W20 FOUNDATION & PROJECT TEAM UP 4 COMMUNITY

More Photos ....

2011-09-21T09:15:00.001-07:00

See more photos on the ride at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/teamup4community/

COMPLETED!!!

2011-09-21T08:08:00.001-07:00

ENTERING THE LAST HOUR!!

2011-09-21T07:09:00.003-07:00

http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/ee71/9080/4e45/3e4d/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20110919-2143.kml

Final Push ...

2011-09-21T06:24:00.001-07:00

We are in the final push to make it to the NHL Store in NYc to meet the 48 hour goal!!!!

41 hours in!

2011-09-21T04:36:00.001-07:00

We are 41 hours into this seemingly impossible endeavor and we have reached our final major "obstacles" - Storm King and Bear Mountains. We will have to do some serious climbing this am before we can descend the final 50 miles to NYC.

Morale is sky high amongst the boys knowing how close we are and how far we have come. We plan to arrive at the NHL store by 11 am, followed by a brief visit to the set of NHL live - followed quickly by a hot shower and bed.

Can't wait to see sunrise this am and to cross the GW Bridge in a few hours. Thanks to all for your amazing support! Don't forget to donate!

http://www.w20foundation.org/donate.aspx

Cranked out an incredible day today (so far!)

2011-09-21T00:01:00.001-07:00

Cranked out an incredible day today (so far!). Hard to believe we left just outside Rochester at 4 am and we arrived in Albany at rush hour. Since we may be slightly ahead of schedule, we decided to celebrate our effort with dinner at a Comfort Inn (mmmm). Lots of funny toasts and heartfelt thanks to everyone who has gotten us this far - but still LOTS to do.

Just 160 miles to go and the message at dinner was to make our last leg safe. We just set off from Albany and hope to make our stated goal of the NHL store by 11 am tomorrow. If you are anywhere near midtown, please stop by. I'll apologize in advance for the scraggly beards and lack of personal hygiene. You can't get something like this done and smell like a rose, too.

If you are one of the hundreds of folks who have already donated - thank you. Please tell your friends about this effort to benefit kids and those suffering with Alzheimer's and Dementia. As you tuck yourself in to bed tonight, wish us a safe night!

http://www.w20foundation.org/donate.aspx

In Albany!!

2011-09-20T16:19:00.001-07:00

In Albany!! About 160 miles to go... and looks like they are on track reaching their goal of 48 Hrs!!

See where we are ...

2011-09-20T15:50:00.001-07:00

On Cycle with @cyclemeter, on a new route, time 18:00:00, 233.64 miles, speed 11.46, average 12.98, see http://j.mp/nyAfkh

Thank you to Stu Siegel ...

2011-09-20T12:36:00.000-07:00

Per Stu Siegel on Facebook:

Way to go Pat Lafontaine & Steve Webb! Best of luck with your bicycling 550 miles from Toronto to NYC for charity. Follow their progress here: http://w20foundation.blogspot.com/

All my Facebook friends, just comment here on how much you plan to donate, and I’ll match you one to one. I will donate up to $5000 in matching funds.

Still going ...

2011-09-20T11:34:00.001-07:00

On Cycle with @cyclemeter, on a new route, time 13:00:00, 145.39 miles, speed 0.00, average 11.18, see http://j.mp/nyAfkh

Chris and Randy are sent on a Mission -

2011-09-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

Chris and Randy in the support are sent on a mission to find a cycle shop for bike repairs, and dry some clothes. Thanks to Krista back in Ontario, the we are guided to a cycle repair shop in Syracuse which has and attached laundry mat and cafe. It's a 3 in 1 combination baby!!....after the last 24 hours of weather we deserve this "break". Thanks Krista and the cycling gods!!!

Anybody got some quarters?

2011-09-20T08:58:00.001-07:00

Woke up at 4 am after a collective 2-hour power nap and it was still raining. The whole team was demoralized and tempers flared a bit but we put the bikes back on the road and got her going. A solid couple of legs have helped us start to make up some lost time. The attitude has started to improve even though it is STILL RAINING! We have probably lost a few bikes to damaged cassettes and bad wheels, but our SAG team (Randy and Chris) have done yeoman's work. We need to find a laundromat pretty soon because all of our clothes are soaked. Anybody got some quarters?

Photos from the Ride

2011-09-20T06:50:00.001-07:00

Photos live on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/teamup4community/

The ride went from difficult to miserable ...

2011-09-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

The ride went from difficult to miserable when the temperature dropped while the rain continued to fall and the wind continued to blow.

We had made the border about an hour later than planned and then got delayed by paperwork. We made it to the Sabres practice facility and had to borrow their clothes dryer to dry 4 loads of soaked clothes.

We grabbed some grub and pulled out by 9 pm. We rode until 2 am when it got un bearable for the riders. After much teeth-gnashing we decided to shut the whole operation down for 2 hours in hopes that the rain would pass. We really can use some motivation to tough this one out, so PLEASE tell your friends!

Post your comments here and our Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/W20Foundation

And you can Follow the Ride and see our location on Cyclemeter: http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/ee71/9080/4e45/3e4d/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20110919-2143.kml

Some photos of the Guys ...

2011-09-20T04:14:00.000-07:00

In Toronto Day One:

Riding Through the Night:

Cyclemeter

2011-09-20T04:01:00.000-07:00

You can follow us on the ride through Cyclemeter.

Its a great GPS tool that will show you were we are, how many miles we've covered, our speed etc.

Alsoif you visit our Facebook http://www.facebook.com/W20Foundation Page you can leave a comment and we can hear what you share through our headphones!

On Cycle with @cyclemeter, on a new route, time 8:00:00, 69.17 miles, speed 3.69, average 8.65, see http://j.mp/nyAfkh

Off We Go ...

2011-09-19T10:13:00.001-07:00

We could not have asked for a better send-off at the Hockey Hall (pics to come). Thanks to Kelly Masse and the staff. Dan O'Toole of TSN was a brilliant host at the presser.

Graham Fraser presented all riders with some excellent Centurion Cycling SWAG. Helmets from Garneau, bike shorts, arm warmers, socks, etc. He also gave us jackets which came in handy when it started raining just an hour in. Also battling headwinds as we head to a quick pitstop in Grimsby.

Special thanks to Toronto PD who gave us full siren treatment out of the city.

The Night Before....

2011-09-19T06:03:00.003-07:00

Just got done with our team meeting in preparation for tomorrow. Combination of 10 guys talking at once and alternately one guy taking charge. Tons of logistics and strategy to discuss. We are in unchartered waters here, but everyone is excited.

The support team (we will introduce each guy in a later post), have called themselves "The Others" (like in "Lost"), because in all media accounts we are referred to as "Steve, Pat and others..." In typical hockey parlance, "Others" has morphed in to "Utters", which is appropriate because for long stretches of this ride we will be riding through counties with more cows than people.

Got our first flat already! When the Magical Mystery Tour Motor Home (MMTMH) pulled off the highway in Grimsby for our 4th fill up of the day, the bikes in our rack bounced off the low curb cut at the gas station. The front tire on one of the Utters bikes bounced off the sidewalk. (How did it not bend the rim?) But it popped the tire.

Today was a beautiful day in TO (shoulda been riding...) Tomorrow calls for overcast with showers later in the day. Don't tell Webby but it looks like headwinds all day.
Looking forward to tomorrow's presser at the Hockey Hall of Fame!

Press conference

2011-09-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning we are gathering at the HHoF in Toronto to start this epic ride. We have to send a special shout out to Kelly Masse at the Hall for all of her help.
We could think of no better place to start this adventure than at the Hall, a place that means so much to us all. This story has taken a life of it's own and we couldn't be more appreciative. The Leafs open their pre-season at the ACC and we will be riding right past their building by 11 am. If all goes well, we'll be rolling in to Buff just before the start of THEIR pre-season opener. Keep telling your friends about us and check back later for highlights of our pre-race team meeting!

Great day at Centurion event in Collingwood!

2011-09-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

Posted by Steve

It was a gorgeous crisp morning up in Collingwood, ON today (did I mention it was crisp?) Wow! What a great time gathering with the Centurion Cycling folks this morning.

Did a nice 25-miler in about 90 minutes which was a perfect pace for my last tune-up ride. I had the added bonus of riding with a bunch of guys from my home town, who now work with Cervelo. We were part of 750 bikers who rode the course today. Tomorrow, the big boys come out... Nearly 2,000 riders will compete in distances up to 100 miles.

If you're looking for something to do on a beautiful early fall day, you can't go wrong coming to Collingwood. Tons of great exhibitor tents and a really fun atmosphere for families. (I did reference that it was crisp, right?)

We're heading back to Peterborough tonight for some family stuff and then back to TO tomorrow to wait for the support guys to arrive from Long Island with our luxury motor home!

Great ride today!

2011-09-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

Posted by: Pat

Took a great little 20-miler today. Tested out the Polar equipment and it all seems to be synching perfectly. Had a nice steady heart rate as I cycled at our pace of 15 mph.

Collecting our First Aid kit, signs for the support vehicles, press releases, etc. today as we make final preparations.

Thanks to all of our friends in the hockey world who have sent us messages of support and donations. That means an awful lot to me and Webby as we get ready to head out.

Many of you have asked how you can help. Please just keep telling your friends and colleagues about our mission and link to our donation page at http://www.cic16.org/cicevents.aspx?id=10 or the button on the right. And don't forget to check back here often for our regular updates. Many thanks!

Hey all! Pat here...

2011-09-16T05:38:00.001-07:00

Webby and I are completing a pretty heavy media day today. He's taping a segment for "Off the Record," while I just spent 30 minutes with Scott Laughlin on "The Power Play." Plus we're doing radio and newspaper stuff. There's a fun buzz growing around our ride with an almost unanimous sentiment that we're just crazy!

Maybe we are... but as I told Scott, our motivation will come from all of those people we'll be helping. It may be hard to believe, but 48 hours on our bikes will be an easy day compared to some of the folks we can help. We love your support so far and encourage you to get your friends in on the fun! The hockey world has been through such a tough summer that we're hoping our little lark helps everyone feel a little better about things.

The media has been asking what possessed me to even think about doing this. Webby has been so supportive of everything that I do for my foundation and he even helps me coach the Midget AAA National team for the Long Island Royals. When he came and asked for a favor, I said, "I'll do whatever you want..." Maybe I should listen to his request before I speak next time...

Check back tomorrow for more updates...

Media, media and incredible customer service!

2011-09-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Pat here...

Webby and I are completing a pretty heavy media day today. He's taping a segment for "Off the Record," while I just spent 30 minutes with Scott Laughlin on "The Power Play." Plus we're doing radio and newspaper stuff. There's a fun buzz growing around our ride with an almost unanimous sentiment that we're just crazy!

Maybe we are... but as I told Scott, our motivation will come from all of those people we'll be helping. It may be hard to believe, but 48 hours on our bikes will be an easy day compared to some of the folks we can help. We love your support so far and encourage you to get your friends in on the fun! The hockey world has been through such a tough summer that we're hoping our little lark helps everyone feel a little better about things.

The media has been asking what possessed me to even think about doing this. Webby has been so supportive of everything that I do for my foundation and he even helps me coach the Midget AAA National team for the Long Island Royals. When he came and asked for a favor, I said, "I'll do whatever you want..." Maybe I should listen to his request before I speak next time...

Have to give a quick shout out to the folks at Custom Ink (www.customink.com) who put together performance shirts that we'll be wearing at various points during the ride. We've used Custom Ink before to create shirts for some of our Century rides and Marathon events. Their customer service has been great. But this one takes the cake! They had committed to get our shirts to us by today and they were running late. So they sent a driver to Long Island to drop off 15 shirts tonight at 8:30 p.m. But the real story is that he drove all the way from... McLean, VA! It took him 6 hours! We invited him in for some dinner, but he politely declined saying, "Nah, I've gotta get back." Talk about an epic ride...!

Check back tomorrow for more updates...

The Toughest Charity Ride Ever ...

2011-09-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

Check out this article in Mens Health Magazine on our Charity Bike Ride:

"In the prime of their NHL careers, Pat LaFontaine and Steve Webb played vastly different roles. The former rates among the most dazzling American forwards of all-time, a perennial all-star who scored more than 1,000 points in a hall-of-fame career with the Islanders, Sabres, and Rangers cut short by concussions. The latter was known as a bruising tough guy—a fan favorite on the Islanders and Penguins for his willingness to drop the gloves and penchant for delivering pulverizing open-ice hits..."

http://news.menshealth.com/the-toughest-charity-ride-ever/2011/09/15/

We're coming down to the wire as we prep for this crazy undertaking!

2011-09-14T14:08:00.001-07:00

Pat and I did our final training ride together today at Caumsett Park on Long Island. We kept a nice leisurely pace and used the time to discuss all of the last-minute things that need to get done. (There is lots to still do!) We also met with Wayne and Michele from Polar Electro who are setting us up with devices to measure our heart rate, cadence, distance traveled, etc. They have some very cool technology that should make the ride as enjoyable as possible.

We have put together an awesome support team committed (we hope!) to getting us through this safely. I'll be introducing each of them in the coming days so check back often. I am leaving this afternoon for Toronto so I can do some prep work and catch up with family. I will be at the Centurion Cycling event at Collingwood, ON on Saturday. I may do the 25-miler as my final prep. If you are at the event, please give me a shout out!

We have some really cool plans for the opening press conference and for several major stops along the way. I promise that you won't want to miss any of the VERY cool details.

Please remember the most important part of this ride. Pat and I are trying to raise awareness and some money for some very worthwhile charities. Please tell your family and friends about our blog and click on the DONATE button on the right to make your voice heard. The higher that donation total gets, the softer that bike seat will feel (I hope!)

Steve Webb

Check out this Great Article On The Ride from NHLA Writer Andrew Rodger ...

2011-09-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

Steve Webb and Pat LaFontaine - Helping Others One Mile at a Time
Andrew Rodger - NHLA Writer

On September 19th, NHL Alumni members Steve Webb and Pat LaFontaine will depart from the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto for an epic journey that will see them bike 550 miles in 48 hours to raise money for two worthy charities. Leaving Toronto at approximately 11 am on the 19th, the former Islanders hope to arrive at the NHL Store in New York City two days later.

This is the third time that Webb has taken on the challenge of biking for charity and the first time that Hall of Famer and fellow New York Islanders Alumni member Pat LaFontaine will join him. The charities that will benefit from their extraordinary efforts are Webb’s W20 Foundation and LaFontaine’s Companions In Courage. The W20 Foundation encourages young athletes to learn about being socially responsible and take on active roles in their communities, while the Companions In Courage assists in building interactive playrooms in hospitals, as well as raising much-needed funds for Alzheimer’s and Dementia research.

In the first year of the charity bike ride, Webb led the way from his hometown of Peterborough, Ontario to Long Island, New York. Whereas, in year two, his team rode the opposite direction - from Long Island to Peterborough. By reducing the number of days for this year’s ride from four to two, he will have to rely on the same focus, determination and inner-strength that brought him from Peterborough to the National Hockey League.

“There are a lot of mind games when you are riding down the road and the wind picks up or the rain kicks in,” Webb said on the phone from his home in Long Island. “You are into your eighth, ninth, tenth hour out on the road and your mind does take over. I think the stronger you are mentally and the better the game plan you have, the more focused you can become to execute that game plan.”

“Initially, when you look at a map and you are thinking about your bike ride, most bikers go West to East, keeping their backs to the jet steam. From Buffalo to Albany is a big stretch of that West to East ride. I decided to go against that last year and we had four straight days of wind in the face, we also had rain and some snow. The conditions were brutal and I felt bad for the guys that had joined me because I made the decision to go that way. Had we gone the opposite direction it would have been smooth sailing, we would still be wet but it would have been quick.”

Attempting a 550 mile journey in 48 hours is certainly not an easy task; Webb and LaFontaine will be relying heavily on the support team they have assembled to assist them. As Webb explained in our conversation, “The support team is huge for us - we are not your typical long distance riders.”

Since it is year three for the charity bike ride and he has an idea of what to expect while out on the road, I asked Steve how much training goes into preparing for a trip of this magnitude?

“I should be doing a lot more, let’s put it that way,” he said with a laugh. “I just try to get out there and get some miles in. The thing about Long Island is that we don’t really have a ton of monster hills and that is one thing that is tough to train for mentally - the hills. I remember going out for a ride two years ago with Mike Komisarek and I was trying to take him to all the biggest hills that I could find. He was hammering up them and couldn’t get his heart rate up because he was in such good condition. He was just flying up these hills, while I was crawling up them!”

With Hall of Famer LaFontaine taking part in the ride for the first time, I also had to ask Steve - Does Pat know what he has gotten himself into?

“It’s a trade off,” Steve answered. “I helped him coach his U16 team this year for eight months and he gives me three days of his time for the ride. The problem is though, that my three days are a little more extreme than his eight months. I think it’s a good trade-off!”

Webb is incredibly tech savvy and uses Twitter, Facebook, blogs and his websites to help share his message of social responsibility and community involvement. During the 550 mile trip, friends and hockey fans can help Steve and Pat’s foundations by making donations online (the information to make a donation at their websites is listed below) and for the first time, supporters will be able to follow the ride online and send messages of encouragement.

“I have been testing out this new app that actually tracks where I am,” Steve explained. “You can see exactly where I am on my ride and if you wake up at 2am and send me a tweet (@SteveWebb20) or a Facebook message, it will stop the music I am listening to and read the message or the tweet to me and tell me who it is from. For motivational purposes, it’s awesome!”

“To have people be able to chime in and send along their encouragement during this 48 hour period is great. We are definitely going to need some assistance and that extra motivation. When it is four in the morning and you are biking in the dark and thinking ‘what have I gotten myself into’, it is nice to have that inspiration. It’s a cool way for people to interact with the ride.”

While a tremendous amount of money is raised each year by numerous charitable golf tournaments, to be noticed and offer a little variety, sometimes you have to think outside the box. Here in Ottawa for example, the city that I call home, Ottawa Senators defenseman Matt Carkner held a car rally and scavenger hunt this summer to raise money for a hospital in his hometown of Winchester, Ontario. The small town of 3,000 people raised over $50,000 for the hospital. With the 48-hour bike ride, Webb has certainly found an innovative way to engage hockey fans and help raise money and awareness about the W20 Foundation.

“You are always trying to do something different because there are a lot of golf tournaments out there,” said Webb. “On Long Island, we have some great alumni guys here that have their own tournaments and there are the other NHL teams within forty or fifty miles that have similar events too. The hockey fans in the New York area have a pretty good choice of golf outings and there are a lot of the same people coming out to support the events. You want to be a little creative by doing something different - that’s how we came up with the bike ride.”

“It takes some time for people to understand what you are doing; to see that you are actually executing what you say you are going to do. Then they start believing in you and believing in the mission. This year we have ramped things up dramatically - we have a lot of people saying we are crazy! Even really avid bikers are saying we are crazy, but Pat and I really believe that we have assembled the right group of people and the right team to help us be successful.”

“Every year we try to raise our standards, grow the event and broaden the amount of attention it gets. Teaming up with Pat will bring a lot of awareness to the ride and the foundations. We don’t really have a set number for a fundraising goal, we would love to raise a good amount of money for our causes, but we know there are a lot of things going on in the world - we understand that. We just want to make sure we can do the best we can for the people we are trying to help.”

Inspired by others throughout his junior and professional career, Webb discovered the importance of being active in the communities he called home and hopes to inspire others in the same way. He is grateful for the support he has received, as well as the support that continues to help him achieve his goals in life. Using all that he has learned from being involved in athletics his entire life, he is leading by example, hoping to inspire others and get them involved in their communities.

“My message is to always be responsible for your choices and actions,” Webb said. “Be surrounded by the right people that will help you become a better person, a better player and a better athlete in general so that you can have long term success. One of the things that we really try to foster in young athletes is that belief in yourself - having goals and focusing on what you can achieve.”

“The W20 Foundation initially came about by supporting some local athletes that had an opportunity to go on to post-secondary education and needed some financial support in order to make their dreams come true. We were able to sustain that for a few years but I think that over time, we were able to see that was a very microcosmic focus. We wanted to branch out and start to look around for ways to use technology to really foster how to give back to your community.”

“We have started a project called Team Up 4 Community and what we are doing is building a website where people can actually post what their team has done in the community. We want to show that by being in athletics, it gives you great principals and really good ties to your community. I hope that other organizations will see what people are up to and that will inspire them to ask themselves, how can we give back to the community? What can we do to make a difference?”

Athletes at all levels, whether they are professional or amateur, are donating their time and energy every day to help make a difference. Whether it is visiting schools, visiting hospitals or helping to raise funds for charities, spending a few hours or taking an entire day to get involved and help their local community can make a tremendous difference. It not only a benefit to those that receive the assistance, it also benefits the young athletes themselves.

“You always want to take the time to recognize the community that you actually play in as a young athlete and give back. There are people working hard to make sure that everything is prepared and ready for the athletes to get the best experience from youth sports as possible, by getting the fields ready, by being at the rinks and so forth. The taxpayers that are paying for it may not have kids involved in sport or they may be older and their kids are done playing sports. The idea is for the kids and the families that are utilizing the facilities to take some time and gets hands on; engage themselves in helping the community.”

“We don’t see a lot of these things at the forefront in the news or on the radio, but we want to show these athletes as examples of how important it is to do something great for someone else. For kids to grow up and understand that part of being an athlete is doing something great for your community, then that is a great message to hear!”

Leading by example, having focus and determination, helping others and being involved in your community - these are tremendously inspiring messages for anyone to hear, whether you are young athlete or not.

To make a donation or learn more about Steve’s W20 Foundation and Pat’s Companions In Courage Foundation, please visit their websites.

The W20 Foundation: www.w20foundation.org

Companions In Courage: www.cic16.org

Follow Steve on Twitter: @SteveWebb20

Just 13 days Away!!

2011-09-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

With just 13 days away from the Ride, the excitement is building!!

Be sure to visit our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/W20Foundation so you can follow along as they train and prepare for the ride.

You can see the riders prepare through Cyclemeter, an interactive tool that allows you to see there GPS coordinates as they ride, as well as their speed, distance and INTERACTIVELY communicate with them.

So feel free to share your thoughts or comments while they ride and Cyclemeter will share the message with them. Its a fun way to talk to Steve and Pat while they ride.

2011-08-18T05:26:00.001-07:00

The Event ...

2011-08-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

On Monday, September 19th, former NHL star Steve Webb and Hall of Famer, Pat LaFontaine will attempt the nearly impossible… they will ride their bicycles(550 miles!) from Toronto to New York City, in just 48 hours!

Their adventure will wheel away from the Hockey Hall of Fame and end at the NHL offices in Manhattan. Along the way, donors will have the chance to win valuable prizes as the hockey stars pedal out the miles.

The players are making the historic ride in support of their charities that benefit children and those suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia.

The W20 and CIC Foundation is setting out to help achieve its' mission of promoting social responsibility and community giveback through athletes in North America, aiding Alzheimer’s and Dementia Research and raising funds to build interactive playrooms in hospitals throughout North America. Through innovative communications tools, these playrooms replace the isolation of a hospital with a connection to family, friends and celebrities during each hospital stay.

On behalf of the organization we urge you to extend your complete support and help us make this event a huge success through donations that are completely tax deductible., as we are both 501 (c) (3) recognized organizations. We are Requesting you all too please donate generously to this cause. You can donate directly on the website www.W20Foundation.org through a secure form.

Your donations allow us to be an invaluable resource to all athletes, their parents, sports organizations and communities at large. By combining efforts, the W20 and CIC Foundation is able to provide an array of resources to assist these noble causes. And we would not have an opportunity to reach our goals without you, our loyal supporters, family and friends.

We also encourage you to take part in the GIVEAWAYS!! To do so simply go to our facebook page and enter your contact details to win. Prizes will be announced on the blog and winners will be announced during the ride. Be sure to follow along on the blog as we share with you the players RIDE!

The 2011 Annual Bike Ride is Getting Ready ....

2011-07-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

With just over a month away from the launch, Steve Webb is getting ready for his annual bike ride for the W20 Foundation.

However, this year Steve is making the ride a little bit different. He is preparing a ride that is going to keep everyone guessing and on their feet! But until the news and announcements are made about the ride Training is definitely underway.

Whether its working out at the gym in Syosset- Lifetime Fitness, or heading out for LONG rides through the Hamptons, Steve is getting himself ready for the upcoming ride.

Stay tuned as we share pictures, announcements, updates and much more so that you can participate in the process with Steve.

We thank everyone who has been a loyal supporter of the Foundation and the past rides, we truly appreciate your continues support.

Till next time ....

Chris - The Driver

2010-09-19T17:09:00.000-07:00

Starting out Day 9

2010-09-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

Preparing for Day 9 45 miles to finish

2010-09-19T16:52:00.001-07:00

Ryan's fourth Flat ^ miles from finsh

2010-09-19T16:48:00.001-07:00

Distance goal today: Peterborough Memorial Centre Parking Lot. Actual distance: Peterborough Memorial Centre Parking Lot.

2010-09-19T16:46:00.001-07:00

We are finished. Ride over. Body turned off. 650 miles in the books which is 1040 kms.

We rode the final leg from Oshawa to Peterborough today. An easy stretch that I have ridden before. Easy until we changed the route and decided to ride thru ski country. Downhill ski country. Our easy ride turned into a final day challenge that we were able to laugh at.
The final group of riders ballooned for the final leg. Steve, Ryan, Randy and I were joined by Sid, Jordi and Mitch who were with us yesterday. Brian Thompson and Mark McArthur, who each played hockey with Steve throughout the years, as well as NHL legend John Druce also rode with us. Steve was overjoyed at the final number of riders as it was more than double the number he had with him last year.

Today's weather was the exact same as we had on day one of the ride leaving Long Island. Sunny and warm weather book ending the exact opposite every day in between. Just a beautiful day which was made even better by the reception we received upon arriving in Peterborough. The Petes were holding an event for their season ticket holders and they made our arrival a part of it. Thanks to GM Dave Reid and Peterborough Pete's Play-by-play man Pete Dalliday for making it happen. Steve even said a few words on the mic. If you failed to understand what he said, Steve managed to inspire the modern day Petes with a rousing speech on what it means to play for the maroon and white.

It was great to see the Petes fans but even better to see ALL of our families. Everyone's wives, children, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, dogs, cats.... they were all there. It was nice to know we were missed.

Thanks to everyone who read the blog each day and supported the cause. You helped keep our spirits up when they were down in the dumps. Thanks to all our sponsors: Kitchen Kaberet for providing the drinks, Steve for all the food in the support vehicle, Cris Douglas of CRS for the bike rack, Jeff from Home Run Sports for our clothing for the ride, Impala Cycles in Whitby for my bike, Steve's sister Krista for finding us a place to stay each night, Spike McCormick our nutritionist for all the tips and all the newspapers/radio stations/tv stations for reporting on our story.

For those that don't know the people I spent the last 10 days with, you should as they are now forever imprinted on my brain:

Chris our driver: I believe he and I are kindred spirits. We had never met before the ride but we literally hit it off the second we met. He kept me laughing the entire way. Chris helped us more than you will ever know as I was in his shoes last year and know first hand that being the support vehicle driver is a thankless job, yet he did it with gusto each day.

Ryan, Steve's cousin: Simply a great guy. Chris referred to him as Switzerland as he never made waves and never once caused any problems. He simply rode his bike and did it the most consistently. I really wish I could do that. Ryan also had some great lines during the ride, none of which would make sense to those that were not there. He also likes crushing things.

Randy, Steve's brother in law: I kept making jokes that he was not with us the entire trip, but we missed him when he wasn't there. I was with him the day of his first bike ride only a few months ago, and to see the progress he has made is amazing. He battled hard a few days and the team was able to rally around him which brought us together. We had many laughs between the two of us.

Steve: The man should really be a drill sergeant. He had one goal: make sure we finished, and we did. Steve was under intense pressure as each day when the weather got worse, you could see him getting more stressed. He hated seeing us in such brutal conditions. He had a lot on his shoulders and was able to juggle it perfectly. It was not an easy job but Steve is the one person who could do it. There is a reason we have been friends since grade nine and I saw all those reasons displayed on this trip. We really could be brothers which probably describes our battles. He is also the reason this ride exists, so without him we are not here talking about this today.

Odds and ends: Ryan had his 4th flat today which means he and Steve finished tied for most flats..... I fell for a third time today. People that laugh, I tell you to try bike in clipped shoes.... Mark McArthur also fell off his bike today.... Steve admitted that this years ride was 5 times harder than last year due to the weather..... Thanks to Peterborough Police for the escort into town today.... Chuck at Champs, thanks for hosting the after party..... The window for donations is still open so spread the word.

Dan O'Toole

O'Toole Day 2 Video Clip

2010-09-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

Take a look at O'Toole earning his nick name Dan 'Clips' O'Toole
http://bit.ly/9GdIiHhttp://bit.ly/9GdIiH

Ryan's Third Flat of the trip

2010-09-18T17:53:00.001-07:00

Getting Closer to the CN Tower

2010-09-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

Rolling into Toronto

2010-09-18T17:50:00.001-07:00

Distance goal today: 47 miles. Actual distance traveled: 56 miles

2010-09-18T15:21:00.001-07:00

I should start by saying I will not be getting the 'Road Warrior' of the day as I accidentally added 9 miles to today's journey. I opted to take the scenic route out of Toronto along Lake Ontario. We took some great paths that broke up the monotony of straight, bumpy roads. The group agreed it was fun but would have fourfitted fun for fewer miles. Fun on this trip is like a unicorn as you start to wonder if it really exists. (I kid, but not really)

We hit the road at 10am, our latest start time by far. Three new riders joined us, Steve's cousin Sid, his son Jordi and Mitch, one of our major sponsors son. Jordi and Mitch are young bucks so we made them drag cinder blocks behind their bikes in order to keep them at our pace. Randy, Steve's brother in law, also decided to join us for a second day in a row which ties his old record.

We eventually made it to the Durham Region, which is where Randy, Chris our driver and I call home. It was great to see our families there when we arrived. It feels like forever since we last saw them. Krista, Steve's sister, had put together a massive spread of food for us and we inhaled it.

As for the actual 'Road Warrior' for the day, I am giving it to our families. They supported us as we set off on a trip in who's enormity we never fully understand until we were in the thick of it. I speak for all of us when I say that we will never, ever experience something as emotionally and physically draining as this in our lives ever again. (at least I hope to hell I don't) It was a physical test like no other and one in which we are one day away from completing.

We will ride the final leg of the 650 mile journey from Oshawa to Peterborough tomorrow and are scheduled to arrive at the Memorial Centre around 130 pm. We hope to be on time but some new riders will be joining us and there could be more flats which could both slow us down.

Odds and ends: It was Jordi's 16th birthday today and his dad Sid had his yesterday.... The new Hyatt on King Street in downtown Toronto is amazing. They did a great job with the renovations.... I get to sleep in my own bed tonight. Ryan did the same last night and admitted he had trouble getting energy to ride today. Once you are home your body thinks its all over... Congrats to the Peterborough Lakers for winning the Mann Cup last night. Great thing for the city and its rabid lacrosse fans... We have drank about 2000 bottles of Gatorade on this trip, give or take a couple... If you are ever in a vehicle with Randy, do not listen to a word of directional advice from him. If you do, you will end up 50 miles from your intended destination... Thanks again to Impala Cycle Shop in Whitby for my bike. I don't ever want to see it again, but it has been great to ride....

Can't wait to see you at the finish line tomorrow!

Dan O'Toole

Nothing Stops this ride. Not even a trian

2010-09-17T16:30:00.001-07:00

Dan first flat. I believe someone shot his tire

2010-09-17T16:28:00.000-07:00

Distance goal today: 77 miles. Actual distance traveled 80 miles.

2010-09-17T16:04:00.001-07:00

We set off from Niagara Falls on a cool morning. We had a few additions which made the low temperature tolerable. Randy, Steve's brother in law, was back on the bike now that the tough part is over. We were also joined my former NHL'er Rob Zamuner, Dan from Canadian Cycling Magazine, his friend as well as Rob's friend Randy.

The new group joined us all the way to Oakville, where they witnessed my first flat of the trip. We discovered a nickel sized hole in my rear tire. For all I know I was probably riding on it for the last week. THAT must be why I was so slow. My flat was quickly followed by Ryan's first flat. It was supposed to be an easy day with flat terrain but it turned out to be a challenge. Steve also came close to stopping as he was in desperate need of food. Our system was thrown off today as far as regular stops go but it was worth it to have the energy of the new riders.

Chris our driver earned his salary of zero dollars big time today as he was all over the map bringing us gear to fix tires. He is upset at me though as I forgot to mention him on TSN's Off the Record. Not sure if you saw it, but we made an appearance on the show and it went well. Michael Landsberg interviewed us while we rode our bikes. It was a first for me and I am sure for him as well.

The Road Warrior of the day goes to Zamuner. Chris wanted him to get the pink arm bands because he was so nice. I am really starting to dislike the group as they are finding anyone but me to give the bands to. You watch, someone walking beside us tomorrow will get the bands.

Odds and ends: There is a lot of broken glass on roadways in the Niagara Region.... We took one wrong turn as a bridge at the end of our route was out... We hit a road block at the start of the ride as a train was stalled in the middle of the road. We solved the problem by passing our bikes thru the train and out the other side. It was a first for the tour.... I do not recommend a steak burrito for breakfast before a ride. Trust me...... This is my last night in a hotel. I have stayed in 18 different hotels in 28 days as the Kraft Tour just happened before this tour. My wife Corrie is a very tolerant person OR maybe very happy as me out of the house is most likely a good thing for her nerves. We had sun today. This is a big thing as we have not had the sun for a full day since day 1. We were finally able to take off some winter gear.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Dan O'Toole

Target goal today: 77 miles. Actual distance road: 77.2 miles.

2010-09-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

We made it to Canada! We left Rochester early this morning in order to beat an approaching storm. I asked Steve if he had talked to God because he was so certain of the impending storm. He did not laugh and proceeded to yell at me. I did not hug him.

We left so early that Chris had to drive behind us for the first 45 minutes so we could see the road. We ran into said storm 2 hours into the ride. It never stopped raining for the next 4 hours but it did stop once we hit the hotel in Niagara Falls. If you are a farmer and need rain for your crops, book the bike tour to ride thru your town because we are a magnet for moisture.

I guess getting up even before rosters has its benefits as we had no wind in our face for the first time since day one. I guess Mother Nature made up for it by pelting us with her tears the rest of the day.

We got a massive boost when we hit the outskirts of Buffalo as three of Steve's friends joined us for the ride to the Falls. Robin, Dawn and Dave were a great group. Robin said she laughed when she read on a previous blog that I wanted to quit. I told her I have tried everyday but have been unsuccessful.

The 'Road Warrior' of the day goes to Dave. He biked 20 miles just to join us, and once he did meet us, he kept us at a good pace. He also knew the back roads that helped us avoid traffic and other pitfalls. He won't wear the pink arm bands tomorrow as he is gone, but we will add him to the list of winners which I am still not a part of.

Odds and ends: None of us have ever been as wet as we were today. I had goldfish in my shoes when we finally stopped. I named them Gus and Dick... We never hit a single large hill today which was a godsend considering the conditions.... Niagara Falls, NY has the worst road I have ever been on in my life. I saw a small child at the bottom of one of the potholes but was to cold to stop... We saw a Tim Horton's for the first time since we left Canada..... We will be on 'Off the Record' on TSN tomorrow. They will be interviewing us while riding our bikes.... Randy, Steve's brother in law, has rejoined us now that we are on flat roads.

We will talk to you tomorrow.

Dan O'Toole

Goal distance: 77 miles. Actual distance traveled: 77 miles.

2010-09-15T13:36:00.001-07:00

We have arrived in Rochester, NY. The terrain today was a massive improvement upon yesterday. The mountains turned into hills and there were a lot fewer of them. Don't get me wrong, it was not easy. If Chicago is the Windy City, then NY State is the 'Typhoon Wind State'. The breeze is unrelenting, but a lot more tolerable with fewer Summits. We saw one other cyclist today. He was wisely going the opposite direction and about 20 times faster than us. He was also 90.

All in all no problems. Ryan, Steve's cousin, began the day by mentioning that today was the last bad day, because if you remember, Steve said the first 5 days were going to suck.

The Road Warrior of the day, Steve Webb. Steve won for the simple fact that he did not snap on anyone, even when I had to stop at Walmart to buy a shirt due to the fact that I was freezing. He was on the brink of a stage 5 meltdown but he held it in. He will wear the pink arm bands tomorrow. This also means that I am the only one yet to wear the bands. Last again, way to go O'Toole!

Odds and ends: There are a lot dead animals and massive bolts on the shoulders of roads in NY State.... Randy, Steve's brother in law, better bring his wallet when he meets back up with us in Niagara as he owes a dollar for every mile missed. He is already up to $200 owing to the foundation.... The hotel we just checked into told us to take anything valuable out of our vehicle as they have been having a lot of break ins. I may just leave my bike on the front seat.... I am pretty sure the bones in my butt have pierced the skin but I am afraid to look..... Chris our driver has been a god send. The man spends all day waiting for us and is always there with a smile and encouragement.... Spread the word for people to donate... Don't blame me for no pictures on the site. That is Steve's job and he has so far unsuccessfully delegated it to anyone else.

We will talk tomorrow.

Dan O'Toole

Dan out in Front as Ryan Gains some Speed DownHill

2010-09-14T19:15:00.000-07:00

Dan Questioning What He is Doing on this Bike Ride

2010-09-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

Dan & Ryan Climbing in the Rain/ Snow

2010-09-14T19:08:00.001-07:00

Add caption

Today's target distance: 77 miles. Actual distance: 77 miles.

2010-09-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

If yesterday was hell, then today was worse than hell, it felt like repeatedly vomiting while sitting in hell, while someone hit you in the face with a hammer.

If we were sailing a boat, today would have been fine. Instead we rode bikes directly into a 20-30 mph wind. Oh, and it was freezing, also it was raining and at one time we saw snow. I am not even kidding. It gets better, we climbed the equivalent of the earth to beyond the moon. We spent over 8 hours on the bikes and are now in Syracuse, NY.

At one time I suggested we go back to where we came from to be WITH the wind. The group did not buy into my idea. I also suggested we quit several times. Quitters are under rated, but again the group did not side with me. I went insane at more than a few points on today's ride due to Mother Nature's cocktail called the wind. Going nowhere well peddling faster than you ever have has a way of getting to a person. Steve rode next to me asking what I was thinking about while riding. I told him I was thinking of how much I hated the wind. It was not the response he was looking for.

We made it. That is the biggest thing. Steve almost threw me into oncoming traffic at the end of the ride, but I hugged him and he is all good now. I told him he should really consider quitting as it would throw people for a loop. Everyone expects us to finish but that would be different. (I was kidding, but he at the time, did not find it at all funny)

We had a first for the Road Warrior of the day, as it was retained by Ryan. Steve and I were out by default due to our mid mountain dust up, so Ryan keeps the pink arm bands.

Odds and ends: We began the day with Steve setting off the fire alarm in our hotel in Cooperstown.... At that same hotel I saw what could have been my uncle Brian's twin.... Ryan ran over a dead raccoon..... Ryan began the day with a flat.... We stopped for lunch at a pub in the middle of nowhere, and this Sunday they are having 'St. Practice Day', as it is half way to St. Paddy's day. A brilliant way to create business.... My bike hates me. It bit me today. Really, it did... Mother Nature, we need to talk..... I almost drown in the hot tub. Apparently it was designed for basketball players as when I sat down, the water level was at my eyebrows.... Don't forget to donate and spread the word, or else I quit.... Also a flip camera give away begins tomorrow....

Talk to you tomorrow, unless Steve kills me in my sleep.

Dan O'Toole

Day 3 is over..... thank god.

2010-09-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

Today's goal: 77 miles. Actual miles 65 miles BUT we are exactly at the three day target for miles ridden.

We lost a rider today. It was nice to know him but he is now gone. A moment of silence for Randy, Steve's brother in law. Whats that? Oh, they are telling me he is not actually dead, but in fact back in Toronto to attend to business. We discovered today why Randy left. He ate all the food in the back of the support vehicle. We did get a great snack of ice and left over stale peanuts today because of it though. (just kidding Randy. We miss you buddy, but we miss our food more)

We rode from Albany, NY to just past Cooperstown, NY today. It was pure hell, to put it nicely. We hit approximately 20 hills that were each over a mile or two in length. It is rolling countryside and it chewed us up. Add in the fact we had a 20 mph wind in our face a rain storm, and you have the makings of a long day. I rung out my socks when we finally stopped and I had about a gallon of water come out. I have never been as cold and as wet as I was today, but we made it.

The saving grace was the fact that we loaded the bikes up and back tracked to stay the night in Cooperstown. We visited here last year but it was a new experience for Ryan and Chris. One problem: the town rolls up the sidewalks at 5 pm on Mondays during the off peak season, so we could not actually visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. What we did find was a gem of a restaurant named 'Alex and Ika'. It could turn out to be the hit of the trip. We had great burgers and the house specialty, 'Fingerlings'. They are deep fried potatoes that would make you drool. Thanks to the staff there as they bent over backwards for us.

Today's Road Warrior of the Day: Ryan, Steve's cousin. He has been a rock on this trip and the most consistent rider. He has never complained about a thing and is always encouraging. It is not lost on Steve and I that we were the only two people that did this trip last year, and neither of us has won the Road Warrior yet. I guess we need to work on our social skills..... well at least Steve does.

Odds and Ends: Did they ever think of putting the roads AROUND the hills?..... We almost got hit by a power line that a crew was working on..... We saw had some amazing views on the trek as we seemed to be in the clouds at times.... I dropped a water bottle again and nearly killed Steve... Thanks again to Eli and his staff at www.impalabicycles.com in Whitby, ON for lending me my bike and supplying me with gear. You guys really are awesome.... Thanks to Steve's sister Krista who found us our hotel in Cooperstown. It had what we needed, clean beds, a hot tub and laundry services...... I never want to see a bike again in my life..... Remember what we are doing this for, Alzheimer's Research and the W20 Foundation, so donate and spread the word.....

We will talk to you tomorrow.

Dan O'Toole

End of Day 2...

2010-09-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

Well hello again.

Distance goal for day 2: 87 miles. Actual distance: 92 miles.

As I type this we are in our hotel in Albany, NY. For you Canadians, its pronounced ALL-bany. The locals know you aren't from around here when you say AL-bany.

We had a good day. We had our issues, but people in this world have a lot more problems then we do on a bike ride. The day began with me falling over the 3rd time. We were at mile zero for the day, and I fell over. I am not proud of this, but at least it got everyone in good mood.

Weather wise, it was a chilly day. It was overcast the entire day with stiff breeze. Whenever we stopped, we would get the chills due to sweating and the temp. With that in mind, we tried to stop as very few times as possible.

As for the issues, Steve had 4, yes four flat tires. We are pretty sure there are some major issues with his tire rim, but no tire stores were open so we had to trudge on. He would ride 6-10 miles and it would explode again. We are now trying to determine the problem here in the hotel room. The best thing about it, if there is a good thing, was that Chris our driver was there with the material instantaneously each time.

Another issue, I had my chain fall of twice, but it was fixed and up and running in mere moments. I did use the grease from my hands to create war paint on my face, so I may have scared a few people I came in contact with.

As for the actual ride, it was rolling. Hill after hill but once it flattened out, we flew. We had a great stretch of highway on 9W, and we took advantage when we could and had a great system as a team in which we kept changing the lead rider. It may not sound like much, but when you are in the middle of the pack, you use at least 30% less energy. You get to glide while everyone else peddles on. It really saved our legs.

The road warrior of the day: Chris our driver He thought this trip would give him a chance to catch on some emails and paperwork, but he has not had a spare second. He was a machine today and was there whenever we needed him. This exact moment he found a sliver of steel in Steve's tire that was causing the problem. What a guy. I am pretty sure that I wouldn't have won the award last year when I was driver, even though there was only Steve and I. Webby would have made a clean sweep on the awards.

Odds and ends: Chris found a store called 'Beer World'. He was happy.... Hampton Inn's are great hotels..... Randy leaves tonight as he has some business to attend to in Toronto. He will be back Thursday.... Steve road his bike 2 miles on a flat tire... Ryan wins the award for 'least troublesome rider'. He has been nothing short of a machine.... Big thanks to Jeff Sarginson of 'Home Run Sports' in Mississauga for providing the W20 shirts and shorts we have been wearing. We look like a team thanks to him.... Medicated Vaseline is a god send..... Sorry for no laughs in the blog, but the ride is taking its toll. I am surprised I was even able to write this.... To Pat Lafontaine, 'Clips' is doing just fine.... If you ever need mustard, go to the Subway we went to today. Its right across from Beer World, wherever that is.... Spread the word about the ride and its purpose, to raise money for Alzheimer's research and the W20 foundation which provides scholarships to kids.... If there are going to be any pic;s or video's posted today, Steve will be posting them as I am spent.....

End of day 1.......

2010-09-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Webb's goal for day one, 80 miles. Actual distance ridden on day one: 80.3 miles.

After lunch in Nyack, NY we set out to tackle Storm King Mountain, which we thought was named Bear Mountain up until today. For those new to the blog, the mountain was a huge part of last years ride. It is approx. 4 miles long and seems to never end. It sits right next to West Point Military Academy, the most prestigious Army Academy in the Country.

Before we got there, I had another issue. My chain fell off for the 87th time on a small hill. I finally inspected the chain and found that it had been bent badly. We were in the middle of Nowhere, NY so Chris had to drive me back to a bike shop in Nyack. The gang at Togo Bikes needs to be commended as they fixed the chain, replaced a cable, changed the seat and cleaned my bike in about 10 minutes. The already knew Chris our driver as he had been their earlier in the day, so when we entered they yelled "Hey, Canada's back." Great bunch of guys and big thank you to Wendy who did all the work. Our time away gave the group time to visit with Jim Webb, our new State Trooper friend. He gave them some history on West Point and creative ways in which to get out of tickets. (kidding but we wish he had as we still have a ticket to deal with)

Jim was our protection on the mountain, as the road has no shoulders and cars seem to go around 80 miles an hour, the speed that had one State Trooper pull us over on the way to Long Island. Jim said it was the first time he ever gave a police escort to anyone moving at a negative speed. I should clarify as Randy, Steve's brother in law, had issues with the mountain. He was not happy with how steep it was, that it was on our path to Canada, actually he was pretty much not happy about its existence period. While he crawled along with Steve, with Steve encouraging him and Jim pushing both of them with the bumper, Ryan and I managed to make it up at a pretty good pace. Ryan has been training the longest so he was on my back tire the entire time which sped me up big time. It was a great experience and a tremendous natural high once we reached the peak. Randy and Steve eventually made it safe and sound and Randy even had a huge smile on his face. It was the biggest moment for the group and not something to be overlooked as it was a nightmare we had all been dreading but one in which we beat.

The first EVER Road Warrior of the day.... Randy Carr. We thought the ride was about to turn into the 'Randy Car Memorial Ride' a few times, so he deserves it as he battled the hardest and finished what he started. He will wear the pink arm bands tomorrow.

Odds and ends: Pat Lafontaine nicknamed me 'clips', as I could not get out of my bike clips.... We walked thru the Plaza Hotel in our bike gear during breakfast. Awkward but very worth it...... I dropped a water bottle down a hill.... They do not clear dead animals off the roads here as we saw at least 30 rotten corpses of critters that used to be... Don't forget to donate at http://www.w20foundation.org/.... This computer I am typing on sucks.... The restaurant we ate at tonight had a 'Donate to Alzheimer' poster in the washroom, which was very fitting.... Follow me on twitter.com/tsnotoole for more pictures.... If you want a lifetime full of olives on your salad, go to the restaurant we went to tonight.... We are all fathers and we each miss our families very much. We love you!!!

We will talk tomorrow.

Dan O'Toole

DAY 2 W20 Bike MAp

2010-09-11T20:08:00.001-07:00

<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ny/cornwall-on-hudson/741128357180667794">W20 DAY 2</a><br/><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/ny/cornwall-on-hudson">Find more Bike Rides in Cornwall-on-hudson, New York</a>

Day 1 of the 650 mile ride to Canada

2010-09-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

We had a great pre-departure dinner in Long island last night. Steve and his wife Theresa along with their daughter Chloe took us out to Vincent's in Carle Place, NY. It was true Italian cuisine with servings that a family would have trouble finishing let alone one human. It was great to actually eat in a restaurant as during the drive into Long Island, Steve stopped to let us have lunch at a gas station. Our nutritionist will be pleased to hear I had a bag of chips, Cherry Coke and beef jerky. Steve sure knows how to show people what NY has to offer.

Day one had an early start as we were at the starting point, the Kitchen Kabaret in Carle Place, NY at 6:30am. Ryan, Randy, Steve, our driver Chris and I were met by over a dozen of other riders including former Islander greats Bob Nystrom and Pat Lafontaine. The group rode with us into New York. It was emotional for the native New Yorkers seeing as it was the anniversary of 9/11. We paused for a moment of silence on the 59th street bridge at 8:46am, the exact time the first plane hit the twin towers. Everyone that was here on that horrible day in American history said that today's weather is exactly the same as it was the day they lost so many of their friends and family.

The group rode with us right into Central Park where they said good bye, leaving the four of us and Chris our driver, alone for the first time. We established a riding pattern and a speed in which would follow, and we flew through the Park. New York is an amazing place if you have not yet visited.

I should point out that I am riding with bike shoes for the first time today. Yes I know, great time to start, but Steve had the peddles I needed. I have already fallen twice. Just a couple scraps, but I can now at least tell people that I fell over on my bike in front of two Islander legends and lived to tell about it. Steve came closer to death when he swerved in front of a hearse, just as I fell. It would have been perfect timing as the hearse could have just loaded us both up and the group could have just continued on.

We are currently having a fantastic lunch in Nyack, NY, 50 miles into the ride. State Trooper Jim Webb, no relation to Steve, has joined us and will be giving us a police escort up the mountain. It is nice to see a Trooper that doesn't want to give us a ticket for once. He is a great guy and a huge Islander fan.

We should push off and get the ugly beast of a mountain out of the way. We will post pictures once we are off the bikes for good tonight. We will also let you know who gets awarded the first 'Road Warrrior' of the trip. They will wear pink arm bands all day tomorrow, our version of the yellow jersey.

On the road again.....

2010-09-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

We have officially begun the bike tour. Well, not really. We have officially begun driving to Long Island, NY where we will officially begin the ride tomorrow. Our group hit the road at 3am this morning from Oshawa, ON, which is just outside Toronto. Chris, our driver, Randy, Steve's brother in law, and me, the tour veteran, picked up Ryan, Steve's cousin, in Oakville. At least that was the plan. We missed Ryan's turn off by 20 kilometres. Randy was on GPS duty. He failed miserably. Before we hit the US Border, I suggested that maybe we had gone to far. Long story short, Ryan is now in the vehicle.

We did experience a first at the Border Crossing as we actually made our Border guard laugh. He laughed at someone in the vehicle's inability to ride a bike. I will not point out who that person is but his name rhymes with 'bliss'. We also met a State Trooper a couple hours after our crossing. He did not laugh. Instead he issued us a ticket, meaning for the second year in a row, I have managed to land a ticket on day one of the event. That is a pretty impressive streak.

Another long story short, we had to pick up Steve in Albany while en route to Long Island as he was dropping off a vehicle. Steve is now, as I type this, giving driving instructions to Chris on how he can get across New York tomorrow. Except no one is writing these instructions down and we can barely understand Steve and his marble filled way of speaking. I have a feeling Chris may end up in Europe tomorrow.

We are excited to get the ride underway although we are all about weary of the start time Steve has chosen: 6am. I am not sure if Steve is plagued by nightmares, or if he is simply scared of sleep, but he does not seem to like closing his eyes for more than 5 minutes. We are starting out tomorrow from kitchen Kabaret in East Hills, NY along with about 20 other riders including former Islander greats Pat Lafontaine and Bob Nystrom. It will be great to have such a large group riding through New York, especially on the anniversary of 9/11.

We should be in good shape energy wise this year as Steve found an 'energy consultant' for the ride. Instead of just throwing anything into our body, Spike McCormick will be advising us. Spike is a trainer out of Peterborough and has Mike Fisher and Curtis Foster as clients. We are thankful to have him.in

We are just arriving in New York. We will talk to you soon.

DAY 1 W20 Spinning a Web of Leaders Bike Ride Map

2010-09-09T22:54:00.000-07:00

<a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ny/roslyn-heights/556128355105655689">W20 DAY 1</a><br/><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/ny/roslyn-heights">Find more Bike Rides in Roslyn Heights, New York</a>

Still Got It. Dropping the Shoulder in Central Park

2010-09-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

Went out today for the final long training ride before we set out on our 9 day adventure north to Peterborough. I decided that I had better take another dry run going over the first part on the first leg of the trip. Reason being it looks like we will be having a few other cycling buddy’s here on Long Island and Queens joining us, and riding into Central Park next Saturday morning. They will be looking for me to have all the directions down. If the roads are bad or we get lost by taking a wrong turn, I am sure I won’t here the end of it. Especially from O'Toole.

The route I took was going to take me 58 miles round trip in about 4 hours. I had the route all planned out. It started out with me jumping on the bike from the Kitchen Kabaret, here on the Island, and heading to Central Park. The hardest part is getting around Mets City Field on Northern Blvd. It’s not the safest way (with NY traffic) but it should be fine when we head out next Saturday morning. I then Headed through Queens and across the 59th street bridge down a couple blocks into the Park. Once in the packed Park I headed north for about 3 miles, rolling by plenty of folks getting their last taste of summer. I then popped out onto W 110th street making my way to Riverside Dr. Then Proceeding north along the Hudson River, which has great views on a day like today, I came to 177th Street. This is the start of the bike path on the George Washington Bridge which we will take to cross the Hudson and into New Jersey. Once I hit the GWB I turned around and headed back the same way I came.

This is where it got a little exciting. I made it back down Riverside Drive and headed back into the crowed Park and I mean Crowed. People everywhere! They are walking, running, Mountain Biking, skateboarding and anything else you could possibly think of on the roads around the Park. I was getting some advice while I was out there from other bikers and they where letting me know that I should only have one ear piece in not two. Got it! I was moving through the people making my way back to the south east side, when a Mountain Biker decided to stop quick right in front of me. This seems to happen when walking in crowed places like malls so you have to be nimble and maneuver around them. Not his time. Since I didn’t have time to react and was moving quicker than a walk in the park, I dropped my shoulder (in-stink I guess). As the Mountain Biker suddenly stopped and turned in my direction in one motion, I placed the shoulder right square in the middle of his chest. Knocking the biker back a few wobbly steps while taking the wind out of his sails. I could hear the big UH! As the air released out of his lungs. I continued on skating away, oh sorry I meant peddled away, I didn’t look back just went on making my way out of the park back over the 59th bridge into Queens spinning my way home with a little smirk on my face thinking. “Man I miss that.”

Notes: Also wanted to share that we have confirmation. One of my Pete’s Teammate Briane Thompson along with NHL/ Peterborough Pete’s Alumni John Druce will be joining us on our final Trek from Oshawa arriving at the Peterborough Memorial Center Sunday September 19th. Still waiting to hear confirmation from others. Will keep you Posted about other riders joining.

O'Toole's Fingers Make a Return to the W20 Blog

2010-09-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

Well hello there. Good to see you again. It's been a long time since I have been heard from on this blog site, but now that the ride ia almost here, it is time to unleash my fingers and thoughts.

For those of you new to the site, my name is Dan O'Toole. I have known Steve since the first day of grade nine in Peterborough, Ontario. I am now an anchor on SportsCentre on TSN in Canada (the ESPN of Canada). I just returned from a 10 cities 10 days tour in which we brought the show across the country. It is a great way to see Canada and a highlight of the year but it is also good to be home. Due to that trip I have now gone a couple weeks without riding (GULP).

I was all set to ride my first day back, except one problem. I somehow pulled or strained a hamstring on the flight back. Yes, it happened while sitting on a plane. I had no problems before the flight, yet somewhere in the air between Vancouver and Toronto, I was injured. It is baffling as during the taping of our shows on the road, I did a lot of stuff that should have injured me like get hit by a 300 pound football player, ride horses, jump in a river, suit up as a lacrosse goalie, but it was a plane ride that did the most damage. Steve said drink lots of water and try not to think about it. I am not sure about his medical advice but I will try it.

It is great to see Randy and Ryan are getting in plenty of miles in preparation for the race. I am happy to say that I was with Randy on his first ever ride. I would like to thank him for making me feel like Lance Armstrong that day, but now i fear that he will be blowing past me on the rides now. I just hope he finally has a helmet that fits. Picture a thimble on top of a pumpkin and that is what his helmet looked like.

Dan's smile will be a lot bigger at the finishline this year

As for my training, I have done a number of long distance rides and made it through them just fine. There are moments you want to stop and that is where the group dynamic will be so key. We will be a team on the road and that is what I really look forward to. I suggested we name a 'Road Warrior' each day during the ride. This person will not be the fastest rider that day, but will be the one who battled the hardest or provided the most leadership. They will also get to decide what time we hit the road the next day, which is very huge as Steve likes to get up early.

I have to run, but I will speak with you soon.

Dan O'Toole

www.twitter.com\tsnotoole

Controlling the Bonk

2010-08-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been in the middle of a game, event, shopping or even worse while driving and the symptoms of light headiness, cold sweats and dizziness start to come over you? Did you understand what it was when it happened?

As I stated two entries ago, the other day I received a text on the weekend from my cousin Ryan who is in an all out training mode. In the text Ryan had mentioned that he was out for a ride on Saturday and was about half way at the 35 mile marker feeling great. I wanted to hear more about this so on Monday I followed up with a phone call to congratulate him on a great ride. His longest training ride yet, just over 70 miles which is around our minimum for each day of the ride. This a great mental hurtle for him to jump over. So as Ryan continues to tell me how well he was riding and that he was making great time when all of a sudden out of no where while on his home stretch just a couple miles from home he pulls up to a red light and stops. As he places his foot on the ground Ryan could feel a chill come over him then into a cold sweat which lead a dizzy state. He lied down on the grass and waited a while till he felt better. He had to hold himself back from calling his wife Carrie to come pick him up, since he was so close to finishing his longest ride to date. Once the feelings subsided he jumped back on the bike and made his way home.

People, this is what cyclist and runners call bonking. In medical terms this is hypoglycemia which is the medical term for abnormally low levels of blood glucose. While we are riding or running our muscles are burning off very high levels of Glucose. This happens mostly during long endurance sports and exercise or people who tend to drink a lot of coffee. This leads to many different symptoms which cannot only play with muscle fatigue but your mental well being.

This is something that I have experienced a few times. One of the more memorable times was during Pat Lafontaine’s charity ride about 6 years ago. This was my first 100 mile ride. Pat still laughs telling the story of me snapping when I was in the middle stages of a bonk. Pat had told me to hang in there the deli we where stopping for lunch was a couple miles away. When we pulled up the deli was closed so the guys made adjustments and said we still have a few more miles to go up the road to a pizza place. Just a heads up, Bonking also causes irritability. You could say that when I heard this news I had a few choice words for the group as I needed to eat and get off the bike. Once we did reach the pizza place I quietly refueled and finished strong for the last 25 miles completing my first century ride.

Now I know why the Amazing Race is such a great TV show. Imagine being in the middle of a none familiar place with little essentials following a riddle filled map having money on the line. Lets add in there that you are working with somebody very close to you (we know how that works) and you Bonk. Now that makes for great TV drama.

This takes me back to last year. While preparing for the 650 mile ride and with bonking in the past I knew I had to get in tune with my body. To reach my daily goals of 65 miles which I blew by. I had and throughout the day. Once I figured this out I asked around in search of some information from some endurance athletes about what amount of calories along with what foods were good and portable that I would need to put into my system to sustain my energy levels. This was going to be one of my major disciplines during the ride. This was something I was able to take control of. Was responsible for. I was not in control of some of the obstacles out on the road like broken pavement, no shoulders, large hills and the wind. I knew that by hydrating and eating properly this would give me the best chance of having a successful adventure. I can say this. There where some times out there on the road that I wasn’t fully fueled up and Dan can tell he felt the brunt of the irritability. Sorry Dan.

Now that Ryan has made me very aware that I had forgotten to inform everyone on this topic, I may want to reach out and get a sports nutritionist or trainer to assist us on finding the proper levels of calorie intake each of us will need to have enough fuel to enjoy this trip. We would like to keep the inner cat fighting to a minimum.

Randy's Ride: One Nothing Street Car Tracks

2010-08-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

Randy Striking off to the Soccer Match

What do you get when you have a car, mountain biker, street car tracks downtown Toronto and an inexperienced cyclist. One hell of a funny story.

Randy my brother in law making sure he gets in his training miles needed, wants to take advantage of all his opportunities to ride. With his daughter Sydney playing soccer in districts downtown toronto, Randy decided that he will jump on the bike meet them at the field. So Krista his wife rounds up Syd and their other soccer player duaghter Mya into the truck and shuttles them downtown to make sure they are on time from Oshawa, Ontario. On Randy's way down he decides that the direct route might be to busy with a hot summer day and makes a detour across Queen Street in toronto. Randy spinning along is moving pretty quick and he finds himself coming up quickly on a older mountain biker. So I guess Randy is stating he is in the middle age group. He didn’t really have an age for this gentleman. So with parked cars on his right, a little traffic on his left with street car tracks running parallel he finds himself stuck hanging out behind the Mountain biker. Randy patiently waits to make his move. He sees his opening, Randy pops out over the tracks and hammers it pasted the older Mountain biker. After he blows by the biker he starts to come back over to get out of the way of traffic coming up his behind. Forgetting that he he is on a bike with very skinny tires and maybe not understanding there are more obstacles other than cars and pedestrians. He might want to add a few more like pot holes sewer grates as well as street car tracks. These and cyclist are not the best of friends. Randy tries to run parallel with the tracks as he crosses them only to find himself in a very interesting situation once his tires easily slide into the tracks. With in 3 seconds Randy s bike changes direction 90 degrees going directly straight at the curb. Up over the curb he goes with his feet still locked in the peddles. Lying on his back with his eyes closed he hears a voice “you alright?” Randy responds as he gathers his shattered ego all over Queen St. with a very disheartened “yes” almost sounding like a big sigh. The banged up biker picks himself off the ground opens his eyes and sees that this all happened right in front of a garage/ yard sale. One of those things you no one to witness. A couple seconds later after Randy shakes himself off, the old as Randy put it mountain biker comes up and asks “was that my fault?” Randy responds with a “noooo” also in a sigh tone. Bruised and battered Randy picks the bike up, does a once over, straightens the handle bars and jumps on spinning away making it in time the watch his daughters game.

We would like to welcome Randy unofficially to the harsher world of cycling. Keep up the great stories Randal. Also Randy we know you do not have any sort of Ego.

Love How Things Are Coming Together

2010-08-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here the Marriott Fairfield Inn Saratoga, NY upstate after a short 25 mile bike ride around the lake then over through Saratoga Springs. This is where they are holding the Travers Day today. For those not into the ponies, it is a very high end marquee event on the Horse circuit. Since we are up here for a wedding later tonight my wife Teresa decided to take advantage of the opportunity check out the big event while I was grabbing some miles in the saddle. Teresa must think Chloe our daughters first trip to the track is going to be her good luck charm. Well I hope she and they bring home some winnings.

It has been a great day so far and it is only half over. I woke up to look at my BB emails to find that W20 had received a very generous donation from a good friend. So with that the excitement started and there was a nice bounce in my step. With the bounce I decided to jump on my bike and was able to get a ride in with beautiful scenery. While out on the bike I received a text from Ryan my cousin, who is one of the riders making the whole trek with us this year. It said that he was having a great ride and decided that for his mental edge he is going to get in a 70 mile ride today just to prove to himself that he can complete one of our minimum 72mile a day rides. It is great to hear that he is training like this, since the ride truly is more of a mental game than the physical aspect. The challenge is between the ears not in the legs. Even though having legs does help a lot. This statement is true in a lot of ways but lets save that for another blog maybe on another website.

With the positive momentum moving in the right direction I picked up the phone and called my brother in law Randy also making the first and last portions of the trip. First he had some news about his training which was positive and that he thinks he has found us a driver for the ride with a vehicle adding the possibility that there might be a trailer in the package with the driver. I know the volunteer but I will not state his name until we get 100% confirmation. I think we have about a 99.9% commitment. Which is awesome.

This has been a great day with lots of positives to take out of it. But I am hesitating on calling Mr. O’Toole. Want to make sure we end on a high note. The reason being I know where he is and that this 10 cities in 10 days tour with TSN is not the place for an athlete to go when preparing for an endurance ride such as ours. He is training but not sure its the right muscle group. Don’t worry Dan we will wait for you at the top of the hills.

Rollin into Round 2

2010-08-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

Since this is the first blog of this years ride it may be a little longer than usual.

So here we go!! As time ticks by, the start date of our bike ride rapidly approaches. I wanted to get the blog up and going a little earlier as we try to ad in some training rides. We have had plenty of great comments with regards to last years ride blog which was done by last years driver, Mr. Dan O’Toole, a SportsCentre host on TSN in Canada. This year, Dan will be applying the vaseline (to dull the pain) and pulling on the tight shorts along with me. We are going to have to wait and see how much brain power he will have left at the end of each after riding a bike for 80 miles. I hope he will be will be as quick witted as he usually is but we will have to see (place your bets). Maybe just maybe Dan will get to see how important the driver is to the riders, especially when all the riders equipment is in the truck and the driver is no where to be found(Start of Day Two Last Season). By the time we hit Albany, Dan and I should be a match made in heaven.

With 1 year under the belt I am looking forward to having some friends and family along for the entire trip this year. It gets a little quiet in upstate New York, and you can only listen to the same songs on the ipod so many times before the songs lose there inspiration and energy. From the sounds of it, Dan is looking to have some competitions or awards given out to the riders each day to add some excitement and motivation. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with and how we can get everyone involved that is following the ride. Maybe find a way to hand out some prizes to the people making comments.
Prep for the Ride

Have you ever being driving down the road and saw some person peddling there bike through a thunder shower wondering what tare they doing on their bike in this type of weather. Well that was me yesterday and I was riding with a big grin on my face thinking back to being a kid riding home through the rain and puddles like I was late for diner. Not only was I soaked but I blew a tire or two in the process which slowed me down a little as I like to ride for time and distance. As I looked out the door before the ride I kinda knew what I was in for and a thought came into my head “you have to prepare for the worst so when it is good you will think it is easy” something like running with a weighted vest while training for the up coming season (this was something Zdeno Chara did and he still lapped me around the coli while waring a 30 pound weight vest). I also gave that advice to my brother in law so I thought I better follow my own instructions.

Over the last month in a half of training different things come to mind as in My cousin Ryan dealing with Knee pain on his first really on long ride of 60 miles ever. his courage to get back on the bike and continue train after that is amazing thinking he is going to be doing longer rides everyday on our trip. Then there is Dan who could not even figure out how to use a pump on a road bike and him riding on low tires which means adding more resistance. I think he made the ride from Oshawa to Peterborough on low tires and still made it with out complaining which blew me away. Sounds like Dan is into resistance training. Then there is my brother in law who I mentioned earlier Randy comes home when I was visiting three weeks ago and pulls a bike out of his car asking me if this bike will work for the trip. With in a week he had made the trip to Peterborough from Oshawa which is 45 miles in the thunder storm and a week later rode from Oakville, Ontairo to Oshawa which is 60 miles. Couple other training moments was when I was up in Whistler B.C. at a adult hockey camp and to keep training decided to go mountain biking. Great way to work on building climbing muscles. While on a ride with Leo a camper and the owner of Kicking Horse Coffee out of BC we turn a corner only to be waived down by a man walking, he pointed out at a black bear about 50 yards away sitting on the path eating berries. Leo must have thought we was with a little boy. He suggested we ride by on the path up behind the bear and my face was like are you nuts. He had no problem as long as it was not a grizzly. Later on that ride and my lack of skills Leo was waiting for me at the bottom of a trail and when I came off the cedar bridge I lost control and did a nose dive over the handle bars. Know I know why we ware helmets. Should of had some pads on since I did some damage to the rib cage and wrist that has been broken a few times already.

It has been a very quick summer with plenty of rides and plenty more to go. Stay tuned and I am sure Dan has a few stories to share. looking forward to the start of the ride.

https://www.w20foundation.org/events.aspx

The final video!!!

2009-09-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

Final Day pics

2009-09-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

Steve with his final day running mates, Ralph and Russell. There was not a single flat tire the entire ride, until Ralph got one on his mountain bike 10 miles into a 20 mile ride.

And they are off, one last time.

Steve, Ralph and Russell riding through the streets of NYC on the final day. I proceeded to get lost 5 seconds after this picture was taken

Steve, Dan and the Kitchen Kabaret's Jim King at the finish line.

The finish line party put on by Jim King and his family at Kitchen Kabaret.

The shoes are finally off....... for good.

He made it!!!!

2009-09-20T08:30:00.001-07:00

After starting in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada last Saturday, Webby is now sitting in Long Island, New York. That is 650 miles in 8 days on a bicycle. We are at Kitchen Kabaret where there was balloons, signs and friends waiting for him. Webby even beat me here as I took a wrong turn, which was keeping with the theme of the trip.

Steve and two buddies, Russell and Ralph, did the final 20 miles this morning, from Central Park to here. Webby is now sitting with friends and going over details of the trip. Weather wise, it is another glorious day. The sun is blazing and it feels like the middle of summer. During the journey, we saw rain once, and it lasted all of 5 minutes. We did have some brisk mornings with fog, but other than that, it was perfect.

I have to tell you, upstate New York is beautiful. I grew up on a farm so I have a tremendous amount of respect for those that work the land. The properties we saw day in and day out were unbelievable maintained and you could see the pride the family's took in their land. The people we met along the way were fantastic. Warm, friendly and very supportive of Steve's ride and its cause. Steve and I now know every town and where to stay, so if you need travel advice, just ask. Actually, Steve's sister was our travel agent the entire trip. We would find a town on the map, call her, and she would look it up on the Internet and find us a place to stay. She was a huge help. Arriving in NYC was a blast. The city is overflowing with energy and it is one of my favorite places to visit.

To all those that sent texts, e-mails and above all, donations, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. After tough days on the bike where Steve felt like he was going backwards, he could look on his phone, see those messages, and realize that he was not forgotten.

As for me, I never want to see Steve again. Well, at least not for a few months. Just kidding. We had a blast together. We have known each other since the first day of grade 9, so we know how to deal with one another. There are no kid gloves, as we tell each other how we feel at all times, which really helps. It was a trip each of us will never forget and one that I am extremely proud to have been a part of. I can't wait to ride with Steve next year. First I have to find that BMX bike my parents gave me when I turned 10. It should still work right? I missed my family terribly but they were very supportive of the trip, which really helped.

Now, it is time to celebrate. We are going to have a small party and tell wild tales of our time on the road. Like the one where Steve walked into a bar in Geneva, NY with a family size bottle of Vaseline and put it on the bar beside me. (ask any cyclist and they will tell you the reason Steve bought the stuff) Or when we were standing at the top of Bear Mountain when a Grehound bus came flying past with a piece of rubber sticking out 4 feet from the wheeel well. Had the guys been riding on the shoulder at that point, it could have been devastating. Steve and I just looked at one another and laughed as there was nothing else to do.

Thanks for following along on the blog throughout the trip. I had a great time writing it. It kept me sane and also gave me a chance to take note of those small details during the day which made the trip memorable.

Pics soon to follow.

www.w20foundation.org, don't forget to pass it on.

Until we meet again,

Dan O'Toole

Last Leg of the trip

2009-09-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

Central park to Kitchen Kabaret
Find more Bike Rides in Nyc , New York

Day 8 Wrap

2009-09-19T18:48:00.001-07:00

I apologize for the delay in posting, but NYC took us under her arm for the day. We window shopped and just strolled around. All I know is that my little Sydney is getting one nice birthday present for her 2nd birthday which is next month. We were also around other humans for the first time in a while so it was a nice change from talking to cows.

Paul Crowley and Steve had a leisurely morning and hit the road at 9:30am. They only had 29 miles until New York City, making it the shortest ride of the trip. They ran into hundreds of fellow bikers, which was a drastic change from when Steve and I would not see another bike for days at a time.

Paul made it into NYC and had to jump on a train so as to make it back for his sons birthday. We really had a great time with him. He was nothing but positive energy for the ride when Steve needed it the most. As you may have seen from the pics, we literally threw him out on the curb and said our goodbyes.

I am about to throw this computer out the window as the delete key does not work. I am having to write error free in fear of having to start all over again.

We had a great lunch at the restaurant in our hotel. A burger to die for and lollipop chicken wings. Steve's wife Theresa joined us, which again re-energized Steve. She took us to a festival in Little Italy which was massive. It was wall to wall people and a great time. We had a nice dinner and are now ready to turn in. We finally make it to NYC, yet we still have no energy. Maybe tomorrow, who knows.

I just hope that everyone understands how long this trip was. Most people have never ridden 100 miles in their life, let alone in a day. I don't think Steve really knew how long the ride was, but he never once gave up. He did it for charity and to raise awareness, not because he was bored, or needed something to do. We are already looking forward to next year when i will also be on a bike..... but first things first. The finish line is tomorrow and we can't wait to see everyone at Kitchen Cabaret on Glen Cove Road in Long Island.

Until tomorrow....

Dan O'Toole

Day 8 pics!!

2009-09-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

On the George Washington Bridge going into New York City. A perfect day without a cloud in the sky!!!

Going through the streets of NYC.

Riding through Central Park. They made it!!!

Steve off the bike and sitting outside the giant toy store FA Schwarz. Just one more leg to go on this trip.

We were sad to see Paul go, yet we threw him out of the truck at Penn Station and left him. No hand holding on this trip. We said our good byes and he caught a train back to Albany to get his truck.

Day 7 pics

2009-09-18T15:22:00.001-07:00

As Steve said, a perfect sign to great him and Paul in the elevator this morning, two donkey's on the road.

Steve back where he learned how to ride a bike as a kid, Milton. Oooops, wrong Milton.

At lunch. Hey Steve, you may want to smile for at least one picture on the trip.

Tackling Bear mountain.

11 miles to Suffern? No need to visit as Steve has already been there every single day of this trip.

Day 7 Wrap

2009-09-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

I am not going to lie to you, and I am sure you appreciate the honesty, today was a tough day. 70 miles behind us has in Nyack, NY, a town that hugs the Hudson River. Why was the day tough? Bear Mountain. It was, from start to finish, 7 miles and took 45 minutes to tackle. It was a behemoth. Just when the guys thought they reached the top, there was another one mile climb. They were expecting that climb, what they weren't expecting, was the hill that was waiting for them a couple miles down the road after Bear Mountain. It came as a complete surprise. Paul Crowley was once again a great motivator for Steve as he actually said at the bottom of that second hill, that there was no place he would rather be than right there. I could think of numerous places to be aside from that location, but I didn't say that out loud. We also went right past West Point Military Academy. I was all set to pull in to take a peak but I saw massive guard booths, so I just continued on my merry way. My luck, I would have been detained for my bank card activites in Geneva, NY. (again, if you have followed the blogs, this will make sense)

There was never one easy stretch on today's ride. If the wind wasn't in their faces, then there was a hill to climb, or construction to weave through. I was driving the vehicle and I even found some of the stretches tough to navigate. Steve is very beat up and is suffering from cramping. He has been force feeding himself fluids but the ride is starting to catch up to him. I think for next year, a different route may be in order. We did find a great place in Newburgh, NY to eat lunch. It was right on the Hudson, and if the wasps hadn't carried our lunch away, we would have stayed a bit longer. Webby wanted to stop at a diner, but later admitted my location was 9000 percent better.

What we did have great scenery all day. 9W, the road we spent the day on, runs parallel to the Hudson, so there are countless photo opportunities. The only problem is that there aren't many places to pull over as the road is built on the side of a hill.

Time for dinner and a 3 day shower.

www.w20foundation.org, and again, thanks for following this great journey Webby has undertaken.

Dan O'Toole

Start of Day 7

2009-09-18T05:28:00.000-07:00

There is a jump in our step today as we can almost see the finish line. The weather seems to sense our spirits as it is a beautiful sunny morning. We had a good sleep after spending the night, in what seemed like, Texas. The girl at the front desk recommended a place to eat in downtown Kingston, NY. We showed up to find a dance floor full of line dancers. Steve and Paul even tried it out for a couple songs. It made for good dinner conversation.

Steve will once again be joined by Paul Crowley on today's ride. Their goal is 65 miles and they both seem to feel good after yesterday's monster ride. One thing about today's trek is that it includes the largest hill on the ride. We looked at the elevation map and this thing looks scary. I told Steve not to look ahead as now he will have that monster in his head all day until he hits it. I will be sure to take pictures.

I am off to Target, as per my wife's instructions. That is one of the reasons she didn't mind me going on this trip, as she sent a 3 foot long Target shopping list along with me.

The tires hit the road at 9am.

ciao

Dan O'Toole

Day 6 pics

2009-09-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

Riding across a bridge just outside Catskill, NY. We were going to stay here but Webb decided to push on for another 15 miles to Kingston.

Paul and Steve riding past an abandoned gravel pit. I was hanging off the side the hill to get this pic. It was a one shot deal, luckily it worked out.

Day 6 Wrap up

2009-09-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

We are in Kingston. Kingston, NY. Never knew the place existed but I do now. Sadly they don't have their own version of the Tragically Hip here.

You can call this a rebound day for Webby. He put 97.5 miles behind him, as all thoughts of those mountains are in the past Another added bonus was a riding partner, as Steve's good friend Paul Crowley joined him in Albany. Paul drove all day from Peterbrough to meet us. He left his truck in Albany and is going to make his way back to it when he is finished. If that's not a good friend, I don't know what is. The addition of a riding partner but a spring in Webby's step and the two of them did 55 miles on the bikes. Paul was amazed at how well Webby was doing and felt exhilarated by the ride and its cause. Paul also confided in me that he got in behind Webby a lot of the times and drafted behind him.

A long day as we started at 9am and just got into the hotel now, so a good 7 hours on the bike. There were a couple narrow stretches of highway were the guys could have changed the radio stations in the cars going by them, but they made it through unscathed.

We saw our first penitentiary, and my drive in movie theatre count is now at 4. It also seems to be mum season at all the garden shops, but if I see another sign that says 'Mum's the word', I may just drive the truck into it.

A good meal is now in order and then off to bed.

Hi to Syd and Corrie. Miss you both terribly and can't wait to see you both.

www.w20foundation.org. Pass it on.

Until tomorrow,

Dan O'Toole

Action video from day 6

2009-09-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

You never have to wonder what our days are like again. Here is video evidence.

Day 6 pics

2009-09-17T07:24:00.001-07:00

For an Irishman, being allowed behind the bar, is better than Christmas morning. I am allowed to say that with a name like O'Toole.

Last second tweaks to the bike before hitting the road.

RAIN. First time we have seen it on the trip. It was over 5 minutes after it started, and Steve never melted, so we are all good.

Day 6. Has it really been that long?

2009-09-17T07:13:00.000-07:00

Wheels on the ground at 9:01am today, our latest start to this point. We needed the rest, well actually I guess Steve did, but I will take it to. We were actually a little sad to say good-bye to The American Hotel. It was a unique experience and a beautiful place. I was explaining to my wife how we had the place to ourselves, answering the phones, serving our own drinks, etc. She figured it was just a bed and breakfast, but no it was a hotel. 11 rooms and a dinning room that can sit 70. They gutted the entire place and re-opened it in 2001. They did a great job, and if you are ever going to Cooperstown, we recommend it highly as a place to stay.

We spent the night watching the Jays game and the show Wipeout. Who knew such a stupid show would be so funny as we were near tears. Steve was asleep by 8:30 so I went out for some food. I found a pizza joint and grabbed a slice. Steve wanted everyone to know that I had two dinners, the same as him. I disagree as a slice of pizza 5 hours after your dinner is not considered another meal. Another meal 10 minutes after your first meal, that is another dinner. (you will know what I am talking about if you have read all the blogs to this point)

A bit of rain to start the day, but it didn’t last long. It is 8 degrees warmer than yesterday morning, which is why we chose the later start time so as to avoid the fog. There are still hills but they are leveling out a little. We will reach the other side of Albany, NY today, and the rumor is, a mystery rider will join Steve when we reach the State Capital. This will re-energize Steve so we are both looking forward to it. I am still looking for a mystery passenger for the truck as my Ipod play list is getting a little tired at this point. Maybe I should take up knitting.

Get those donations in, www.w20foundation.org, and we will speak soon.

Dan O’Toole

Our first video

2009-09-16T15:45:00.000-07:00

Day 5 pics wrap up

2009-09-16T15:16:00.001-07:00

This is my view for 90 percent of every day.

The last hill, I promise. Steve gets mad at me when I lie and say he is on his last hill, when really, he isn't.

Good ole Shannon Falls.

'The American Hotel', which we have all to ourselves.

Our ticket to the Hall. In the background you can see Steve leaving as we bought the tickets.

Day 5 wrap up

2009-09-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Sharon Springs, NY, which I for some reason keep calling Shannon Falls. 44 miles west of Albany, NY. This is the 65 mile point on today's ride which Webby described as his toughest yet. It was cool all day and he had the wind in his face constantly. Add in the fact that he again had a number of large, gradual climbs, and you can understand why he would describe the trek as such. He hit his goal which again shows how determined he is. I also think he may be going insane as he told me he is now talking to signs, animals, anything he sees on the road.

We got into this town of 400 around 1pm this afternoon. Once we checked into our second consecutive historic hotel, we took off for Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was only 20 minutes away and it was a very nice drive. Beautiful homes that hug a huge lake. Once to the Hall, I was in my glory. The Hockey Hall of Fame could learn plenty, as at this hall, they display countless historic items, unlike the Hockey Hall which has two sticks used last year. There was just so much to see. I sped through the place and it still took me 2 hours. Steve only lasted 20 minutes, which he spent on his cell phone anyway. He took off to get something to eat while I toured around.

Once I joined Steve at the restaurant, he decided to have a second dinner. So he had a hamburger as an appetizer and chicken Parmesan as his main course. Steve may actually break his bike at this pace. I bought some Hubba Bubba just in case I need to mend some cracks in the frame.

Now to the great part of our day, our hotel. As mentioned, it is very historic and looks to be straight of a movie. We met the two men that run it, and they proceeded to tell us that they were going out of dinner in Utica tonight, which meant Steve and I have the place to ourselves. As I write this, Steve is behind the bar serving himself, and yes, they told us to help ourselves. It feels like our parents are away and left the liquor cabinet unlocked. To bad we are both beyond tired because we could have done some damage.

We are now off to relax for 5 seocnds and then it is bedtime. Yes I know, we are a sad duo, eating at 4:30 and in bed by 7pm.

Keep those donations coming www.w20foundation.org and rememember to spread the word.

Dan O'Toole

Day 5 pics

2009-09-16T06:13:00.001-07:00

Hello? Steve? Are you in there?

Our highway for the day.

A drink before heading down hill. The hillsides in this section of the ride at filled with wind turbines yet there isn't a single recycling box to be found. I have yet to see one of those on the trip.

In a fog... which is how I feel getting up this early.

Already Day 5

2009-09-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

We were on the road at 7:07am sharp this morning, and yes I am sure Steve will blame me for losing those 7 minutes. It is a cool morning with a bit of fog but it seems to have put a charge in Webby's step as he has already tackled a number of big hills and he flew through them. A good nights sleep helped as did the locals who told him that today's stretch was much easier than yesterday's.

We had a great night at our hotel as we had dinner in the downstairs pub. Frank was our bartender and he was a no nonsense kind of guy. We really enjoyed him as he ran a tight ship. The staff at the hotel couldn't have been any more helpful. I even got to watch the Jays beat the Yanks. For some reason I was the only person cheering for the Jays.

Following dinner we walked across the street to a pub and proceeded to laugh our butts off. A regular at the bar named Stick was on fire with his one liners and jokes. Steve kept turning to me and asking if we were in a movie. It made for an entertaining night.

Steve has a goal in mind today and it is completely my fault. We found out last night that if we reach a certain distance today, then we will be very close to Cooperstown, NY, the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Steve said he had never seen me as excited as when I heard that we would be close to a place I have always wanted to visit. I told him I could make the trip back any time, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. So...... if Steve does what he has set out to do, then we will be visiting Cooperstown later today. I have to say I am giddy just thinking of it.

I hope as you read this that life is treating you well and that you continue to spread the word about Steve's ride. The donations continue to come in but we would love to see more.

I know Steve thanks each of you that has called or sent a message of support. A small one line text may not seem like much but I see first hand at how they pick him up.

Pictures on their way.

Dan O'Toole

Day 4 pics

2009-09-15T14:13:00.001-07:00

Steve going down a hill which he said was scary as to much speed would make him wobble. I began following him down the steep hills with the flashers on as the wind from fast cars was almost causing him to wipe out.

Steve reaching the top of another giant. You can see how long the sucker stretches.

Walking into the Lincklaen House in Cazenovia, NY.

Old world, also means no elevator, so one last hill for Steve to climb.

End of Day 4

2009-09-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

We made it and have stopped in Cazenovia, NY for the night. We are 20 miles south east of Syracuse, NY. This is a nice little town with historic accommodations, meaning we have real keys for our 150 year old rooms.

As mentioned before, it was a tough go for Steve today. The hills never seemed to end. Once he was through with what we thought was the largest one, then another would pop up around the corner. Even with all that, he still managed to go past his goal of 65 miles and went 66. He used short check marks to get through the climbs. Whether it was making it to the next tree or rock, he used it as a marker. Just before he wrapped up, he tackled one more gradual hill that was 1.5 miles in length. The good news is he gets to start tomorrow on a down hill section.

Aside from the hills, Steve was also stung by a bee in the hip. He says it ran right into him, which I can believe, as he is a pretty big moving target.

We are now putting on our top hats on and getting ready to experience some old world charm. I think they have electricity but we have candles just in case.

We will talk to you tomorrow.

Dan O'Toole

We are currently in Cazenovia,NY

2009-09-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

Syracuse to Albany
Find more Bike Rides in Syracuse, Ny, New York

Day 4 pics

2009-09-15T11:12:00.001-07:00

Steve planning for the day. This is where he discovered the elevation he was going to encounter. I am snoring in the background.

One of our pit stops.

We are in true farm country. Very nice place and it is apple country. Apple stands are about every 5 feet. I bought two apples, all that Steve would allow.

Steve reaching the top of one of the hills he ran into. He is sweating like a hostage.

This was the hill. To bad Steve was going up it.

How fitting that when Steve reached the top of that 1 mile hill, this is the road that greeted him.

Mid Day Update on Day 4

2009-09-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Great news, I got my bank card. Not before the assistant manager called every manger ever associated with the bank. It would have been easier to buy a gun and bring it back to Canada than it was to get my own bank card. After an hour of proving I am who I am, I provided a urine sample and left a lock of my hair, and finally was on my way.

Steve was once again wondering where I was. To his credit, he was motoring. I finally caught up with him and it proved to be the calm before the storm. As mentioned in this mornings blog, we knew hills were coming, we just didn't know they were mountains. One hill was 1 mile straight up, but as Steve said, if that is the biggest obstacle he has to deal with, then life is good.

Steve eventually made it to Interstate 81. A very important marker for Webby as he uses it when he drives to and from Long Island. We are now past the half way point. It should also be pointed out that Steve has now seen every type of road kill except human (as far as we know). From deer, to possum to unidentifiable animals, Steve has seen and smelt it.

As I write this I am sitting in the McDonalds parking lot. Did you know they don't have McChickens here? What is the world coming to. I did find out though that the kid serving us, also cleans the washrooms, as he was asked to do so by his manager.... while serving us. A key point to remember when managing: don't make the customers throw up in their mouths.

Well I must go catch up to Steve, who for some reason is not losing weight on the ride. He thinks he is gaining it. I told him to stop chewing the oxygen.

Talk soon.

Dan O'Toole

Day 4 is under way

2009-09-15T05:25:00.000-07:00

Steve, being the kind sole that he is, let me sleep in until 7:30am today.
Well, there is a reason for it. Remember yesterday when I said we were running
problem free.... well that came to a crashing halt last night. While on our way to dinner,
I stopped to get money at an ATM. That ATM proceeded to eat my debit card. Steve found
it very comical as my string of bad luck, once thought to be a thing of the past, reared its ugly head
again. So now I sit outside the First Niagara Bank waiting for it to open while Steve pedals on.
I just hope they can save my card from the steel jaws of that awful machine.

Steve was on his bike at 8:05am. He studied todays ride and found that there will be a lot of climbing. He again has 65 miles as a goal and he said he may stick to that today so as to give his
body a little break. While examining the map we also found that no matter what his distance is,
we are going to be ending up in the middle of nothing. Once we pass Syracuse in 36 miles, it is fields and more fields. I think we may be calling the Bates Motel home tonight.

Wish us luck and be sure to spread the word. Remember what Steve is doing this for and let's get those donations flying in.

The bank just opened. My luck they will think I am trying to rob it.

Until we speak again.

Dan O'Toole

Day 3 pics

2009-09-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

Steve in action.

Steve catching up on phone calls at McDonalds, and yes we
will accept Big Macs as donations.

Not my fault. I swear. This problem began before I ever touched the vehicle.

The anvil that Steve ran over. This was stuck in the tire and
was causing us make countless stops at air pumps.

True professionals and nice people to.

When in the finger lakes, I always get my flat tires fixed here.

End of Day 3

2009-09-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

We have reached our final destination for the day, Geneva, NY. It is a small town at the top of the finger lakes. We went well past Steve's initial goal of 65 miles. Instead, Steve did 90 miles on the nose.

Webby began the day a little stiff with wind in his face which made it a bit of a struggle, but he knew he wasn't stopping until he hit that 65 mile mark. We went through a stretch of farm country with rolling hills, rows and rows of corn, and honour system fruit stands. We stopped at the 75 mile mark, had lunch, didn't see many housing options, the wind was with us, so Steve decided to bang out a few more miles. Another reason for trudging on, is that the roads are out of this world. Smooth as glass with not even a hint of a pot hole. Plus the shoulders are extremly wide which gives Steve plenty of room between him and the traffic.

While he hopped on the bike, I found a tire shop where they managed to find a hunk of metal lodged in the tire. They removed it, plugged it, and sent me on my way, refusing to accept payment. They just asked that we say something nice about them. So thank you Master Tech Automotive in Canadaigua, NY.

If you have been following all the blogs to this point, then you will find this hard to believe but, it was a problem free day. Even fixing the tire went smooth. I will have to run over the bike tomorrow or mistakingly put beer in Steve's water bottle to make up for it. For now, we are a well oiled machine. Steve is holding up remarkable well. He is drinking plenty of liquids and getting his electrolites. It is safe to say he will have no problem getting to sleep tonight.

The hot tub is calling, and then it is off to watch the Bills/Pats in the Monday nighter. This is Bills country so it should make for an entertaining atmosphere to watch the game.

I will post more pictures soon.

Until then.

Dan O'Toole

Steve Solo pics

2009-09-14T08:32:00.001-07:00

Steve, now solo, on the US side of Niagara Falls.

A shot from the start of Day 3. You can't get more American small town than this.

Day 2 pics

2009-09-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

The day 2 team on the road. I was not involved in the taking of this picture as I was asleep and dreaming of clowns at the time.

The day 2 crew on the road. Look closely and you can see steam coming from their ears as they get close to me.

Steve in the Falls. Boy does he ever look happy.

Even more pics from day 1

2009-09-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

The day 1 crew on the road and after I finally found them.

More pics from Day1

2009-09-14T07:22:00.000-07:00

My run in with the law on day 1.

The starting group on day 1.

Finally some pictures

2009-09-14T07:15:00.000-07:00

The weapon.

The send off on day one.

The start of Day 3

2009-09-14T05:01:00.000-07:00

We are out of the hotel and I am actually with Steve to begin the day. I think Webby is somewhat relieved that he now has me on leash seeing as I don't know a sole down here. Smooth sailing from here on out..... I hope. I made Steve watch the Hangover last night. I never even made it to the rooftop speech before I was out cold.

Only one minor problem so far today. We walked out to find a flat tire on the truck. It has been a recurring problem, which in no way can be blamed on me. My goal is to get it fixed today.

We are still in Tim Horton's country which made Steve happy. He grabbed a coffee and was on his bike at 7:30am. 30 minutes later than he wanted but what can you do. We will not be making a single turn today as it is straight on Highway 5. A relief considering what we had to go through in Niagara Falls and Buffalo.

Strange how this wireless Internet works. We were in the middle of Niagara Falls and could not get it to work for the life of us, and here I am now, pulled over on the side of the road in Nowhereville, and I have a full signal. Very weird.

Good morning to my beautiful wife and perfect daughter. Know that I miss you and can't wait to see your smiling faces as I am sick of looking at Steve's ugly mug.

I will update later in the day as I see Steve coming in the rear view mirror now. Gotta go.

Dan O'Toole

Next Few Days. We will See How Many

2009-09-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

Niagara Falls, NY to Syracuse, NY
Find more Bike Rides in Upstate New York, New York

Day 2

2009-09-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

We are in the States. Hooray.

This is actually my second blog of the day. The first one I wrote while waiting for the guys, and then I forgot to save it. Dumb.

The day got off to a slow start, at least for me. The guys took off from Rob's house at 7:30am. Rob once again joined Steve as did Ian Penny and Aaron Jarc. They left while I..... ummmmm... slept. John Chisholm, who I mentioned yesterday, took me to the Port Credit Jazz Festival last night to see Lighthouse. An old band I had never heard of in my life. Long story short, we had a lot of laughs and I ended up sleeping on John's couch. For some reason, alarm clocks do not work in John's house as he slept through his as did I. I woke up at 8am. Quick as lightning would describe how I left that house.

I caught up to the guys an hour later, and surprisingly, they weren't even mad at me. They could probably tell I was already more than rattled. We proceeded to make our way through the Niagara wine region. What a spectacular setting. It was nice, flat, scenic terrain for the guys and they really enjoyed it.

They eventually made it to Niagra Falls, even though I took a wrong turn and added 3 miles to the guys trip. It sure does sound like I am going to get fired, but I have job security as Webby knows I am the only one. I like to think of myself as a lone wolf.

After wings in the Falls, the guys took off and left Steve and I on our own. They will be missed as they really helped Steve. Webby was the no fun police as he wouldn't let me visit the haunted houses or casino's. We instead spent an hour trying to find a wireless signal in the Falls which we never did. It was quite comical as we went around parking in front of every hotel trying to find some semblance of a signal. Hence the delay in sending this blog.

Steve got into the truck with me to cross the border as I may have looked a little fishy driving a truck with NY plates into the US with a Canadian Passport. Once across, Webb got back out and was back on his way.

The first leg of the US portion of the journey was almost catastrophic as we hit a section of highway that had potholes so big, people were using them as swimming pools. Once past that section, it was smooth sailing. Webby got in a nice groove and ended up going just past Amherst, NY for a second day total of 98 miles.

We are now in our hotel and getting ready to go watch the Sunday night football game right after we plan our route for tomorrow.

Thanks for reading and we will talk soon.

Dan O'Toole

End of Day 1

2009-09-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

We made it to Oakville and I only lost the guys four times. You may laugh but it is actually pretty easy to do. Plus I was never told that I had to always 'be around', so I learned the hard way that
people riding bikes for countless miles need food and drinks, which is my job on this trip I guess.

The tan lines on the guys are very comical. Perfect farmer's tan's, meaning sunscreen
will be on the shopping list tomorrow. They did 105 miles today. Very impressive indeed. We are staying at Rob Zamuner's tonight. He has a gorgeous home and an even more beautiful family. He and his wife Ann welcomed us with open arms, although their daughter asked why Steve and I weren't leaving when the rest of the crew was.

Steve and I are currently trying to work out a few kinks in our system. Kink's like how do we not lose each other. I am sure Steve will say I left them stranded on day one, but let it be known that I was never told to be anywhere. I implore anyone to drive around aimlessly while also being in the exact place the team wants you to be. A location no one has ever specified. It is essentially a day long search for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and I have yet to find it. Maybe I should just tie Steve to the bumper and then all our problem's will be solved.

Rob just happens to live around the corner from a good friend of Steve and I, John Chisholm. He came over for a drink to meet the crew and shared some laughs regarding our first day adventures.

I am told day 2 begins at 7am tomorrow. I wonder if I can lose Steve before we leave the house? Here's hoping so.

Dan O'Toole

Day One

2009-09-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

And it begins. After a brief visit to Tim Horton’s, the group assembled for the start of what should be, a memorable journey. As mentioned, Steve was not solo for the first leg of the trip. He was joined by former NHL’ers John Druce and Rob Zamuner as well as his cousin’s Sid and Jordi Vilneff. A number of Steve’s family also came out to send the group off. It was actually a great turnout considering it was 7am on a chilly Saturday morning.

I am running on fumes, as I have not yet slept due to my strange hours at work. I will be making a number of stops at Tim’s today as well as downing a few Beaver Buzz’s. Lack of sleep can be blamed for a couple things, which I will explain very soon. Steve and the gang took off and I followed them for the first few miles to ensure no tires or people fell off the bikes. Everything was going smooth so I sped ahead. Speed being the operative word as I was stopped by a cop for going 23 over the speed limit. Did I mention I was driving Steve’s truck that has New York plates and I didn’t have my license on me? The officer took pity on me and let me off with just a ticket for no license. So that is mistake number one.

While the group rode through the rolling hills of the Kawartha’s, I was washing the truck and organizing the supplies. This is when I got a frantic call from Steve asking where the hell I was. Turns out the guys where hungry and I had the food with me. Call it a lack of communication, aka. Steve not telling me what’s going on. So that was mistake number two.

As for the guys on the bikes? They were flying, and I am not just saying that. They were moving well and didn’t even look fatigued. They stopped for lunch and are now off again, which means I better get back on the road before Steve calls looking for me again.

I will send pictures once I figure out how.

Dan O’Toole

Night Before the Ride Dan O'Toole

2009-09-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

It is the night before the ride, when all through the house, Steve is stirring and he is a hell of a lot larger than a mouse.

I just got off the phone with Webby and he is pumped. He can't wait to get on the road and put that first mile behind him. The supplies have been bought, the truck is gassed up, and it may or may not have a flat tire.

I kid you not. It is Steve's vehicle and he thinks that one tire may have a hole in it. Steve may make it to Long Island on his bike, but I may not, and I am driving the vehicle that has the motor.

Steve is being joined on the first leg of the trip by some very close friends. A perfect way to begin as it will give Webby that extra boost out of the gate. The only thing I worry about is the route Steve has mapped out. Let's just say Steve is no Christopher Columbus. He does drive to Peterborough from Long Island all the time, and to my knowledge, he hasn't got lost, so keep your finger's crossed. If we end up in Kansas City, you know who to blame.

Our day one destination will be Oakville, which is just West of Toronto. A perfect first leg as it is enough miles to test Webby and not to many so as to burn him out. Once he gets off the bike tomorrow, he will know a little better what he can and can't do. I have a feeling the Tiger Balm may be needed, but if Steve thinks I am putting it on, he is greatly mistaken.

I am working tonight and will be going straight to Peterborough once SportsCentre is over. I will make sure to give Steve a mention at the end of the show.

Next time I speak with you, we will be in Oakville. Be sure to send your donations and best wishes to Steve. He needs all the support he can get.

Dan O'Toole