Tour de Rock

Rider Stephanie McFarlane here.

We’ll get to Monday, but first let me tell you about something that happened Sunday when the team began the day by cycling from Ucluelet to Tofino. The weather was cold but clear and we were treated to beautiful glimpses of Long Beach and the mighty Pacific Ocean waves on our left side as we traveled north. This long, straight stretch has some gently undulating hills and is bordered by the tall trees of Vancouver Island’s west coast rainforest.

Cycling two-by-two at about 30 kilometres per hour, we were just outside of Tofino when some wheels touched and several riders went down. In a tightly packed formation like ours, the results of a crash can be devastating. Riders have no time to react to avoid the chain reaction.

From a few bike-lengths back, I saw Jarrod Christison hit the pavement. I didn’t know Jarrod before the Tour de Rock team started training back in March 2011, but I have gotten to know him and the other riders very well, in some cases better than some lifelong friends. This knowledge comes from training together over thousands of kilometers for several months. (Among other things, I know that Jarrod has great taste in music, has a hilarious sense of humour — and that his girlfriend kicks some serious butt playing Rock Band). When you see someone fall who has become like family, it hits hard. Teammates stopped and rushed in from all directions to assist Jarrod and Shawn. Thankfully, no rider suffered more than a few bumps and bruises.

Throughout the rest of Sunday and during Monday’s journey to Chemainus, riders were subdued by the realization that what we do can be dangerous; but more importantly, somewhere along the way, we have become a family.

We departed Nanaimo Monday morning under a slate-grey sky. After a delicious breakfast at White Spot, we cycled to the local branch of Coast Capital Savings to receive a generous donation. The local businesses showed their generosity at the Nanaimo North Town Centre, where local RCMP rider Sandi Holman accepted countless cheques on behalf of the team. Other visits included the Co-op station and White Spot on Terminal Avenue, where the team was treated to delicious milkshakes.

This rider lost track of how many heads were shaved today, raising thousands for the Canadian Cancer Society. Hair was literally flying in the breeze at the Diana Krall Plaza community event and later at the Ladysmith Credit Union outdoor event.
One of our media riders, Chris Bush from Black Press, shaved his head alongside junior riders Matt and Justin. The rain held until all the outdoor events ended,; then the skies opened on the last leg of our journey to Chemainus. We arrived soaked but exhilarated as usual, ready for hot showers at the Best Western Hotel.

Learn more about this year’s tour at Copsforcancer.ca or tourderock.ca. The riders would appreciate any messages of support you may care to add to the blog on the latter site.

COMING UP ON DAY 11

On Tuesday, the stops will include Lake Cowichan, home of Matthew Kercher.
Some of you might have met Matt at a Tour de Rock golf tournament in Duncan in August,
when the 14-year-old stood at a microphone and calmly explained the significance of the scores of coloured beads around his neck.
“The white ones are for chemotherapy,” he said. The red ones were for transfusions. Black ones for “pokes,” or needles. Others were for surgeries, long hospital stays, hair loss — the beaded necklaces document the journey for those who, like Matt, have gone through childhood cancer.
Matt wasn’t rattled speaking to the. By now, he is used to telling his tale to all-adult audiences.
“He wants to do the payback thing,” says his mother, Jenny Fawcett. “He thinks if he can tell his story, he can help other people understand what it’s all about and help newly diagnosed families have hope.”
His story began in the spring of 2005. “He was playing baseball and a ball bounced up and hit him in the mouth,” Jenny said. When Matt’s swollen mouth didn’t get better, it was off to the dentist. That led to a series of other appointments, and next thing Matt and his mother knew, they were being whisked to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. The diagnosis: leukemia.
They were in Vancouver for nine months, living out of Ronald McDonald House. Jenny left her job; Matt’s stepdad would come over on weekends. Eventually, the boy was well enough to come home for a week or two at a time.
It was a long struggle, but one that, thanks to advances in medicine, the great majority of children now survive. The fight itself left scars, though. Matt endured so many lumbar punctures that the sedation medication became ineffective and he had to be knocked out with anesthetic. On one occasion he was swarmed by doctors and nurses after an allergic reaction to one of his drugs sent him into anaphylactic shock.
This went on for 3 1/2 years, though for the last year he was able to stay on Vancouver Island. He was declared cancer-free on Sept. 9, 2008. “He still goes once every three months for blood work and check-ups.”
The family is grateful for the support they have received. “Lake Cowichan is a very close-knit community,” Jenny says. The Tour de Rock riders with whom Matt has been teamed have been great, too.
Matt is going into Grade 9 at Lake Cowichan Secondary this fall. As he has grown, so have his Tour de Rock fundraising efforts: lemonade stand, bottle drives, elementary school talent contests, head shaves. Last year he pulled in more than $1,700 — all part of the payback.
The team is expected to pull into Lake Cowichan Secondary at 11:30 today after starting the morning with a breakfast at the Chemainus Legion. They should reach Beverly Corners in Duncan around 2:15 p.m.