A Supported Bike Ride: In Praise of My Van Man

When I decided five months ago that I would cycle across Canada to honour my sister and raise personal awareness for other women in Canada that may face the devastating impact of an ovarian cancer diagnosis, I was prepared to do the trip alone. But Ken decided he would need to do it with me.

Ride for Cancer x2

A fan of Sheila, a van at his disposal, and a keenness to experience Canada from the window of a charitable cause, Ken was with me from the start. Forget the penitential journey, or the journey where I needed the hardship and uncertainty that every cancer patient faces – my journey would be to remember my sister, and it would be multiplied by two. The preparations began, and the extraordinariness of my van man began to emerge.

Van Man Preparations

There was a lot we needed to do in the three months leading up to this trip. It started with learning up-to-date information about ovarian cancer research to ensure our messaging was on track. Ken took that on with zest that equalled mine, with many late nights reading the same research findings and honing charts of signs and symptoms and statistics for ovarian cancer that we could use for our campfire and library chats enroute. With his ‘usual’ artistic flair, he conjured up a great logo for the ride, and applied it to our ‘postcards’, our farmer’s market banner, and our revolutionary van wrap.

Van Man Preparations Continue

The 150 slides we present as a prelude to this ride and the unedited reality of ovarian cancer in the 21^st century? Ken put that together. Our route and itinerary – in its google map and spreadsheet form? Ken prepared that – down to each .5 hour, and each metre of elevation gain and loss. All the accessories and accoutrements to camperize our Dodge caravan? Ken made a trip to Vancouver to purchase a good used Thule bike rack, and designed and had welded a raised platform/false floor for the back of van for storage compartment under our bed. He also acquired a 10X10 canopy for use at farmer’s markets and rainy nights, and gradually assumed the role of quartermaster of provisions. I have been limited to one pillow.

Van Man on the Road

And now on the road, my-everything-mechanical-and-technological-guru keeps the bike well oiled, the motor humming, the coffee piping hot, the beer cold, the phones and computers charged-and -TV-screen-ready. After a bike trip last summer that prided itself on ruggedness and deprivation, you don`t know how wonderful it is be to greeted by a steaming cup of STRONG coffee and a bowl of fresh strawberries & Greek yogurt in the morning, and every two hours thereafter either a power-ade, a rain jacket or a banana being handed out the van window. Come lunch time, Ken has found a picnic site well off the highway beside a gurgling stream or a glistening lake and same can be expected at night; our camping spot is always tranquil, the picnic table sturdy, and the showers hot. All I have to do is fall off my bike and reach for a beer!

Hectic but Happy Van Man

For those of you who predicted the van man would be gone quite beserk with boredom by this time on the trip, think again. Between arranging heads-up with local media on the road or possible speaking engagements, fanning the support we get on the road with his inimitable good humour and approachable manner, and all the afore things mentioned, Ken is a busy man. In fact, I’m quite sure the pace is more hectic for him than it is for the person making the pedals go round and round. But if you know Ken, you know he’s loving it. As the most caring and selfless person we know, he`s thrilled to be helping others, and knowing that our journey together might turn a light on – in terms of risk and prevention of ovarian cancer – for even just one person.

I`m in good company on this journey – Saint Kenneth Joseph and Saint Sheila Rae are never far behind.