Two days in the saddle

Google Maps advises me that the direct route from Vancouver to Seattle is 227km. Last weekend's Ride to Conquer Cancer covered 238km as it wove its way from Cloverdale in south Vancouver to the north Seattle suburb of Redmond. On the way passing through beautiful coastal coniferous forests so characteristic of the Pacific Northwest.

Though the RTCC is not a race, time and speed do matter to every cyclist as weeks of training and fund raising is put to the test. At the start line serious cyclists gather at the front for a quick getaway. Teams of work colleagues and friends cluster together in colourful lycra. Individuals make small talk with strangers in nervous anticipation of the ride ahead. For the first time I am riding with a buddy, Neil from New York whose "NY, NY" name tag gets lots of attention.

Just after seven in the morning speeches and formalities are completed and 2,600 riders head for the USA. Twenty kilometres later everyone reassembles at the border crossing, where good-natured Customs Officers take an hour to process us all. Then it's 100km to camp at a steady pace for all but the last five when my rear wheel collects a half-inch tack and goes into sudden deflation. A roadside repair, another puncture and the last kilometres take a frustrating 45 minutes stretching the day out to almost nine hours. Nothing though can take the shine of a glorious day's riding. One hundred and twenty three kilometres in perfect conditions that the locals don't hesitate to compare to last year's rain and cold.

Camp city pitched in the Skagit County Fairgrounds is abuzz with riders on a high, day one done. Shower, eat, hydrant, drink beer and swop stories 'till bed. This is my third ride and I'm still amazed at how quickly silence descends once the band plays its final number at 9pm.

Day 2 departure begins precisely at 7am with Neil, me and a collection of early risers gathered on the start line as another day of ideal cycling weather dawns: sunny, little wind, a cool ten degrees warming to twenty by mid-morning. For participants of rain drenched rides in previous years this is bliss. Lunch after 70km arrives early at 10'o'clock and slips into an extend break in the tranquil surroundings of Lake Stevens. As we ride on Neil and I drop in behind the well-organised "Brainaics" team who set a nice pace that should see us through the hills that locals speak of in respectful terms. The Snohomish County Centennial Trail takes us through kilometres of stunning forest and parkland.

Just twenty-five kilometres from Seattle it seems rather harsh that the biggest hills of the course should loom up. Most riders struggle on the up to fly down the other side; perversely I storm up the slopes passing others with a few words of encouragement before a leisurely descent. All of a sudden the end is nigh, a final few gentle kilometres alongside the Sammamish River to be greeted by cheering supporters.

At the end there is a quite satisfaction in knowing that 238km have been conquered and $10m raised so that another battle might not not be so hard to conquer. A battle that my very good friend, Michael Cole, lost earlier this year and to whom I dedicate this ride.