Inspiration

  This inspiration couldn't have come at a better time. I was of course thinking about the tour divide and if I was ready and would I have what it takes to get it done. My blog was overdue so I went on my site to read hoping that I would get inspired. What I got was that and more. I noticed that there was a comment under one of the posts. The comment was from someone named Cameron and asked if I could contact him about my blog.  What came of it is exactly what I needed to inspire me. I would like to share his story ( with his permission).

  Lessons from a Caregiver for a Cancer Survivor

  Beginning on November 21, 2005 my life completely changed. Later on, I would learn to recognize the positive effects of this experience, but during my wife Heather's initial diagnosis I could only respond in shock. On this day, the doctors told her she had malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare and extremely deadly form of cancer. From this moment on, I became my wife's caregiver and struggled to be the rock she needed during this difficult time.

  Heather and I had just had our first child, Lily, three months before. We had been preparing to celebrate her first Christmas when the news arrived. The doctor told us we had three options. We could seek treatment at a local university, a regional hospital or with a mesothelioma specialist in Boston. As I waited for my wife to respond, I realized that the shock and fear had immobilized her. I spoke for the both of us and decided that we would seek treatment with the Boston specialist, Dr. David Sugarbaker. We could only hope that he would be able to save her.

  For tow months, our schedules were thrown into disarray. We went from being a two income house to living off of my now part-time earnings. Outside of work, I spent my time taking care of my wife and raising our daughter. Every day, I faced the fear that my wife would die. I had to somehow manage to keep our finances together and keep our house. In front of me was the constant terror that we would lose everything and that I would be left a widower. More than once, I collapsed in tears as I thought about all the possibilities. Despite my fear, I worked to remain strong for my wife  and never let her see me when I was at my weakest. My determination to be there for her always outweighed my fears.

  With help from family, friends and complete strangers, we struggled through the most difficult time of our lives. For anyone who has to suffer with a cancer diagnosis, the only piece of advice I can give is to accept all of the help that is offered. Every bit of help is one less thing you have to worry about.

  Being a caregiver is not a simple task. You have to deal with the stress and turmoil every day. It is the toughest challenge you will ever face and one that does not end. You can have bad days, and that is expected. Whenever things are at their worst, just never forget to have hope for the future.

  After countless struggles, my wife managed to defeat cancer. She underwent a risky extrapheural pneumonectomy surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, and despite the frightening odds we were given, she has remained cancer free to this day. It has been seven years now since she we initially diagnosed. through the struggles, I learnt how to transform my stubbornness into a positive trait and how to believe in the power of hope. I hope that by sharing my story here, I can help others in their own battles with cancer today.

  I don't know Cameron personally but am honoured that he would share his story with me. Since the death of my father from cancer I have always wanted to help others in their fight. Cameron, Heather and Lily are exactly the reason for my continued commitment to raising money for cancer. I am thankful for the inspiration Cameron has given me to do what I'm doing, raising money for cancer and riding the Tour Divide. I hope my adventure will inspire others to overcome challenges and go for their dreams.

  I am adding a very important project that Cameron and Heather sent me this past week. It is an important message to spread awareness and support to other cancer patients. Heather and Cameron are a great inspiration to not only cancer patients and their families but all of us. Check out the following video project.
http://can.cr/heather

Being able to adapt !

  I often wonder how well I'm going to adapt or overcome on this adventure as I know all the planning in the world can't prepare you for things out of your control. I have to admit I am the type of person that lays awake at night thinking what if this happens or that happens. In the morning ( after a terrible nights sleep) I often think what a waste of good sleeping time as there is nothing you can do for the unknown. I am usually pretty good at thinking on my feet so I don't know why I put myself through this but it happens. One of the reasons for doing such an event is to see how well I can overcome different trials and problems that come up (hopefully not many).
   This past weekend was the Easter long weekend in which I had 4 days off. I had planned on riding my mtb on some trails in the Okanagan for the 4 days, with 3 nights of camping. The weather was looking perfect and I was checking a couple of web sites for weather and conditions when I found out that at least two areas had a lot of snow still on the ground. I have a good chance of encountering snow on the divide so this isn't the worst thing but the amount and length of the areas that were snow covered didn't seem worth the time driving up and back. I used this as a situation to overcome and changed plans. New plan stay home and get as much riding in around here as possible. I knew this probably meant riding at least some of the time on my road bike. I went out with a friend on Friday for 60 kms of great trail riding on our mtbs and felt I was off to a good start. Saturday I had plans for a long day on the bike and decided to head into the US from my home. The route would provide me with what I guessed would be somewhere between 200 and 300 kms of varying terrain. By the time I returned home Sat. night I had covered 277 kms and 10 1/2 hrs of riding. Sunday was another great day with the sun shining and warm temp. so I headed up the Sea to Sky hwy. to Squamish approx. 75 kms from my home. The route has a couple of challenging hills which tested my legs after some good back to back rides. To end the training for the weekend my wife met me in Squamish and we hiked for 2 hrs. just to fully cook my legs. Monday I was perfectly happy to walk the dog for a couple of hours and relax.
  The original plan was to camp and ride around 700 kms but I made the best of the situation and feel I got some good kms in. I am still planing on getting away for 4 days to train and do final prep. on my kit. I am happy with how everything is going so far in the planning and training. We will only know how well on June 14th .   

For a cause !!!!!!!

   It's been over a month since my last blog. I meant to blog more often but time is becoming a bit of an issue, and when I have time I have to admit I just want to veg. I want to touch a little on my past experiences riding. What I thought were my big rides in my life. It all started when I lost my dad to cancer. I was listening to the radio one day and an advertisement came on about a ride from Vancouver to Seattle. This ride would be somewhere around 350 kms over two days and the objective was to raise money for cancer. As my father's death from this terrible disease was so recent, I began thinking this would be a good way to raise money, and make me feel like I was helping. I had felt quite helpless as my dad went through this disease and this was my way of trying to Honor him. I signed up for the ride and went off to the bike store to try bikes.I hadn't rode seriously in a long time and didn't even have a bike that I felt would do the job. With the bike purchased I was off to train. I had about 4 months to put some miles on the new bike and old rider before the actual ride day. Well, the first couple of rides were great, I have to admit I was a little sore in all the usual places but was truly enjoying the bike. I raised my money through the generous support of family and friends, and in the end did this same charity ride 3 consecutive years.  Once I had completed the third year I wanted a bigger challenge. It became not only about raising the money but pushing myself.
  I wanted to continue raising money for cancer and heard of a group called Ride2Survive that rode from Kelowna to Vancouver in one day over mountain passes at a total distance of 400 kms. This was the challenge I was looking for. With the opportunity to raise money for cancer and a great cycling challenge. This ride is metaphor for the rider to try and understand what a day in life with cancer is like. We know this isn't even close but it helps us overcome the trials of the day, as you go through the mental challenges of wondering if we will make it the whole way and pushing through the pain. The ride day was a great success for me as the group had put on a great training schedule to prepare all the riders for the big day. We had a few weather issues to overcome as you would expect crossing over the mountains, but all and all the day went well. The total ride time with breaks and all ended up being somewhere around 18 hrs.
  I had already started planning to do the Tour Divide before I had completed the Ride2Survive, which brings me to this point. I want to continue to raise money for cancer or support the cause in whatever way I can, so this year I am continuing to train and raise money for this group. My ride this year is the continuation of my challenge to myself by pushing me to the limits mentally and physically. In my own way of trying to understand what my dad and many others have gone through fighting this disease. There were times when my dad vocalized wanting to quit but pushed on. There were days when he felt like he couldn't get out of bed and move, but he found a way to get up. Then unfortunately for us there was the day when he just couldn't go on and the fight was over. On the other hand I have fortunately seen friends that have pushed the limits and overcome everything put in front of them to continue the fight and beat this disease. I know I can never truly understand what they have gone through but this is my way of seeing what I can overcome.
  The link below is my web page for donations in my fight against cancer. This group is 100% volunteer which means the total amount you donate will go toward research to hopefully one day end this disease. 

http://ride2survive.kintera.org/2013/chrisculos?faf=1&e=6592276317
 

2013!!!!!!!

  2013, the year is here.  The last bit of 2012 didn't go as planned as I got caught by the flu and was unable to train for the last couple of weeks. I tried a couple of times to get on my roller trainer in the the garage but after falling off more then once thought I better just rest until I'm healthy ( I have to admit also a little hard on the pride ). I sometimes think that our bodies let us know when it needs a break and if you don't do it, it will do it for you. I was trying to fit to much in and finally my body said enough.
  I have never trained through the winter months as I usually use this time to cross train by skiing. I find it quite difficult to head out in the rain and cold or snow and cold to put in a few Kms but realize it has to be done. Most of the time once I'm actually out and pedalling I get into that place we all love as riders, the rhythm of the ride. We received a couple inches of snow in mid Dec. and it was a good chance to see how the bike and myself would handle the ride. It was my first real full on ride in snow and it was all good as far as handling went, as it is very much like riding in sand ( no coasting allowed ). It was an evening ride on the dyke in the area I live and was really peaceful as there was really no one out. The snow gives off a lot of extra light from the bike light and makes it really quite bright. During one point I looked down at the crank to see the whole thing turning as a mass of slush and snow, at which point I thought if the temperature were to drop this could become a bit of a problem ( lucky for me it was getting warmer ).
  The bike is still running great and I'm really enjoying the mountain bike again ( as it had been years since I rode one,I've been strictly a road rider ) . The only small issue I have had with the bike is the front shock pop lock, that locks the front shock in and out, was sticking. We tried a couple of things to alleviate the problem but nothing seemed to work at which time we went back to an older style. This style in my opinion is a lot more positive feeling and works better. I am still messing around with grips and set up and really struggling with weather to go with tri bars or not. I really don't want to but also realize it could give my hands and wrists a break on some very long days.
   As far as the off bike stuff goes I have my sleeping kit sorted out, so my focus is on nailing down the size of back pack I'm going to use. I am starting to panic about the amount of storage I have as I am typically an over packer ( this is not the event for that ). I am also looking over a few gear lists that I've found on different sites from experienced riders to see what they are carrying. One thing that I am trying to figure out is should I bring a GPS or just rely on the maps and cycle computer. I am leaning toward having the GPS as reassurance as I don't know how my Map reading skills are going to stand up when I get tired. Anyone reading this with any help in the field feel free to comment and enlighten me.
  All in all everything is proceeding as planned but I truely believe this is one of those events where you will never feel like you have it all dialled in. You do your best to think of everything without driving yourself nuts which I think some days I'm almost there.

All About The Bike !!

  Well, November has come to an end and went way to fast. I sit here thinking if the months keep going by this fast the race will be here way to soon. I am definitely not ready physically or mentally.  The month of November was spent working with Westpoint Cycles on the bike fit and set up. 
  I had scheduled a bike fit with Westpoints fit expert Andrew. After riding the bike for a few hundred kms I was fairly happy with how the bike was fitting. I had set the bike up to what felt good for me but it is always good to get a quality bike fit especially if you are going to have long days on the bike. The one thing I was definitely wanting to change was the seat as I had a problem on my two day test ride. In a matter of 350 kms the seat was not feeling very good if you know what I mean. Andrew and I discussed the demands of the race and what seat I was use to riding and came up with a road style seat that was much closer to what I normally ride. Once we had the new seat on, I rode on the trainer well Andrew checked the set up. He discussed how the bike was fitting and as it was we didn't have to adjust anything to much. I was happy to hear that everything looked good as an improper fit can cause unnecessary strain on the joints.
  With the fit locked in, it was time to talk to Jacob, one of the mechanics at the shop. The bike was not only ready for it's initial tune up (common after a few hundred kms on a new bike) but also with all the bags mounted we could go over some problems that have come up. First the front bag had worn through the outer casing on the front brake line. This was a bit of a problem as this is a hydraulic line and after only 350 kms of riding, it would never last 4700 kms. Next I was having some issues with the front suspension lock out button as the cable was interfering with the front bag and the button itself was sticking. Jacob came up with some great solutions to the problems and even noticed a couple of things that I had missed. It is always good to have the professionals on your team when dealing with these issues.
  As for November as far as training is going I have been trying to get out as much as possible and doing work in the gym (Strength and Conditioning) on the off days. I rode in the snow one day and also in temp. as low as -4 C on a beautiful sunny day in the Squamish Valley. The snow on the local mountains is starting to squeeze my training area smaller and smaller. I am also still pushing some kms on the road bike as it is easy after work to just jump on and go.  I have to admit I normally have hung the bikes up by this time of year and am getting eager to snow ski. As most of the rides at this time of year on the West coast come with rain and colder temp. I now remember why I do this. My mental strength is going to be tested if I am going to train through the winter this year !!! Good practice for what I'm going to face on the Tour Divide.   

What & Why

  Before I get to far into this blog, I guess I should explain in a little more detail what the Tour Divide Mountain Bike Route is. The TDMBR is the World's longest mapped off'-pavement cycling route with 90% of the route being off road. The total distance From Start (Banff, Canada) to finish ( Antelope wells, New Mexico, Mexico border) is 4418 Kms ( 2745 miles) with total elevation gain of approx. 200,000 ft.  This elevation is equivalent to, going from sea level to the top of  Mount Everest 7 times. The provinces the route passes through are BC and Alberta, and the states are Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.
  Once a year Riders gather in Banff to see who can cover the distance fastest. This mass start is called the Grand Depart and is on the second Friday in June. In 2013 the date is June 14th. The Race is a self supported ride which means no support crew. Riders are usually riding on average 12 to 16 hours a day and are tracked with the help of a spot GPS. The fastest time can be challenged at anytime during the year but the mass start is when most riders hit the trail. This year 2012 a rider (Ollie Whalley) beat the Record only to have it beat a few weeks later by a rider that left after the Grand Depart. The Record as of now is 15 days 16 hours 14 minutes by Jay Petervary.
  My Goal for 2013 is to be one of the riders in the Grand Depart. Why would I want to do it? This is definitely something people are asking ( or they just think I'm crazy). I guess over the last few years I've read about and talked to endurance athletes and also watch endurance events, wondering what it would be like to push myself to the limit. I don't mean to the limit just physically but also mentally. I often wonder if I have what it takes to complete one of these events and have toyed with the idea for years. I guess this event is most interesting to me because it is just you where as most endurance events you are allowed to have support. I like that it is just you and only you that can make it or break it. I think that in our everyday life we are not challenged very often, and after doing the same job for 20 something years I yearn for this. The challenges of this race for me are of course the distance and terrain ( which includes grizzlies, black bears and courages) but also battling the mental side. One of the them being loneliness, out there on your own for weeks and missing the day to day contact with family and friends. For this reason I am attracted to this event, ( not that I'm trying to get away from them) it is one of the only events that I know of that is solo for that length of time. I think this is a great opportunity to see what I'm capable of.
  I hope you will follow my blog over the coming months to see how it all turns out!!!  For more info on the event check out the following link.   
     http://tourdivide.org/

The Fun Begins !!!!

  Ok, this event is totally consuming, the first thing I had to decide, what year was I going to shoot for. This event could easily take two years to prepare for. After going through a number of reasons why, I decided it has to be 2013. At this point I had 12 months. The 2012 mass start race had just started and it was all I was thinking about.
  Once I decided that 2013 was the year to do this thing, I had to start gear searching. This is no easy task as there is a ton of stuff to not only check out but everyone has an idea about what is best. I also don't have an endless supply of money to throw down. It starts with the bike which I got out of the way first, my choice was a hardtail 29er, Trek Superfly (Thanks again to my sponsor West Point Cycles they made this part easy). The next big task were bags, I began by looking at pics of past riders of cross country and bike packing events. There really seemed to be a common thread when it came to this area. The company I decided to go with was Revelate Designs out of Alaska. Everything I read about there product was it's quality and just great people to deal with if you have a problem. All the bags that I have on my bike are from them.

  After returning from our trip down south all I wanted to do was get out and test bike,bags and rider on an over night trip. I had always wanted to ride the Kettle Valley trail. This trail is an old railway route through the mountains of British Columbia. The section I would pick is the Carmi Subdivision, which runs from Midway to Penticton, BC totalling 215 kms. I originally wanted to cover the full distance in one day, riding out one day staying over night and then back on the same route the next day.  I had to adjust my mileage because of the time of year I was heading out. My plan, 180 kms per day starting in Penticton/Naramata area.

  The Tour Divide route I have been told has a lot of wash board on it and because the Kettle valley is used by off road vehicles I was hoping it would have this in common ( Ok who in there right mind hopes for wash board). I Started out on a Saturday morning at 8:30 it was a good climb from the lake where I started to the trail head I wanted. At this point I was already questioning my motivation behind not only this two day ride but the Divide. It was the  first time I had ridden the bike packed and although I have done some small road touring this is a different animal.  One hour in I stopped to check out the view and take in the morning.

  Once I had saw the view and gathered my thoughts I new this was what I wanted to do ( I can't tell you how many times in last 5 months I have tried to get this challenge out of my mind and talk myself out of it). I rode for 171 Kms that day with the last 100 hardly seeing anyone but a couple of coyotes and  campers. The trail had everything I was looking for, there was the wash board (once I found that I was wishing I hadn't ). It also had the challenges of finding food ( which is another common thing I hear about on the Divide from past riders). I rolled in to a small town Beaverdell after 140 kms craving something other then my energy bars. I had only eaten a bagel and a couple of pieces of fruit for lunch. A small country store was all I could find, I wanted a Coke and salty chips. After satisfying my craving, I looked at the time and realized I better check out dinner options. The choices made me laugh, I found a prepackaged sub, more chips and 4 pepperoni sticks(I could not stomach the whole sub, but lucky for me you can't mess up chips and pepperoni ). Laying in my tent that night after what was a great day of riding on the trail for 9 1/2 hrs. I was satisfied with my first real training day.

   Waking up to minus 2 on Sunday morning it took me until 10:30 to warm up on the bike. The sun was shining but when your riding through the trees in a valley it takes awhile for it to heat up. I made it back to my truck just after 6:00 pm greeted by friends, lucky for me they had Thanksgiving dinner waiting (thanks Betty and Alan for your hospitality). My two day adventure was a good start and the bike and bags work well. I have some small adjustments to make in my set up but for the most part I think I'm headed in the right direction.  Let the fun begin!!!

               Video on trail :      https://vimeo.com/51407991