Wendy Vrooman

I ride for those I have lost, those who have survived, and those currently facing the fight

Well, here we are again……The Ride for Cancer!

This year has turned out to be quite different than I had planned.  I wanted to do the 100km trail ride as usual, but after an unexpected 7 weeks away from home and my bike and subsequent trail closures due to wildfire risk (I have an irrational fear of pitching into every car on the road), my training has been lacking.  I wasn’t going to ride at all but decided that cancer patients and survivors don’t have the luxury or quitting, so I decided I wouldn’t either.  As a compromise, I have decided to do the 50k trail ride.

As many of you know, I started participating in this event in 2021 when my younger brother, Dave, was battling cancer.  Dave and I were only 15 months apart in age and often would pretend we were twins when we were little.  We were very close, and he didn’t even tell on me when I got a fishhook stuck in his head, casting in our living room.  I paid him a quarter, and he let me pull the hook out.  Poor guy!

 Sadly, Dave lost his battle that year at 47, as did my beloved Uncle Barrie (and Dave’s cancer buddy) just a few months earlier.  I did a lot of travelling back and forth to Ottawa that year to see Dave and to attend my uncle’s funeral and so my training wasn’t exactly stellar, but I did manage to finish the 100k that year.  Several times during that ride I felt I was going to throw up and have vowed ever since to complete the 100k feeling good.  I guess there is always next year.

I ride for those I have lost to cancer, my brother, uncle, father, grandmother and for those warrior-survivors, my Auntie Nan, my cousin Victoria, Sandra M, Wendy O, and too many more to name.

My days of scream-crying while riding on my trainer in the winter are ‘mostly’ over, but there are still things that happen in my life that I want to tell you.

I miss you so much little bro, again this one is for you. 

Oh yeah…..f@#k you cancer!