Bob Sings to Ride! conquercancer.ca/goto/bobledrew

A chronicle of my 2014 Ride to Conquer Cancer fundraiser, where I promise people who donate $100 or to urogenital cancer research a song with their name in it.

[bobledrew]

The great people behind Acoustics for Cancer Awareness -- Alex and Caroline -- were kind enough to ask me to join their bill for the fifth edition of this fundraiser, hosted by Pablo Coffey and featuring headliners The Red Rails.  Here's most of my set, warts and all. I had a great time, and I am hoping that they raised a TON of dough! 

[bobledrew]

Post-ride and still alive! Here's video #17, this one for Ragnar Paulson. I can't believe that I figured out something! Well, technically I think Mickey Gomez figured out the concept. My apologies to Boney M. 

The Ride to Conquer Cancer was amazing. I owe everyone a post to talk in more depth about it. More than $20 million raised, more than 5,000 riders, more than 500 volunteers... superlative. 

Again, thanks to everyone who donated to my ride. It means the world. 

[bobledrew]

On the road back to Ottawa.

What a remarkable 48 hours. The best organized large ride I've ever seen. $20 million raised. So many friendly faces on the bikes and on the side of the road.

I've never been cheered for an athletic event before. Coming into Niagara Falls there were hundreds of people lining both sides of the parkway, cheering, using clappers and cowbells and air horns and vuvuzelas. And because you wear little plates on your bike they're shouting your name, "way to go Bob!" like they know you. My two favorite roadside posters from the ride: "GO RANDOM PERSON GO!" and "CHAFE NOW BEER LATER."

And the Falls are on your right side and it's downhill so you don't have to work hard, and you've done what you told people you're going to do, and you're thinking of your friends who are gone, and your friends who are still here and thankfully cancer free, and you're thinking of your urologist and the care you're lucky enough to get and the good fortune of having a cancer that doesn't change your life everyday, and of your friends who are in the middle of facing up to these cells in their body not doing what they're supposed to do, and the partners and children and family and friends.

And you think about oncology nurse Shannon Nixon, who spoke in Hamilton at the camp, who finished the 2013 ride and within 48 hours was diagnosed, and got treatment and rode in 2014 with "Nixon's Ninjas."

Look: people get cancer every day. Some get treated and get past it. Some don't. Organizations like the Princess Margaret are making it better for everyone. Thank you for helping me help them.

[bobledrew]

Thank you rain.

For waiting until I'm on a bus on the QEW to start. The #rtccto weather was ideal.

[bobledrew]

I like this sign.

[bobledrew]

Day one. Is done.

I’m waiting in line for a massage after day one of the Ride To Conquer Cancer. Two things.

When I registered Friday evening, they gave me a tall yellow flag and installed it on my bike. My bike looks like the 19th hole. And as I Rode, the flag kept flapping in tghe breeze. It felt like the people who were once in my life and aren’t anymore because of cancer were clapping for me. à

Two: people were all along the route sometimes one or two, sometimes literally liniing the sides of the road.

Cheering us for doing somethiing commonplace. Riding a bike. And sometimes, because someone they loved had cancer. And survived. Or didn’t.

Big thoughts, from the massage line. Day one is done. Tomorrow promises.

#rtccto

[bobledrew]

One day to go! Hitting the road to T.O.!

[bobledrew]

Follow me on instagram for the weekend's adventures

ledrewbob's photo on Instagram

FINALLY I have something interesting to post on Instagram. Today I'm packing for the weekend. Tomorrow I hitch a ride down to Toronto and then Saturday morning me and God only knows how many other people hit the road for Hamilton. I'm gonna document the weekend via Instagram, so you may want to follow me there. http://instagram.com/ledrewbob

[bobledrew]

My friends Jill and Alan recently welcomed a gorgeous little baby into their family. And so when they donated to my Ride to Conquer Cancer campaign, it was a total pleasure to record this gorgeous song that Grant Lee Phillips wrote for his daughter Violet for THEIR daughter Violet.

And this is my last video with my loaner uke from Bytown Instruments. This Mainland cedar-top tenor ukulele is a lovely instrument, and I bet it will get better and better with consistent playing. 

Here's the video: 

[bobledrew]

This almost makes me want a kid of my own. Almost. But I definitely want a pink ukulele.

[bobledrew]

[bobledrew]

Yesterday's wildlife tally: One gorgeous doe like this one, quietly eating grass and ignoring the thousands of motorcycles blasting past 300 metres away; one red-tailed hawk (or maybe Cooper's); two beavers gabbing away while having a leisurely soak; one painted turtle sunning itself in a marsh. Bicycling lets you see this stuff. (Photo from Randy Roberts's blog "The Trail.") 

[bobledrew]

Metric Century (almost)

Had a beautiful day to ride to Merrickville, and with a couple of extra loops, hit 98.9 km. Shoulda gone for the 100, but I'm just going to tell myself my bike computer's 1% off.

[bobledrew]

And that's why I'm a cat person.

[bobledrew]

Song number 14 is alive! My fellow Bluenoser, the lovely Eden Spodek, donated to my ride, so she gets a thank you in the form of John Mellencamp's song "Eden is Burning." 

Thanks, Eden. If you want to donate before my ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls June 7 and 8, it's easy. Just click to make your donation. 

[bobledrew]

Today's lesson: no matter what steaming mound of dog crap is left on your metaphorical doorstep in the morning, a ukulele can lift your mood. Thankfully. 

[bobledrew]

Yesterday's lesson...

is that even if you nailed a cover version of a song on video, you should have made sure that your partner's nail polish bottle wasn't in the frame because it bugs you so much that you won't be able to use the video, so FRAME YOUR SHOTS WELL AND GET RID OF THE CRAP.