Tim Klassen

Reflections and Learnings from SNKCR 2009

Hello Blog Land:

It has now been a week and a day since we completed our incredible journey in Halifax. Eight days in which to return home; connect and re-connect with friends and family; settle back into a routine that was life before the training started; return to work; and, to reflect on what has happened to us as a result of being involved in such an epic adventure.

Throughout this whole experience, and through the blogs, I have attempted to share a piece of what my experience has been so that you, the reader, could be a part of this with me. Now as I reflect on the experience and try to glean what I have learned from it, I again am going to take the liberty of sharing this with you. I believe the most dramatic reflection I have is that I was part of something much bigger than any one person; it was synergy at its best. The “whole” was certainly bigger (and better) than the sum of the parts; and there were many parts to this event. I believe I am blessed to have been one small part of this experience, and I trust that I have “given” as much as I have “recieved” as a result of the Ride.

So, what have I ‘learned’ from this? In reflecting on this question, I believe there are five major things I have learned, or had reinforced for me.

1. It is NOT about the Ride; it IS about the Cause: I started on this journey in November when I committed myself to a strict training plan that I thought would prepare me to complete the Ride in a healthy and smart way. I put in the hours on the wind trainer all during the winter and endured (and sometimes even enjoyed) the miserable late-winter and early-spring rides outdoors. I convinced myself that I could and would do the Ride. I was ready! And then the group went to an event at the B.C. Children’s Hospital and I met Gage, and was overwhelmed by what he and his mom were dealing with, what he had overcome in his short four years, and what lay ahead for him, and I began to realize this was not about me riding my bike across the country. Rather it was about raising awareness and money so that we could reach our Destination - Beyond Cancer. So that Gage (and all the other Gages) could keep playing and not have to “go in for blood work/tests”.
2. Life (and the Ride) is about Contrast and Balance: Our ride took us from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean; from sunshine and clear skies to rain, fog and cloudy skies; from mountains to prairies to rocky outcroppings and forests; from the Gage’s of the world to the Sidney’s of the world; from kids getting better to kids being better. I realized that one of these contrast without the other is less meaningful on its own than when set against the other. This is the same with life. Good times are good in relation to the times that are not so good, and to have a full and meaningful life we really need both the contrasts and the balance.
3. We must do what we are capable of doing: Randy Pausch, in his book “The Last Lecture” states, “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” Being a National Rider in the 2009 Sears National Kids Cancer Ride was something I could do. I cannot find a cure for cancer; I can ride a bike. I cannot provide much needed treatment for the 10,000 kids and their families living with this disease in Canada; I can raise money to assist. I no more asked to have a full, happy, and healthy life than these kids asked for cancer. And yet I do have this life and so I must, as we all must, choose to play the cards I was dealt in a meaningful way. I certainly saw how some of the kids and the parents I met during the ride were “playing their cards” and they were not asking to change them. I challenge each of you to consider this next time things may not be “going your way” and you begin to wish for a “new/different hand of cards”.
4. It is membership over leadership to make a real team: I was fortunate to meet and ride with a phenomenal group of folks from across this country. We were “assigned” to be “Team Three” and so I made a decision that for me (and I certainly hoped for the others as well) Team 3 was the place to be! This became our motto and our theme and this really helped us come together as a team. To see a dozen people (riders), and another dozen or so crew, many of whom were not known to one another before we arrived in Vancouver, move from being a collection of individuals, to a group, to a team, was so satisfying for me. As the one appointed (and not chosen by the individuals involved) to be the “team lead”, I made a point of involving everyone and making a committment to membership. I believe this is another of the ‘learnings’ that has a valuable place in our everyday lives. When we can focus on what it means to be a member then the whole issue of who is the leader becomes secondary, and this makes for a satisfying experience for all.
5. Training is everything: As I trained for this ride, I really thought I was preparing myself to be a successful ‘rider’ and, no doubt, this paid off for me. I certainly put in the time and the mileage on the bike. In reflecting back on the whole event, I see that the training I did was not only the “physical” training of bike riding; it was so much more. The actual Ride was far easier than the training rides that were done. However, it was the training rides that allowed me to experience hours and hours of riding in cold rain and/or high winds. The training rides allowed me to share my experiences with other riders and provide whatever support and direction I could. The training rides proved to me there was no hill high enough or no wind strong enough to stop what we set out to do. It was through the training that I re-learned the fact that nothing is as hard, or as easy, as it first appears. All of this I got from the training and I was then, in hindsight, able to apply it on the ride. Life does not come with an instruction manual, and so we must ‘train’ ourselves to be ready for anything, because we never know what we will need to do, or when we will be called on to perform.

Well, Blog Land, with this I bid you good bye and wish you all the very best. If the sharing of my journey has in some way touched you to make a difference in the lives of the 10,000 children and their families in Canada living with cancer, then I am pleased and I count this as a success.

At the start of this, I committed to raising $25,000.00 to help the cause. I have been able to surpass that amount thanks to the very generous support of friends and family. As I write this, I am at $57,700 - just $2,300 shy of the magical $60,000.   So, I have re-set my goal. I am now committed to raising $60,000.00 before my 60th birthday on August 9th - $1,000 for each of my 60 years. If this is an inspiration to you, I ask that you take up the challenge and make a donation (or another donation) to help me help the kids.  Remember that donations of $20 or more will receive tax receipts, and that 100% goes directly to the cause.

Thanks for your readership and support during the past seven months. I remain committed to reaching our Destination - Beyond Cancer!