My Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer

This is a Guest Post from Michelle Sirio, cancer survivor and veteran charity ride cyclist. You can read Michelle’s story of how she conquered cancer and starting riding for the cure here.

On June 13 and 14 I once again participated in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer benefiting Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

This year’s Ride raised over $19 million for The Princess Margaret, bringing the eight-year total to over $138 million raised!

This was my eighth year riding in the event and as always, it was an overpowering, emotional event for me – no matter how many times I have done the ride.

Each ride has its own uniqueness to it. On the first day (June 13) the RTCC event committee in Ontario had changed venues for the start line due to a conflict with the Indy race.

The start area was a little tight to hold over 4,800 riders, but what a great crowd! As I looked around the college parking lot, the energy was exciting as everyone was eager to pedal.

The entire day was great. The temperature was fabulous with a high of 23 degrees, lots of sun and no rain. Hamilton, Ontario, was our rest pit stop for the first day, and as I arrived the energetic cheers were pleasant to hear, as always. I was happy to make it through the first day and looking forward to the second day of the ride.

Day two of the 2015 Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer in Toronto was a little tougher. I am not so young any more, so recovering from the previous day’s fatigue was a bit of a challenge ☺. Still, I went for the RBC team photo bright and early and then joined the other eager early-risers at the start line. We started off with brisk cool air and cloudy skies.

The ride was pretty much smooth sailing until the rain decided to really come down – when I still had about two hours to go until the finish line ☺. But I’m glad it did rain that afternoon. It gave me a challenge incentive to strive to finish the event. Quitting is not an option, so the rain was a walk in the park, a piece of cake!

A few weeks later, my teammates and I received awards for our passion and dedication, and the determined fund raising we had done for cancer research. I won’t speak on behalf of my colleagues, but for me, my best reward is just crossing that finish line on day two and knowing that I have helped someone survive. I just want to be a part of finding a cure for cancer in our lifetime.
Feeling inspired to try a charity bike ride? Make a start TODAY by starting on my Average Joe Cyclist’s Beginner Cyclist Training Plan – it’s easier than you might think! Remember: today is the first day of the rest of our life!

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