GCC…Day 15!

The weather is sure in our favor!😎 Loaded up on coffee…loaded up the bike…and off to the dikes to ride. Meeting wonderful people along the way who chatted about and encouraged our ride.🐶

As always, Bernie crossed the start line at my side…it wouldn’t be an adventure without her at the START line and crossing the FINISH line with me.🐶🐾

Meeting smiling people along the way is worth stopping for…❤️ Ken and his dog Phoenix, know first hand how hard it is to lose someone to cancer. Ken’s words, “how can I get involved”?? was so wonderful to hear!🥰🚲 We are in this ride…TOGETHER!

Some more nice ppl to chat with, received lots of cheers and encouragement and more awesome donations from Thomas and a match donation from the Goddard family.❤️

Each smile on the kids faces, each donation, each encouraging word or cheer…it motivates me to peddle farther and faster…

Well…except when I stopped to pet the dogs, watch a coyote, look for a bear or chat and make a new friend.🚲❤️ 🤣👍🏻🚲

No matter what our battles are, we need to keep fighting for each other, keep smiling…and keep cheering for each other!

Kicking cancers butt!!❤️🚲🥰

Day 14!

No excuses! ❤️ Get up…get out the door…and keep moving to support these kids and their families as they battle cancer. It takes a village…it takes all of us!

Todays ride was brightened when another GCC’er stopped to meet and share her story. 😃❤️🚲 How fun to meet Alyssa, and to encourage each other. Knowing we are riding together, in different ways and for different reasons…we are doing this amazing challenge for these kids…TOGETHER!🥰❤️🚲

Day 13!

Home from a busy day and out the door with the bike! These kids inspire me to get moving for them…and to smile while I do it! 😃👍🏻🚲

DAY 12!

Back at it…🚲🚲🚲 These kids don’t get a break from fighting cancer, so we need to keep peddling for them and keep raising money to find a cure! We just never know which dollar is going to be the one that funds that breakthrough.🥰❤️ Keep peddling…keep peddling…keep peddling…🚲❤️

DAY 11!

No bike peddling today…mom said someone pooped in her nest egg.

Ummm…wait…I’ve just been corrected.

“Mom sed she was POOPED and needed a REST DAY!”.🤣🤣🤣 Is this how rumors get started???🤪

Day 10!! The kids keep me going…🥰🚲

Day 10…plans changed and we had to adjust our sails. All good…set up the stationary bike stand and we were off to the races. The bike races, that is.🤣🚲👍🏻

This bike seat is a jerk! It could be agreeable and comfortable but continues to be user unfriendly.😟🤣🚲 But…we’re not going to let that stop us! Grumbling and groaning, it’s small potatoes…small bike seats?🤨🤔🤷‍♀️, compared to what these kids are dealing with in their battles against cancer. With smiles on their faces!😃❤️

Bike helmets off to them and all their family members…we are here for you!❤️🚲❤️🚲❤️🚲

Day 9! It’s a hot one…

Day 9 and 32* when I finally got time to get on that bike. Ouch! Yowch! Groan! Stationary bike riding today…I actually turned the bike in the opposite direction today, so I could look at something different, during my “ride”.

That got me thinking about the “views” these kids have, from their hospital beds, or during tests, or walking the halls of the hospitals when they can’t be outside playing when they should be able to. We have to find a cure to kick kids cancer in the big ole butt…we just HAVE to! Doing it for the kids…lets keep going!❤️🚲❤️🚲❤️🚲

Day 8! Happy trails…🤔 …hmmm…happy dikes!🤣🚲

Day 8! We’re doing it…off to the dikes while Bernie and dad go to the dog park for a swim. Maybe some “fishing”.

Another hot day but in comparison with the battle these kids are fighting, it’s nothing. ❤️

Were letting these kids know that the world cares about them. 😃🚲👍🏻 Met a wonderful Walker named Pam, who I’ve dubbed “Happy Pam” because she is exactly that. A shared picture and some encouragement from her, for me to keep peddling, and I was off again. It takes a village…❤️🚲❤️🚲❤️🚲❤️🚲❤️

Day 7!

Huff! Puff! Too hot to take Bernie to the dike, by time I got home, and my support crew already had my stationary bike stand set up in the yard, so I could peddle for the kids, right here at home.

I had to dig deep to keep the legs moving today, so I thought about the Nolan’s and Iris’s and all the other kids who smile their way through their procedures, tests and keep fighting!❤️ These kids motivate me to …KEEP…PEDDLING! 🥰🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲

DAY 6!

Another dike ride on a beautiful day.😎🚲❤️ Peddling my heart out for these kids. All the other riders are smiling back at me as I pass by…I have to wonder if their bike seats are as unfriendly as mine is.🤣🤣 And if they are also telling themselves that it’s a small price to pay when we’re doing it for the kids.🥰❤️👍🏻🚲

Let’s find a cure and stop kids cancer in its tracks!❤️

DAY 5! Phew! Keep on peddling for the kids!🥰🚲

GCC 2024…Day 5. No excuses! Feeling very wise in years, very tired…but, when these kids feel tired, they don’t get a break from their fight against cancer. Their families don’t either …so…no excuses! We get on the bike and keep pushing those peddles. Had my trusty dog Bernie, close by , barking me on. Well…more like snoring! 🤣🐾🚲❤️ Keep your cheering squad close.❤️🐾

We just keep going…keep peddling…keep peddling!🤣🚲

Day 4…An early morning start on a dike ride , with Bernie helping me get rolling. Then dad and Bernie were off to the dog park and a river swim while I peddled my heart out. The bike seat seemed to be friendlier today…or I just have no feeling left.🚲🤪🤣 Lots of other bikes out today, ( I haven’t seen any GCC jerseys yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the hello’s came from

GCC riders😃👍🏻) so we shared lots of cheery good mornings, hello’s and have a great day’s!😎👍🏻

Gorgeous scenery to keep it interesting …4 Sandhill Cranes and 2 coyotes sharing a mowed field.❤️

11.7 km and then home to enjoy the day with another 16 km on the stationary bike. Those kms are prettttttty boring, so I think about the kids (and their families) who we are riding for. Just…keep…peddling!😃❤️🐾🚲

Crazy Lady rides again! Take 2!🥰🚲🐾

Phew!!! I sooooo admire cyclists…Yowch! I’m sure my bike seat isn’t user friendly…🤣🤣🤣 It’s a small price to pay, to help these kids keep smiling!😃❤️ I actually resorted to sitting on a pillow, as I peddled another 13 kms today, for a total of 30. A raccoon popped in to watch me , to see if this Crazy Lady might have any snacks along for the ride. 🤣🦝

GCC …Day 3! Crazy Lady rides again!😃👍🏻🚲

Day 3…stationary bike ride. Gotta get ‘er done.😃👍🏻🚲 Set up the stationary bike in the front yard, and peddled with lots of chickadees, woodpeckers, hummingbirds and bees to cheer me on. Sometimes, it’s all about your surroundings, to make you feel positive and keep you going. 😃👍🏻

Bernie, my 9 year old dog, was happy to be with me through 17 kms (so far) today, barking me on from the cool grass .🤣🥰🐾 A nice bone helped, too…we all need a treat in life, to perk us up. Whatever your treat may be, enjoy it. Riding to support all the kids, as they face their battle with cancer, with those amazing smiles on their faces.🥰❤️

GCC Canada…Crazy Lady rides again!

August 2…Day 2. A very busy day, tired when I got home, 30*, hot and yucky feeling. Again, I reminded myself this is nothing compared to what these kids and their families are dealing with.❤️

We surpassed our $ goal today, with a donation of $500! WOW!!🥰🥰 So wonderful!

Today, I rode along a river dike, and considered myself very lucky to be out in nature, passing geese, an osprey and many goldfinches at the rivers edge. I thought about all those little kids, but also about a GCC rider who isn’t able to ride this year. He peddled for this cause, for 4 years but sadly, is unable to this year, as he himself has cancer and is in palliative care.❤️ Today, I rode for him. Be thankful for all the good things we have in life…and remember to think about others. We can do this…TOGETHER!❤️🚲

Great Cycle Challenge 2024 …Crazy Lady riding to kick cancers butt!

August 1…Great Cycle Challenge Canada 2024…as we start our 500 km bike journey, raising funds to help fight kids cancer, we think about those little kids, smiling through so many challenges…when their biggest decision should be what toy or what friend to play with today. We ride for them. We ride to help find a cure.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been on a bike, so Day 1 was a bit wobbly, with a little bit (well, okay…maybe more than a little bit.🤣🤣) of grumbling and groaning as I headed up hills. The downhills are sooooo much easier.🤣🚲

As I was headed up a hill, huffing and puffing, I was actually passed by a runner…yup! He left me in his dust.🤣 I reminded myself that my legs hurting, pushing those peddles, was nothing compared to what these kids and their families are dealing with, and that gave me the boost I needed, to peddle harder.😃❤️👍🏻🚲