Ride for Karen - the numbers....

People always say that numbers don't lie... and here are the heartwarming numbers from this year's Ride for Karen. Riders involved - over 300. Distance ridden - 160km. Ride time - almost 6hrs. Money raised - over $200,000. Number of kids helped - infinate. It was a great day... sun shining, great atmosphere, and little wind... and of course far too many cookies and muffins at the start line to tempt us. I was marshalling the 30km/h group... and it really was more like the 35km/h group... I did my best to keep the pace under control, but we had some peole who just wanted to go harder... and that meant that i spent a lot of time bringing people back up to the group. But in the end, we all got there safely and with a few more friends than we started with. After a great presentation, some speeches and a slice of the $1million dollar cake, it was time to head home and hug my own kids.... glad that i can tell them the stories of my ride rather than having them benefit from our efforts. Glad to be part of it.... proud to have helped.... and humbled by what Kirk and Kris can do. Thanks to everyone who helped with their financial and emotional support. Check out the Ride for Karen link on the side for all the details and pics.

Ride for Karen

This coming weekend... September 13th... i'll be taking part in the annual Ride for Karen.... a charity ride created by friends and team-mates who lost their mother to cancer. It is a 160km ride that leaves from Maple Ontario and heads through some amazing roads... Proceeds from the ride go to help send kids with cancer to camps in the Muskokas... so they can just be kids again. In the last 9 years, the ride has collected nealy a million dollars and sent countless kids for a great summer experience. The link for Ride for Karen has all the info... and if you would be willing to sponsor me in this ride, it would be greatly appreciated. Sometimes we ride to get faster... sometimes to test ourselves.... and sometimes because it makes a difference... Secure on-ine donations to my efforts can be made at: http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2324864

Provincials at Kelso

So i get a phone call AND an email from the Ontario Cycling Association on friday.... 2 days before provincials.... "Hey Jon... it's the OCA calling.... just wanted to remind you that as the National Champion for this year you are required to wear your National Champion's jersey this weekend at the race.... see you there.".... made me feel a little bit important that they were thinking of me... so instead of just wearing the jersey to bed.... i had to actually wear it to a race... although i didn't want to get it muddy... and the forcast did NOT look promising. But i strap on the Red and White on sunday for what turned out to be a nice day for racing... not too hot and the rain from saturday dried up nicely and left the course very fast. Feeling good in the corral before starting... i say to myself "So... who's going to go absolutely nuts up the long fireroad climb on the first lap? not me... that's for sure"... and sure enough it's Jason Everaert who definately brought his A Game for the entire day... he had a great ride and was pretty tough to shake off my wheel on the flat power course (which suits him over me)... but i was able to ride away after riding his wheel for the first lap and then leading him for the next lap.... i got a gap of 3:00 by the end. As always... i like to think that i'm still young and compare my lap times to the Elite Men.... and then add a couple minutes since they do an extra lap. Usually i'm just inside the top 15 for time... but Sunday i had a pretty good day and would have cracked the top 10... THEORETICALLY.... but it's nice to think that way sometimes!!!

So now it's time for a nice easy week... and back to school :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:( .... and then cranking it up fro cyclocross season... we already have a good group of fast guys for our weekly training rides... so they should be fun... and painful!!!

Tip of the hat to Eric Batty (fellow Trek Store rider) who was leading the Elite Men with less than half a lap to go.... before clipping a tree and going down HARD... nice whelts on his head, face and shoulder from that one.... but still finishing 3rd.... and to Peter Glassford who hung in their for a 2nd place finish... GO TEAM!!!