Day One: Easing into the Ride

By Claudia Wytrwal, Kelowna.

Finally, the day has arrived that all the riders have been training for.  We met in the early hours of the morning at the Sandman and loaded all our gear into the bus.  We all cuddled together for a group photo and had some fun verbal banter before heading off to a wonderful breakfast.  It was great to personally meet some of our sponsors and see how our fundraising efforts have been put to good use by helping out Daylene, Matt, and their son Rory.

The weather was sunny and cooperative and after quickly figuring out how to ride in single and double file we rode through West Kelowna and into Peachland.  3 flat tires for 3 riders but no crashes and spirits were high.  The team met at the Gasthaus Restaurant and had a fabulous lunch before setting off to ride to Summerland.

Once in Summerland the Team had the pleasure of meeting another wonderful family and met Grayson who is thriving. The Team received another generous donation from Penny Lane before riding into Penticton. By this time, the team was beginning to gel well with nicknames flying and stories developing.

The Penticton Firemen met our team with open arms and posed with us for a group photo. We then met two special kids and learned of their personal journeys including Matt ’s bonding with a service dog and Hannah’s wheel chair modifications.

A quick bus ride into Osoyoos where we enjoyed a fantastic spaghetti, Caesar salad and fruit salad dinner courtesy of the Ladies of the Osoyoos Royal Purple.  We have learned the distinction of being the first team to clean them out of spaghetti sauce ! Day one ended with a dip in Osoyoos Lake followed by a well-earned hot tub. Looking forward to day two !