SOURCE:Enbridge, Inc.
DESCRIPTION:
Dan O'Grady set a personal challenge for himself — to ride all four Enbridge Rides to Conquer Cancer in 2012. At the end of the summer, he had accomplished that. He'd ridden 1,055 kilometres over five weekends through B.C, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec — a yellow flag extending from the back of his bicycle identifying him as a cancer survivor.
Standing over six feet tall, comfortably slender and elegantly mature, Dan's a reasonably fit guy. He's mountain biked for years and works out regularly; and he ramped up his training a bit before the rides. [See sidebar.] Still, at times he was profoundly challenged.
"It was hard," he says candidly. "And at times, it hurt." But never for a moment did Dan consider giving up. He remembers the perseverance required to ride his bicycle up some really tough hills, particularly over mountainous terrain in B.C. and Alberta. He used rhythmic repetition like a mantra, to shore up his determination.
"I found myself falling into repeating ‘I will not quit I will not quit I will not quit' until I got to the top of hill," he says, stressing each syllable as he would have during his climb. He describes the most grueling point during his rides as "unrelenting rain and hills and slippery terrain in Washington State en route to Seattle." He recalls slogging up a giant hill, fiercely repeating the mantra when he experienced a transcendent moment.
"I was really having trouble on the hill when a group of obviously fit, experienced riders passed by me and one guy yelled ‘Don't stop, we're doing this for you'," Dan recounts. "I didn't even know who they were. They saw my yellow flag. It was so nice to hear that and it inspired me to get to the top of the hill."
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Tweet me:Four rides in 2012! http://3bl.me/rzhgcs @Enbridge Ride to Conquer #Cancer #ERTCC
KEYWORDS: Health and Wellness, Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, ride to conquer cancer, csr, Community Investment, community leadership, Health, cancer research
