“Yeah I’m fine with that. And thanks I would love to talk about the event and help Kids With Cancer Society to get some recognition. It’s important to start off with that, it’s not about me.” As the author of this article I could not agree more with Daniel O’Neill, the man behind Dan’s 24 Hour Bike Ride. Together ladies and gentlemen let’s learn about this event.
1) Please clear up the 24 hour/30 hour bad match calculation for an event that runs from Friday May 3rd at 5PM to Sunday May 5th at 4PM.
“This year is the 5th Anniversary and I decided to up the ante and ride for 30 hours because I have done the 24 hours four times. That’s why we call it the Bad Math Edition.
I ride for two and a half hours and then take a 15 minute break. I usually don’t sleep but this is uncharted territory this year.
Because the event has grown we have a family ride and movie night on Friday night. It’s an opportunity for more people to get involved.”
2) The event is riding a stationary bike at Exist Cycle (#510, 280 Portage Close in Sherwood Park) correct? Why did you choose this route?
“The stationary bike is easy. Chances of anything going wrong mechanically is limited. It has a timer on it, it measures the distance I ride over the two and a half hours. I coached Triathlon at Exist Fitness and the studio allowed for others to come and ride and it was all self-contained in there. So the spin bike just made sense from a simplicity component.”
3) What else happens during the course of the 30 hours?
“We have a family ride that is $50 a person although with teens and kids we usually make exceptions. We have the Silent Auction getting people in the door which is important as it also creates good energy for the event. There is music and DJ’s and late night movies to keep the energy going and the vibe moving.”
4) A $50 donation buys ride time according to the pamphlet. Do you have a lot of guest riders? Does a schedule get made in advance?
“Yes we ask that people who ride pay a flat rate of $50. We will have a sign up system through Exist for people to sign up and keep track of availability.
We get a lot of guest riders who come and take part. Every level of rider is welcome. This year we have Recumbent bikes as well to open another avenue for Riders who can’t sit on a spin bike.
I have an awesome organizing committee who help with all aspects of the ride. There are people who come in and ride at all hours of the night to keep me company. Important note, you do not need to ride to be a part of the festivities.”
4) Always an important question is how can one donate to the event if they cannot be there?
This is the link (click here) to my page on the 2019 Tour of Hope Page for the Kids With Cancer Society.
This is the link (click here) for Dan’s 24 Hour Ride page on Facebook.
5) Every aspect of the question “why” in respect as to why do you do this?
“I heard about the Tour of Hope in 2015 from a friend and thought riding my bike for a week, GREAT! I researched what the Kids With Cancer Society does and wanted to make a difference.
The Kids With Cancer Society provide 50 programs to families who have a child diagnosed with cancer. When my niece was seventeen she was diagnosed with a rare form of Cancer and spent three months in the Cross Cancer Clinic. She is healthy and cancer free now and I saw the way it can impact families firsthand.
I had an idea to ride the spin bike for twenty four hours because I wanted to earn the money I was asking people to donate. I felt it made more sense to go and ask someone to donate by telling them I was pushing myself physically as a sort of mental challenge to show that 24 Hours on a bike may be hard but it’s not fighting cancer. So I went to Jamie Stanvick at Exist Fitness and asked about using her studio and she said yes. The rest is history.
Last year the 24 Hour Ride won the Pride Of Strathcona Mayor’s Award. My name is on the award but it belongs to everyone who rides, volunteers, shows up, and the community.
I chose to ride 30 hours to push beyond the mental and physical boundaries I know it takes to ride 24. When someone recently asked me how do you train to ride for 30 hours i just said i do all the things I normally do in my everyday training, ride, run, lift weights, swim and do Yoga. What’s hard to really think about his how do you train to overcome cancer? There is no manual for that. 30 hours on a bike is a small sacrifice to make a dent in cancer.”
Five questions answered about the 5th edition of Dan’s 24 Hour Bike Ride which is actually 30 hours. I sincerely hope you join myself and Win Column in supporting such a wonderful event.
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