Charity Bike Ride

Just done with the bike ride this morning! Tired but happy and with a great sense of achievement! :)

Today is the 23rd annual Becel Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart biking event, which will raise funds for the Heart & Stroke Foundation. The Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway are opened to over 12,000 cyclists and inline skaters taking part in this largest charity cycling event.


Though some friends bailed out last minute, I still participated with my baby where we took on the challenge of 25km.

Registration started at 8am this morning. I woke up at 6:30am to find rain, wind, clouds, and all the annoying elements of a bad day! I was contemplating whether I should go...but in the end I still went, because the event "continued whether rain or shine". Lucky that I managed to dig out a raincoat out of somewhere!


No idea whether it was rain or sweat, but we just rid on...


Expressways are closed for the mass number of cyclists ~ the Gardiner & Don Valley Parkway, which is known for its ups & downs and sharp bends, which is dangerous for cars and even tougher for cyclists!


It was about 25km along the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway, starting from the Exhibition Place. This seems to be the only time that we can ride on the highways without interference from cars and trucks! Have always travelled on the Gardiner and the city view is great, so this is the perfect time that I can capture all those nice city skyline!


Finally, I reached the finishing line, exhausted physically and mentally!!!

After the ride, goodie bags of food and drinks were given out to all riders, and there was also a post-event carnival and entertainment. I even ran into my client, such an coincidence! :)

This is quite an achievement for me - finished the entire journey in about 2h 15min, no walking, all biking. Actually I did more than 25km, as I had to bike from home to the starting point, which was another 18km back and forth. Think I understand why people are hooked on such events, because it is really a challenge for oneself - you would want to contest upon yourself on how much you will be able to last. I will definitely check out other similar events to stretch myself a bit more than what I can imagine!