We are home now and it is wild to be sitting on my dock writing about our three months on the road.  Cycling across Canada, honouring inspiring Canadians who battle cancer and those who go above and beyond in the fight against cancer was truly an amazing, humbling experience.  There was obviously a lot of work involved with the Tribute Tour but we really wish that all of you could experience what we did.  We got an opportunity to witness the generosity and hospitality of Canadians, especially firefighters across our amazing country.  We met true heroes at each of our stops and now have family at 72 stops across Canada.  

When they say everyone is affected by cancer you have no idea until doing something like this how true that statement is.   The reason for this is because people go out of their way to talk to you about it.  People talk to you about their personal battles and the battles of loved ones and how it changed them.  

Soon we will be posting a video done by Steve Davis of Davis Media from our finale of the St. John’s event.  This video will include all our speeches and the messages we tried to get out across Canada.  We are proud that we raised over $100 000, but we are most proud that we were able to touch people’s lives, spread the messages of Typically Canadian and hopefully help open people’s eyes to the need to get out and make a difference. 

I talk about what “we” did and you may be thinking of just the cyclists and the RV support Driver.  But the 2008 Tribute Tour was fueled and successful because of the support of a team.  One of the most important aspects were our sponsors, which included the brotherhood and sisterhood of firefighters across Canada.   Firefighters are affected by cancer at a greater level because of exposures in the workplace.  Firefighters became our presenting sponsors and our biggest fundraisers because of this connection and the fact that firefighters are dedicated to making a difference and supporting their community.      We hope to work with Firefighters again next year to keep the Tribute alive and organize a relay ride across Canada.  If interested in getting involved, please contact us through the website. 

Next we want to thank the rest of our sponsors and our community directors who without their support, we could never have put this project together.  We want to thank some of the amazing Canadians who we met at each on of our stops who went out of their way to support us.  We want to thank our families who supported us from the start and were really the driving force behind putting this together.  For me personally, my parents showed me so much support and guidance.  My Dad dedicated a year to organizing the Firefighter connection, while my Mom worked full time helping us develop the project and the media strategy across Canada.  My Mom’s name can be associated with over $50 000 in fundraising and we couldn’t have done it without their support and I love them both a lot.  There was a lot of passion and drive behind this project and as you can see the Typically Canadian Team was huge and dedicated to making a difference.  The reason there was so much passion and dedication was because of the people who inspired us to start the tour and then the people we met along the way. 

Two people who will stand out in our minds forever, two people who we love a lot and mean the world to us were probably our biggest inspirations.  These two men, John Wagontall (Lethbridge Firefighter) and Gary Harris (Halifax Firefighter), are both battling cancer that was contracted because of exposures they faced on the job.  John Wagontall cycled across Canada in 2006 to raise awareness among firefighters to get tested for prostate cancer and it was amazing because all across the country everyone remembered John and it showed how extremely successful his Cycle for Life was.  We contacted John in the fall of 2007 and he was a huge help in the planning of our trip, but what helped the most was his inspiration and his friendship.  Gary and his wife Anne contacted us as we were cycling across Canada because they had read an article in the International Firefighter.  Gary and Anne were instrumental in getting presumptive legislation passed in Nova Scotia and Gary continues to be passionate about making a difference.  This was proven when Gary and Derek, from Halifax Fire, were at our final event to pressure the Newfoundland government in to passing this important legislation.  Again Gary inspired us because of his passion but most of all his friendship motivated us and made a difference in all of our lives. 

I think Gary and John exemplify the true attributes of a Typically Canadian Hero.  They are genuine, caring and selfless.  They will be apart of the Typically Canadian family forever and meeting people such as them across Canada will change our lives and we are better people because of them. 

Please follow along and get involved in next years Tribute.

The Typically Canadian group rode with Firefighters across Canada, all of our sponsors, community directors, people who donated, all the stories on the website, our loved ones who inspired us and we will continue to ride with John, Gary and Typical Canadians to make a difference in the fight against cancer.

Who are you riding with?  

Its the official finale today for the Typically Canadian Tribute Tour.  The event for today is scheduled for 11:30 at the Confederation Building and all that is left is a small 10 km escort.  There were alot of people there to greet us at the beginning of the escort.  Along with the St. John’s Fire Dept., the police, a few family members, a motorcycle brigade and some other cyclists were there to wish us off. 

When we arrived at the Confederation Building it was overwhelming.  There was a crowd of people there cheering our arrival and there was a platform set up on the stairs of the building for the speeches.  We quickly hugged some family then proceeded to our formalities.  The event today was very emotional from the get go.  The ceramony was MC’d by Tony Angelo from VOCM and began with the singing of “Salt water joy”, a beautiful song and a favourite of Kyle’s grandad.  It was performed by Peter Halley and Shelley Neville of Spirit of Newfoundland.  It was hard to fight back the tears because of what it meant to everyone at the event.  We were then welcomed and congratulated by Leuitenant-Governor, Honourable John Crosbie, St. John’s Mayor, His Worship Dennis O’keefe and Attorney General, Honourable Jerome Kennedy.  We honoured Alan Doyle for his work with the Daffodil Place and the St. John’s Fire Dept. for their efforts in fundraising for us with a boot drive.   

Our final stop also had special significance because one our goals was to raise awareness of the presumptive legislation for fire fighters with cancer and Newfoundland-Labrador is the last remaining province without it.  With the help of the Halifax Fire Dept. we were able to have our old friend Gary Harris, a retired firefighter and cancer fighter present at our event to say a few words on behalf of the firefighters and cancer in the workplace.  Gary was instrumental in getting the presumptive legislation in Nova Scotia and we were honoured that he made the trip, even in his condiditon, to help us raise this awareness.  After his compelling story we closed the ceremony again with Ronalda, Miranda and Hilary singing a song that Ronalda wrote called “Ride with me” in honour of the Tribute tour. 

 We thank everyone who helped us in our journey without you this trip could not have been possible. 

We are certainly riding with you all. 

Today is the day we got into St. John’s, NL.  All of the trip across our great land has built up to this day and we are all certainly excited.  Today, however, would take us just inside of St. John’s to our check point and tomorrow we will convoy the rest of the way in to the Confederation Building.   We started back on the T.C.H., where we had left off the night before to head into Harbor Grace, and it couldn’t have been a better day with around 100 km of very hilly terrain.   The kilometres flew by and the appreciation of the ride was setting in and with 10km left we were joined by Kyle’s cousin, Nick Hutton. 

When we arrived it was a great feeling.  The sense of accomplishment was in the air, but there was also a sad realization that it was over.  We have just one event left to go and it is sure to be promising with some very notable people such as; his honour Lieutenant-Governor, John Crosbie; the Mayor of St. John’s, His Worship Dennis O’Keefe; and Lead singer of Great Big Sea and spokesperson for the Daffodil Place, Alan Doyle.  After today’s ride we all seperated for the night to be with our families who flew down to join us for the finale. 

The Ride from Gander to Clarenville was a wet one but the weather has been so nice in St. John’s and it was warm enough to not be to much of a problem.  We camped out about 15 kms outside of Clarenville where we were given a complimentary stay. 

The next morning we got up early and showed up for a pancake breakfast at the Clarenville Fire Hall.  There was a lot of amazing people there including the Minister of Health and the Deputy Mayor who greeted us and made donations to Daffodil Place.  From there we continued our ride to my Granddad’s hometown of Harbour Grace, NL. 

We met many people from my family, the Fire Department and the town of Harbour Grace including the Deputy Mayor at the S.S. Kyle, a boat I was named after.  The Convoy to the Harbour Grace Fire Hall was amazing and there was a great group to meet us for speeches and a really nice reception.  It was very special to me because I heard so many amazing stories about my Granddad and my family.  The Deputy Mayor and the Fire Chief made donation presenations as well as a presentation of an amazing print from Harbour Grace that included the S.S. Kyle.  After we enjoyed some drinks and food that were provided at the reception.  We met so many amazing people and it was a very emotional stop where we honoured my Aunt Jill, Mr. Andrews, a number of Firefighters, the Town of Harbour Grace and the Harbour Grace Volunteer Fire Brigade for their courage and contributions in the fight against cancer.

We then left for my Aunty Megs house for dinner, drinks and a cake.  The Nutbeemers did an amazing job hosting the party and taking care of the group.  It was a great celebration bringing my Grandad home and then being so close to St. John’s.

We rode and continue to ride with the amazing people we met in Harbour Grace.

Who are you riding with? 

With a cheese title like that you know this blog is going to dominate all of its predecessors. Making up some lost ground, we rode 130km to Gander. About 20km into the ride I started to do some investigating and interrogating. The main culprit was Mr. Alex Gray, a tall slender brown haired wise guy who has been known to do some sneaky things knowing full well that Andrew Hopkins normally takes the blame. The issue at hand was who snuck a bag of spurs into my chamois. We had heard prior to leaving for this trip that saddle sores can make a cyclist self destruct. I must say that this is the sad truth. After the 100km mark I decided that there were no spurs in my chamois and let Alex off with a warning. The pain was deflected when we slowed down the pace, joked around and enjoyed the Newfoundland scenery. Before long we were met on the highway by Nelson of the Gander Fire Department and shortly thereafter by Chief Dave Brett, Randy, Todd, Addison, Donna Cannon, Wilson Chaulk, Dean from VOCM and anyone else I have since forgotten (my apologies if that’s the case). Upon our arrival to the hall we met the rest of the crew on shift as well as Mayor Elliot who kindly took the time to greet us. The Mayor presented us with a generous cheque from the Town of Gander, as did Chief Dave on behalf of the Gander Fire Department who ran a successful boot drive two weeks ago. Also, we learned from Mayor Elliot that Gander will be making a donation to the Daffodil Place of $10,000 from the Great Big Sea concert this August. It is tremendous to see the support that the people, towns, cities and organizations of Newfoundland are giving towards such a worthy cause. After the formalities, Chief Dave took us to the 101st Airborne Silent Witness Memorial that he responded to in 1985. It was a moving site to visit and greatly appreciated by the entire team.

 Upon our return to the hall we were officially welcomed as honourary Newfoundlanders…right after we ate, drank and spoke like a Newfoundlander. Thanks so much to everyone here at the Gander Fire Department for all your support and hospitality and to Mayor Elliot for a wonderful greeting. We hope to see some of you in St. John’s!

Leaving Humber Valley at 6am was a sight to see. Fly Fishermen all down the rivers, and some already with their daily keep; the sights of Newfoundland continue to amaze us. It was a quiet 200km ride as we were determined to make good time and were still reflecting the big golf victory that the Als and I took down the day before. Arriving at the big salmon was a treat, Vince Mackenzie, Chris, Larry, John and Andrew greeted us with smiles and woke us up before a great event. The firefighters wheeled us into family day where there were over 2000 people enjoying live entertainment, great weather and a bevvy of games. Hoppy finally learned that “it’s cool to care, it’s cool to care, for people over here and people over there…all of us have something to share”. Ask him to sing it for you it’ s not bad. Vince and the wonderful people from VOCM gave us a great introduction on stage and let us deliver our messages to the entire audience. They also set the stage for a very successful boot drive; when we left the stage children of all sorts were running over to make donations and take pictures with us. The generosity in Newfoundland is overwhelming and heart warming. We also had the opportunity to hear the stories of some of the parents at the event and how they are currently battling cancer. We hope to hear good news from Bev and Cookies the clown. The common theme this trip is that everyone is somehow affected by cancer, which is why every contribution and effort is worth while. At the end of the day we were rejuvenated by all the energy from the kids and astonished that the firefighters and ourselves raised approximately $1600 that afternoon.

We then made our way to the fire hall and set up a quick baked salmon, bacon wrapped scallops, mashed potatoes and caesar salad meal compliments of Craig from Stephenville and the firefighters of Grand Falls-Windsor. Great to meet Pete and the boys back at the hall, thanks so much for yet another successful day!

As Grayski mentioned, the Chalet was glorious and so was the rest. We recharged the batteries for a good portion of the morning and were delighted to see that Gray made a tasty breaky for all. Tarragh gave us a tour of the Club House facilities the day before, where I was surprised to run into my buddy Brad who was working as one of the pros. The kind staff at Humber Valley were kind enough to treat us to a round of prestine golf at their award winning course…UNREAL! (I dare you to check it out http://www.humbervalley.com/golf.asp) Thank you so much to everyone at Humber Valley for making our first round of golf this year one we will always remember. After drooling all over the course from all the beautiful holes and the amazing layout we headed back to the chalet for some Moose and potatoes compliments of Craig from Stephenville. Another great sleep brought us an early morning and we were on our way to Grand Falls…Salmon Fest!

 It was a tremendous experience to meet everyone at the Humber Valley Resort, Tarragh, Marizio, Bradley, Mike Murphy and all of the Canadian Cancer Society Reps…It was a phenomenal event and weekend.

Today was a long anticipated day in our camp.  We had a short ride of 75 km to one of the most scenic and luxurious resorts in Canada, the Humber Valley Resort, who is hosting our event and where we will be staying for 2 nights.  It was another beatiful day of riding with lots to look at and some fun hills.  Entering the Corner Brook area was definetly a highlight of the tour.  After climbing a hill, we looked down at the whole town until we flew down a huge decline right into a valley of green hills.  The ride went quickly and we met with the Little Rapids Fire Dept. just passed the town of Corner Brook.  The son of the fire chief, Robert, was also there to ride with us into the resort.  Robert is a 16 year old who does competitive cycling and wrestling and was out there today with people of his own he was riding with.  We had him with us most of the day and into the night earning the nickname “Little Brother”. 

When we got to the resort we met up with Tarragh, a Humber Valley employee who had arranged everything for us, as well as, several representitives from the Canadian Cancer Society and the Daffodil Place.  We honoured both the Humber Valley Resort for their hospitality and  Mike Murphy for his work within the cancer community and the daffodil Place in particular. 

After the presentations we were shown to our chalet/masnion with 5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, sauna, hottub, and entertainment centre.  We spent the rest of the night like kids in a candy store trying to take advantage of every piece of the chalet. 

Today was our first ride in Newfoundland-Labradour.  We arrived off the ferry late the night before and we boondocked our Rv in the parking lot of the Price Choppers and got a good nights rest.  We got off to an early start with a nice cool overcast and a slight fog.  The landscape in was breathtaking from the first 5 minutes.  We were surrounded by green hills with their tops just covered by the raising fog.  The wind was with us for the most part and we were running on the addrenaline of being almost done the tour. 

As the day went on the fog slowly disappeared, but the rolling hills were consistent.  We arrived at our first meeting point after about 140 km to an extremely warm welcome.  The Stephenville Fire Dept. along with the Marine Institue SERT company, a fire training school for both civilians and the militia, were both there. They had 4 pumpers and several riders to join us in the ride.  The convoy lasted approximetly 16-20 km with one massive hill close to the town.  It also included a a showcase around the town, where the boys weren’t shy with the horns and sirens. 

When we arrived at the station we were lucky to meet a true typically canadian, Becky Reid.  Becky is just 8 years old, but already she knows what it is like to fight for her life.  She was diagnosed with cancer at an extremely young age, but has been cancer free now for over 7 years.  We shared her inspiring story with everyone at the station and made Becky an honourary rider with us on the Tribute Tour.  The Stephenville Fire Dept. and SERT were also awarded yellow Jerseys for helping in the fight against cancer with a fundraiser car wash raising $2500 dollars. 

Once the day started to come to an end we once again got a first hand glance at some more Newfoundland hospitality.  One of the Professors from the MI SERT, Jim, invited us to his home in Port-au-port for the night.  We met his lovely family, enjoyed a great dinner and battled it out playing volleyball in his pool.  We also got to see some more amazing landscape with his backyard overlooking the ocean.   The next morning when we woke up at 5 am and Jim and his wife already had breakfast made.

We left Antigonish early the next day on our way towards the ferry.  We rode about 145 kms leaving us with 65 the next day.  We camped at a very nice spot with a pool, which gave us a good chance to rest the muscles.  The next morning we had a great breakfast at the Big Red Barn.  There was a beautiful view of Cape Breton Island and traditional music playing in the background.

The ride was amazing as we made our way to the ferry for 4 oclock departure.  When we got to the ferry line, we pulled out the outdoor shower and all showered in the middle of the ferry lineup.  Shorts on of course. 

Going to Newfoundland is important becaues we are raising money for an amazing cause, the Daffodil Place.  Typical Canadians are defined by courage, willpower and determination when faced with adversity such as cancer.  Many people in Newfoundland face much more adversity when it comes to getting their treatments.  The Daffodil Place provides a resource to cut costs and make treatment easier for those going through the gruelling battle and we are proud to help raise funds for this amazing cause. 

The ferry was about 6 hours but we had a little bit of entertainment with two “classic” movies; No Reservations and August Rush. 

As we neared close to the island I believe it set in for all of us how close we are to the “end” of the Tribute Tour.  But I think for all of us the Tribute Tour is apart of our lives and Typically Canadian will never end.  We will continue to work together with Firefighters, and amazing Typical Canadians to keep the Tribute and the fundraising going.  We have a goal of raising over $720 000 and will work until we reach that goal. 

When the Ferry arrived in Newfoundland, there was a lot of emotion for me.  I had finally brought my Granddad home.  I know the trip around the island is going to be very special as his memory is kept alive by the stories I hear from people who knew him and the story I tell of what he meant to me. 

We are on the island and riding with the memories of our loved ones and we will be riding with all of Newfoundland across the island, raising money for Daffodil Place

Who are you riding with?