My son Kevin and his partner Lin cycled 260 km over two days for Tour de Cure BC this August. Starting in Cloverdale and finishing in Hope, they helped raise over seven million dollars for cancer research and equipment.
Kevin’s pledge follows below:
Saturday was their first day of the Tour de Cure. Kevin sent me a link to follow his ride in real time on Garmin. It was so cool to watch him move along the various roads to the finish line! On the first day, he and Lin (Team Blue Fish Speed) went a hundred and sixty km (hundred miles) at an average of 20-22 kph for over 7 hours from Cloverdale to Chilliwack!
They camped in Chilliwack overnight and started the following morning at 7:30, travelling 100 km toward the finish line in Hope. Good friend Anne and I drove to Hope to greet them at the finish line. It was so exciting and I confess I was very emotional. I was so proud of them both!
After lots of hugging, we had some burgers for lunch then a beer at the beer garden and visited in Memorial Park (by the finish line). I noticed their mud-covered faces and jerseys, particularly Lin’s—and how very clean Kevin looked—and it was explained to me that cyclists, when riding together, take turns leading and drafting each other (riding directly behind) to get a break while the leader breaks the wind and sets the pace; hmmm… what was Kevin doing? Ensuring that his jersey stayed clean, that’s what!
Kevin and Lin got a ride back with their bikes and Anne and I made our way back to Ladner, where Anne lives and I was visiting from Ontario. We celebrated with an ice cream cone!
You can still donate through Kevin’s page here:
https://tourdecure.ca/fundraiser/kevinklassen
Thanks so much!
In gratitude,
Nina
Nina Munteanu is a Canadian ecologist / limnologist and novelist. She is co-editor of Europa SF and currently teaches writing courses at George Brown College and the University of Toronto. Visit www.ninamunteanu.ca for the latest on her books. Nina’s bilingual “La natura dell’acqua / The Way of Water” was published by Mincione Edizioni in Rome. Her non-fiction book “Water Is…” by Pixl Press (Vancouver) was selected by Margaret Atwood in the New York Times ‘Year in Reading’ and was chosen as the 2017 Summer Read by Water Canada. Her novel “A Diary in the Age of Water” was released by Inanna Publications (Toronto) in June 2020.
Nina Munteanu Writing Coach 