6 Days to the Ride

Hello Everybody,

Welcome to the 2007 record of the CTAPP fundraiser for Cancervive. My name is don, and I'll be your host for this great journey. For the uninitiated, CTAPP stands for "Calgary to Austin Peloton Project". Started by Brian McGregor in 2005, it was a modest idea to put together a relay team to ride from Calgary to Austin Texas to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Why Austin? Brian's idea was to take part in Lance's annual Ride for the Roses.

So Brian, a testicular cancer survivor, and a few friends started hatching a scheme for a few of them to do this ride and raise, say, $5,000 dollars or so. In the end, 23 riders participated, and nearly $400,000 was raised. In 2006, the ride was refined, and 30 riders took part, raising another great sum of money. The proceeds have stayed in Canada, and Cancervive has been instrumental in assisting to build a Wellspring Centre in Calgary. It's a place people with cancer can go to receive psychological and physical care after completing Chemotherapy.

Cancervive has also made it a priority to bring people living with cancer (we call them Warriors) to Austin once the ride is complete so they can spend a weekend in the sun and warmth, and if they want to, to participate in some of the walks and rides that go on on the weekend of the Ride for the Roses.

On Wednesday October 3, 2007, 30 riders and about a dozen volunteers will be leaving from the Cyclepath on McLeod trail in Calgary to commence the third CTAPP ride. I will be along as videographer and will provide updates to family, friends and supporter via the world wide web.

Please pass this url along to anyone who wants to follow the progress. And please make a donation to cancervive.

Cheers,

don