s around the corner and got myself some chamomile tea. I probably sat outside the bunk truck, in a light drizzle, for a good hour. It was so nice to spend some peaceful time by myself, contemplating the ride so far. Sometimes you just need time to yourself.

The next morning, we departed Woodstock, with some ride-along riders and our entire team. It was so nice to get to see everyone again, and hear about the adventures of teams 1 and 2. The support and send-off we received in Woodstock was just incredible! The stories we heard that morning were very touching, so although it had begun to rain for the first time since we left Vancouver, I was in good spirits - this was going to be a good day.

It ended up being a pretty emotional day for me, and I think everyone else too. I have to say, my day began pretty badly. I left the first stop at the front of the pack, so when a wrong turn was made early on in the ride, I ended up pretty far down the wrong road before the group I was with stopped. The majority of the riders had kept going in the right direction. By the time we turned around, the group was some 5 km away, and here I was, with a small group of very experienced cyclists, most of whom had probably been cycling several decades longer than I. Needless to say, I ended up a little behind - closing a 5 km gap between myself and a group traveling about 31 km/hr, in the wind and rain, was simply not going to happen. So, I ended up in an RV, which unfortunately couldn’t bring me up to the group right away, so a missed a good chunk of the ride. I was now cold, wet and grumpy.

That is, until we got to our next rest stop, and I began to hear more stories from our ambassador families. I am so incredibly grateful that these children, parents and siblings came out to our events and spoke to us. No matter how terrible a day I may be having, no matter how tired, hungry, or frustrated I may be, their testimonies always remind me what the ride is about, and why we’re doing it. The months or years of childhood that are lost when a child has cancer is far more difficult than anything I will encounter on this journey. One of the ambassadors told us “Ride for me, until I’m able to ride with you”. I don’t think there was a dry eye to be seen.

Our final destination was Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, where my parents were waiting for me. I have never been so happy to see them in my life! I will post a picture that I think says it all. They’ve been my biggest supporters for the last 8 months, and after 8 tough days on the road, I really needed this visit. Mom and Dad, thank you for driving all the way from Timmins to see me. It meant so much.

I also got a very nice surprise - my childhood best friend, Tina, whom I don’t think I’ve seen in at least 7 years, was there with her husband and 9 month old son. It was so incredible to get to see her after all this time! To make things even better, my parents brought me gluten free pizza, some more gluten free food, and a beautiful silver necklace to wear on the rest of the trip. Eventually, we had to leave to get to our next destination of Ottawa - it was a long shuttle. I hated to say goodbye, but knew the journey had to continue. Feeling renewed after seeing my parents, I went to bed and slept far more soundly than the night before. I was ready for the last third of the trip.