Surrey cyclist George Schindel, who last June participated in the Enbridge Ride To Conquer Cancer to support his father Dave – then battling brain cancer – will ride the route again this year.
This time, George will be joined by his twin brother Matthew for the June 16, Cloverdale to Redmond, Wa. ride, as a memorial to their father, who passed away in September.
The two-day ride will be “pretty emotional” George acknowledges, “just because it does fall over Father’s Day.
But he and his brother, and other members of last year’s ‘Team Super Dave’ also repeating the trip, are determined to make it a tradition to raise funds for the BC Cancer Foundation.
“It is a memorial,” said George, 21, who works at the Langley Montana’s, and also at Future Shop (last year he was at the Grandview Corners Montana’s).
“But the way I look at it is, I don’t want other families to go through what our family had to. I want to make as much of a difference as I can – and what’s riding 250K compared to that?”
Last year, 2,879 participants from across B.C. and the Pacific Northwest raised 11.1 million for the foundation through the ride.
George said he signed up for the ride shortly after last year’s trip, as did his twin.
“I think when he saw me cross the finish line last year he wanted to participate,” he said.
Originally a mountain biker, George said last year’s trip, which he and friend (and youth pastor) Reuben Kramer, completed in 13½ hours – not including an overnight stay and pit stops – was his first real foray into distance cycling.
“It’s quite a beautiful trip, he said of the route, which travels from the Fraser Downs race course in Cloverdale to Redmonds.
“You get to see all of Washington along the coast and through the mountains, all the farmland and cities. We were going at a good pace, but there are some slower sections where you get to look around a bit.”
Most challenging part of the ride, he said, is the training.
“It’s getting ready for it – you have to be in good shape,” he said. “As far as doing the ride, it’s just pacing yourself; not burning yourself out too quickly on the first leg.”
According to the event website, pledges for the team riders (who also include Brandon Davis, Mark Davis and Travis Martens) already stand at $11,869 – well on the way to their $17,500 goal.
“And all the money raised goes straight into research and helping pay for treatment,” George said, noting that he learned from his father’s illness just how costly that can be.
“In B.C., cancer patients pay for their chemo treatments,” he said.
There’s little doubt in his mind that he’ll continue participating in the ride events.
“I have a feeling I’ll be doing it for a while, still,” he said.
“I think (my dad) is proud of us and the fact that we’re continuing it.”
For more information on the ride, visit www.conquercancer.ca