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Becel Heart&Stroke Ride for Heart - CycleOther


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Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Heart & Stroke Foundation
14C / 57F
Overcast
Total Time = 00m
Overall Rank = /
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 0/
Pre-race routine:

Got up at 4:30 AM, had oatmeal with egg whites and blueberries, showered, grabbed my gear and bike, and out the door I went at 5:30. I had to stop for gas and parking money on the way to the ride site.
Event warmup:

Chatted with my teammates, had a bagel with PB&J, a banana and a tea, got the group picture taken, chatted some more and headed to the starting line.
Bike
  • 1h 45m 31s
  • 46.17 kms
  • 26.25 km/hr
What would you do differently?:

Nothing.
Post race
Warm down:

Chatted with co-workers, did a short recovery ride to my car and stretched.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Mother Nature.

Event comments:

Since today's ride was for charity, there's not much data to post. All I can say is that I will raise funds and do this ride again next year for sure! It was nice to be able to use two of Toronto's major arteries (no pun intended, hehehe...) without having to contend with automotive traffic.

I was participating in the Corporate Challenge and I was part of my workplace's team. We were 30 riders who have raised funds for this event. Our objective was set at $3000 but we surpassed it by close to $2000, and that was for online donations alone. The event was extremely well organized with a continental breakfast and post-ride lunch for us corporate folks.

The post-ride activities were great: live band, different kiosks, Becel girls handing out little red dress bracelets and serving heart-shaped shortbread cookies, made with their non-hydrogenated margarine of course... I also got a nice backpack with cycling shoes and helmet compartments in return for handing in my pledges. I took a few minutes to sit down and chat with some of my coworkers who were already done with their rides. Most of my group chose to do the 25 km ride as they were doing it with their kids but a few of us opted for the 50 km one. There was a 75km route available as well but the start was at 6:45. A 6:45 start was also an option for the other routes but I decided to stick with the majority of my teammates so I chose the Corporate Challenge start at 8:00.

My coworker Lino and I were able to squeeze in all the way to the front of the line, which gave us a good advantage as far as cycling traffic goes. He finally went ahead of me close to half-way into the ride but I ended up crossing the finish line before him, lol! He stopped at the turnaround (Don Valley Parkway and York Mills) to re-fuel a bit whereas I stopped for a few minutes looking for him, to no avail. So I decided to continue on my own... Well not exactly, two gentlemen were drafting off me on the hills for a while and we chatted for a bit.

There was quite a bit of wind and a fair amount of looooong hills but I feel I have dealt with both elements quite nicely.





Last updated: 2008-05-03 12:00 AM
Biking
01:45:31 | 46.17 kms | 26.25 km/hr
Age Group: 0/
Overall: 0/
Performance: Good
Wind: Headwind with gusts
Course: The bulk of the ride (approx. 40 km) was on the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway. Long steady climbs were expected.
Road: Smooth Dry Cadence: 90
Turns: Good Cornering: Good
Gear changes: Good Hills: Good
Race pace: Comfortable Drinks: Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

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2008-06-01 1:14 PM

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Extreme Veteran
393
100100100252525
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Subject: Becel Heart&Stroke Ride for Heart


2008-06-01 2:44 PM
in reply to: #1436429

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Royal(PITA)
14270
50005000200020001001002525
West Chester, Ohio
Subject: RE: Becel Heart&Stroke Ride for Heart

Sounds like a beautiful event!  Glad it was fun!

2008-06-02 3:49 PM
in reply to: #1436516

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Champion
23360
5000500050005000200010001001001002525
Taser-World
Subject: RE: Becel Heart&Stroke Ride for Heart
Great ride! And you raised a lot of money for the charity, too. Nice job!
2008-06-03 4:53 AM
in reply to: #1436429

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Extreme Veteran
393
100100100252525
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Subject: RE: Becel Heart&Stroke Ride for Heart

That was last year's starting line picture but that will give you an idea of how many of us took part in this ride.

It was reported that 12,000 registered participants started the ride but I'm sure there were plenty of non-registered folks who took advantange of the event as well.  This is the one day where Torontonians get to ride on two of Ontario's busiest highways that are off limits the 364 other days of the year.



Edited by Nats 2008-06-03 4:57 AM
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