BC Cancer Ride

On Saturday I wandered through the rest-stop for the BC Cancer Ride in my old neighborhood. This was the first large group fund-raiser/club ride of the summer, and while it wasn't a huge crowd, a steady flow of riders in yellow jerseys passed through town all afternoon.

At this point they would only have heard rumors about the monster Samish Way to Lake Padden hill-climb that lay a mile ahead.

Civic Stadium is a half-block down from the manager's office of my old apartment building, the place I was evicted from a bit more than two years ago, for keeping my bicycle in my living room. I hope the managers were nervous about the throng of lean, fit cyclists getting in their faces all day. I still feel uneasy the few times I've been back in that area, vaguely worrying that the resident gossips will come out and nag, gripe, snipe, sneer or yell at me and try to run me off.

Vancouver BC bike shops sent support crews for the riders

I've done a few big event rides or fund-raisers, most notably the Seattle-to-Portland ride with Team-in-Training in 2007, as a fund-raiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Sometimes I don't quite get the connection between getting a bunch of people to dress up in bright-colored shirts and bike, run or walk long distances to raise money or awareness for some cause. But I think getting people out to train and exercise is direct action to improve public health. And for people who have lost loved ones, or are affected by illness themselves, it's a chance for catharsis and memorial.