Laura Van Dyk @lauravandyk-blog - Tumblr Blog

Day 18: Lower Sackville to Halifax (100km) WOW!!! It's all over! What an experience and a trip of a lifetime. As I reflect back on this journey and look through photos and videos I can't help but feel blessed for the life I have been given. I was beyond thrilled to do this ride with my amazing fiancé Stephen hogan, my mom, aunt Mary, cousins Tracy and Jen and many other incredible riders and volunteers that we met along the way. As much as losing Nick was the hardest part of my life, I am honoured to be contributing to a better future for those kids and families living with or beyond cancer. We would like to create a future where childhood cancer no longer exists. Thank you SNKCR for sharing this wonderful experience with me, I will never forget the people involved in this journey. It has been an absolute pleasure and I look forward to sharing this journey to many other people in the future.

#searsca #snkcr2016

Day 17: New Glasgow to Lower Sackville (120km) The days are REALLY numbered now. This was our last day together as team 1 and tomorrow we will join team 2 to complete this incredible coast to coast journey. Today was not a nice one in terms of weather but we still managed to get through the tough hills amongst the wind and rain. This morning we heard a story about a boy who had a rare brain tumour that is now in remission and has ongoing check ups. Once again it is nice to hear the stories that end with the medical system being able to give kids the childhood they deserve. It is great to know that the funds we raise are helping with research to improve knowledge and treatments, etc. I had another day with my grandparents and father cheering us along. It was so nice to see them along the way and I appreciated my dads help after lunch when we were scrambling to get back on the bikes in the rain! Tonight we went out for fish and chips with our whole team... It's been an absolute pleasure to get to know everyone over the last few weeks. It amazes me how quickly it goes by and how close you get with these people. It will be exciting but also sad to say goodbye to everyone on this journey as it has truly been an experience of a lifetime that I will never forget. Steve and I also had the huge pleasure of greeting his parents visiting from Newfoundland to watch us ride tomorrow. We are both so excited to have them here and witness us completing the 2016 Sears National Kids Cancer Ride. So here I am for one last night laying in the back of a transport truck in my buck bed listening to others snore around me (just kidding) and reflecting on this experience and life in general. I am so thankful for the life I have been given and the people in it and I hope with this ride more people and families can feel that way too. Looking forward to dipping that tire in the Atlantic Ocean tomorrow! Good night!

Day 16: Moncton to Charlottetown (162km) Today we finished riding in New Brunswick with another sunny day and ended up in Charlottetown PEI. Who would have thought it could be so hilly there! It was fun to cross the confederation bridge even if it was quite windy beforehand! The hills in PEI almost reminded me of those in Newfoundland. I think I might be able to say that the hills in Atlantic Canada are harder to climb than the hills out west. Today we rode in memory of a fellow rider, Chris Collins' son and we met a 5 year old boy named Harrison who is currently undergoing cancer treatment. His mom spoke a beautiful speech about his courage after an incredible dinner hosted by Sears in Charlottetown. They even had lobster to serve! It was a fun day with extra cheerleaders as my dad and grandparents are now here to follow us along to Halifax. It was great to see them and I look forward to having them around for a couple more days! Sorry I don't have many photos but I will have more tomorrow!

Day 15: Edmunston to Woodstock NB (182km) This was so far the longest riding day but not the hardest! We were warned about the hills but our team went out and crushed them! It started out as a foggy day once again but turned into a beautiful day by the time we got to our first rest stop. If I haven't already mentioned this, I have been absolutely thrilled to be doing this ride with my fiancé Steve, my cousins Tracy and Jen, and all of the other riders and incredible volunteers (including my mom and aunt) that we have met along the way. It is amazing the kind of relationships you build and the experiences you go through together. Team work is SO important for a sport like road cycling because you'd never be able to climb the hills in the time that our team does by yourself. I have also learned many things about the sport thanks to Jeff and his daughter Brooklyn Rushton, Ken Cross, Ron Mitchell, and other previous national riders. It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know all the riders and volunteers and I look forward to celebrating this great accomplishment with them on the weekend. Not only are we biking, we are raising awareness and funds towards childhood cancer. It felt great to speak with a stranger at one of our rest stops today that asked what we were doing... He even offered a $20 donation. So overall it was another successful day and New Brunswick was beautiful! 3 days to go and this ride will be over. Thanks to Sears once again for your continued support and hospitality! Good night for now however and talk tomorrow.

#searsca

Day 14: Maskinonge to Quebec City (150km) I can't believe we have been riding every day now for 2 weeks straight! Today started out a bit foggy and wet but turned into a beautiful sunny day by the afternoon. We rode in memory of a young girl named Katie who passed away just short of her 16th birthday. We biked through many beautiful little towns and country side of Quebec while staring out at the St. Lawrence River. Lunch was held on a beautiful church property and later that day we caught up with a few men from Louis Garneau. They definitely pushed us all to the limits when they led us into their store in Quebec City. We enjoyed great showers, food and shopping at their store and we thank them greatly for that. Now tomorrow we will begin our ride in New Brunswick. Hopefully we don't get lost a bit again like today!

#searsca

Day 13: Pickering to Belleville (150km)

We had another sunny hot day riding in Ontario and it felt a little bit different than yesterday as it was mostly just national riders again. Today we rode for Thomas who was a boy who passed away due to cancer and as much as that was heart breaking to hear I was amazed when they said he passed away on February 29, a leap year, and how he was always a boy who did things a little unusual compared to others. We also heard our team captain, Ken Cross’ story about his daughter and how she has been cancer free for a few years now. It was such a nice dinner we had while listening to wonderful folks from the Sears store there. We are so grateful for their hospitality on this trip.

We biked through many quaint small towns today on the way to Belleville (Newcastle etc.) and it was beautiful to see Lake Ontario once again. We had a nice rest stop in a community where some lawn bowlers had the best homemade muffins and baked potatoes! I even got to see my moms cousin Jane who came to cheer us on at lunch. She enjoyed hearing about my moms ability to drive the RV this whole way and dress up in ridiculous outfits (see above) to make us laugh while we ride. My aunt and mom even have “party lights” in our shuttle tonight! Once again, I feel so grateful for the support in my life and I am trying to enjoy our last week of the ride as much as possible! It’s been quite the experience to say the least. Tonight we said goodbye to Ontario and hello to Quebec and soon enough we will be biking to Halifax.

#searsca

Nothing better than seeing our dog Harley in Toronto yesterday as we rode through! 🚴 #snkcr2016 #searsca

#searsca #snkcr2016

More pictures from yesterday that I missed because it was such a fun day!

#searsca

Day 12: Barrie to Toronto (141km) Today was such a fun day seeing many amazing family and friends. I was under the impression that the day was going to be very difficult due to steep hill climbs but there was so much to look forward to and we had fellow family members joining us including Josh, Aunt Rosie, Matt and another Matt! My mom and I read the dedication for Nick this morning in Barrie as we rode to Toronto in his memory. As much as I would rather Nick still be here with us, it was comforting to see all the orange NVD shirts riding in our group. He certainly had a positive impact on people that knew him. And once again I knew he was there looking down on us as the sun shined and I got to ride with my brother Josh and my amazing fiancé Stephen. As much as I will always feel a piece of me missing with Nick gone, I feel incredibly grateful for the amazing family and friends that I have. My heart exploded today when I saw my dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, Dallas, Laurier friends Nat, Lisa, and Sarina and not to mention our happy little dog Harley (not the picture above as that was from a few days ago-haven't seen the one of us from today yet). It has also been amazing to share this SNKCR journey with Steve, my mom, Aunt Mary and cousins Tracy and Jen. If I could possibly share one thing with the rest of the world, I would share the love of my family and friends because to me there is no greater gift than that in life. So thank you to all that made it out today, I love you ever so dearly.

#searsca

Day 11: SS Marie to Blind River (145km) Today turned into a beautiful sunny day about an hour after rolling out of the Soo this morning. The sun was great to see after the rain and coldness of yesterday and being a bit down when thinking about my brother Nick this morning. It seemed unfair to have to suffer during parts of the ride after thinking of the pain my family already experienced while Nick had cancer and after he passed. As we continued to bike, we passed by a beautiful lake that seemed to lift my spirits slightly as I knew being by the water was one of Nicks and our family's favourite places to be. I also thought about the power of the message we are sending by doing this ride: we want those children and families that are going through hard times due to cancer to know that we support them and we will ride because they are maybe not able to. So for any of you reading this that are going through or who have been through hard times due to childhood cancer please know that I understand what you are going through and I am here for you even if it is just in spirit. And if I do see you please know that I will gladly give you a hug. This ride and life are not always going to hand us easy days but if we can look around and appreciate the people and things we have, the day will become a little more bearable. By the end of the ride today we finished at a beautiful lake once again with the sun shining. And to add humour to the day here are some photos of my mom and aunt Mary getting the superheroes of the day award for just being awesome and sweet to all riders and fellow volunteers! There are also some photos here that I missed from yesterday. Thanks again for reading and I will see you tomorrow Toronto!!

#searsca

Day 10: Marathon to Wawa (180km) What a day! We started out in Marathon this morning with an incredible breakfast at a picturesque visitors centre and headed down the road to see lots of stops along the way including massive ATVs, Winnie the Pooh and massive geese in Wawa. It was a very challenging day for climbing and the last 50km involved pouring rain and even hail! I was on the edge of giving up but managed to get through every km even if it meant being frozen and soaked by the end. I guess hey, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" said one wise singer... Haha we did get a very nice spaghetti dinner however at the end of the day by the Rotary in Wawa, absolutely heart warming. Now we have arrived in the Soo and I am looking forward to being reunited with family and friends this weekend!

#searsca

Day 9: Quetico to Thunder Bay (100km) We are at the halfway point! Today was a beautiful sunny day biking through Northern Ontario. It won't be the toughest day of climbing on this trip but we did ride hills that certainly got the heart rate up! We finished the day at the Terry Fox Monument which was beautifully laid out. We spoke of how he was just a regular guy who realized the importance of cancer research. So here we are just regular people riding across Canada to raise money for cancer research, specifically for children, so that one day no parents will have to hear the words "your child has cancer".

#searsca

Day 8: Winnipeg to Falcon Lake (135km) Today we got police escorted out of Winnipeg as we got to experience Winnipeg rush hour. We rode for Hugh today, a boy who overcame childhood cancer and is now healthy. It is nice to hear the positive stories to remind you of the difference we are making by raising money for this great cause. The ride was a little tricky through construction zones but overall my favourite in terms of weather so far as we ended in Falcon Lake at a beautiful sunny campground where some riders jumped in the lake for a dip. We finished the day driving into Northern Ontario which made me really excited as I will soon be reunited with other family members, friends, and even my dog Harley! We just have some big hills to climb in the meantime to get us to Toronto!

Day 6: Estevan to Melita (160km) I missed this post yesterday but we rode through the flat lands again as we entered the Manitoba border. Lots of cross wind but we worked great as a team and got it done. Thank goodness for Jeff Rushton's speaker to listen to music as the entire ride involved haystacks, tumble weeds, cows and train tracks... We finished the day riding into Melita with Corson, a 7 year old boy on his bike who put us all to shame as he was so fast! Thank you to the volunteers on this trip, you make the long days on the flat lands much more entertaining! Day 7: Glenboro to Winnepeg (165km) Riding another day through the prairies in memory of Briony, a little girl that passed away due to childhood cancer. It broke my heart listening to the dedication for her this morning but it reminded me why we are doing this ride. Eventually we would like to make childhood cancer nonexistent and raising money is so important for research so that kids don't lose their chance to be a kid. It was amazing to see the cancer centre in Winnipeg tonight and refreshing to hear that many kids with cancer overcame it with the proper treatment. We finished the day having dinner at Sears in Winnipeg - they have been absolutely amazing to us and even offered their beds in the store for us to sleep! Thank you Sears, you are amazing!

#searsca

One extra photo from Day 5 after we stopped at the haunted house! It has been so fun having Steve on this journey with me!

Day 5: Swift Current to Moose Jaw (170km) Today we rode in memory of Taissa and even though we had rain and cold weather, the challenges that we face on this ride do not compare to the difficulties children living with cancer and their families face day in and day out. Once the long ride was over, we stopped in where Corner Gas is filmed because what else is there to do in Saskatchewan! ;)

Day 4: Medicine Hat to Gull Lake (170km) Today we rode into Saskatchewan in memory of Dominic, Shannon and Erin Rooney's (fellow national riders) nephew. It was our longest ride yet but the wind was at our backs while the sun was shining. Our amazing photographers took the amazing photos which can also be found on the SNKCR website. Tonight was more relaxing as we didn't have a long shuttle so we went out for a team ice cream to end the day off right!

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Laura Van Dyk