MCAT Members Participate in Ride to Conquer Cancer

For two days in June, three teams of mechanical contractors and suppliers from the Toronto area geared up to help raise funds for The Princess Margaret Hospital. The event saw cycling enthusiasts ride over 200 kilometres from Toronto to Niagara Falls. The course was ridden on a combination of city streets and country roads, with pit stops every 25 to 30 kilometres.

The inaugural Ride to Conquer Cancer emerged as Canada’s most successful cycling fundraiser. Held Jun. 21 to 22, 2008, The Princess Margaret hospital announced that the 2850 participants raised a total of $14 million.

The first MCAT team was the Wolseley Super Sevens which consisted of seven riders – Jeff Banks, Kevin Pollard, Guenther Koehler, Scott McIntyre, Jamie Sullivan, Tony Woolhouse and Grant Sackin.

According to Tara Douglas of Wolseley, the first annual  Ride to Conquer Cancer was “rewarding and fulfilling.”

“All of our team members felt (The Ride to Conquer Cancer) was a great cause and we look forward to participating next year,” she said. “Although it was two days of challenging riding, the team agrees that even an amateur can do it.”

The second MCAT team was the Dobbin Wildcats which consisted of nine riders – Bruce Laing, Jason Boyd, Claudia Casciato, Daniel David, Palma Disciullo, Cam Hall, Robert Hughes, Christina Laing and Anabela Santos.

“Nobody on the Dobbin Wildcats knew exactly what to expect as we sat on our bikes waiting to start our 200 km journey,” said team captain, Bruce Laing. “We were all nervous and excited to finally start the ride which we had all trained long and hard for. Nobody on our team had ever participated in such a massive undertaking, because we weren’t riders, we were all just a bunch of co-workers thinking we could make a small difference to help conquer cancer. We each had our own reasons for taking on this challenge, but it was soon quite evident that this commitment was so very worthwhile.”

According to Laing, the feeling of accomplishment to physically ride a bike from Toronto to Niagara Falls was one thing, but the appreciation of so many people standing along the route, cheering the group on was completely unexpected and humbling.

“We were thanked and encouraged countless times along the route by total strangers, all so genuine in their appreciation,” he said. “The experience was incredible, one which I personally will do again, without hesitation. Our team raised over $31,000 towards a cure, but I know that we cannot put a dollar figure on what the ride did for us. Thanks to everyone who supported this worthy and wonderful event.”

The third group was the MCAT1 Team Pursuit which consisted of Matt Dimond, Michael Anderson, Paul Casey, Keith Davidge, Marc Forrest, Ken Marks and Scott Munro.

According to MCAT 1 Team Pursuit member, Scott Munro, the Ride to Conquer Cancer was a two-day journey for himself and his fellow team members that will be remembered forever.

“What started out has a personal physical challenge for each of us, coupled with the ability to raise money towards a cure to conquer cancer quickly became an ‘eye opening’ and truly phenomenal experience,” Munro said.

At the onset, TEAM PURSUIT had two goals: (1) Individually/collectively help raise as much money as possible to aid in the fight to cure cancer and (2) To not only complete the 200 km journey, but try to do so in less than 10 hours of total riding time over the two-days.

“I am extremely proud to say that we raised over $27,000 as a team and we completed the ride in approximately eight hours of total riding time,” he said.

“Words cannot describe the feeling you get while riding with your exhausted, but determined team mates through the Niagara escarpment, where you haven’t seen a sole for over an hour,” Munro said. “Then you ride into some small, remote town where people are cheering you on, holding banners saying thing such as, ‘Thanks for riding for my mom’ or ‘My big brother is watching from above,’ and cheering at the top of their lungs to keep on riding. That’s when you realize what this ride means.”

According to Munro the ride to conquer cancer was one of the most rewarding experiences of his life and he can’t wait to do it again next year.

In total, the three teams raised a total of over $78,000. In addition, the MCAT donated over $1,100 to each team, raising the total to over $81,000.

“I have spent most of my clinical career operating on patients who have cancer and I can assure that research has dramatically improved outcomes over the past 20 years,” said Dr. Bob Bell, president and CEO, University Health Network. “Because of the support received through the ride, we can help researchers at Canada’s premier cancer research centre find the cures that will make cancer history.”

With the launch of The Ride to Conquer Cancer, The Princess Margaret can allocate crucial funds for its research arm, the Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI), which includes The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute and The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer Research. Dr. Benjamin Neel, director of The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute, and Dr. Mary Gospodarowicz, medical director of Princess Margaret Hospital Cancer Program, have a clear vision on where the money raised on The Ride to Conquer Cancer will be best utilized.

“I was attracted to Canada because of the unique research being conducted at The Princess Margaret, one of the top five cancer research centres in the world,” said Dr. Benjamin Neel. “The Princess Margaret is home to 168 scientists who specialize in cancer research. While The Princess Margaret has established world-leading positions in areas such as Cancer Stem Cells, Tumor Hypoxia/metabolism, Radiation Biology and Imaging Physics/Guided Therapeutics, modern cancer research is extremely expensive and labour intensive. To stay at the cutting edge, we need to be able to recruit and retain the best scientists, purchase the most modern equipment, and fund high-risk, high-gain research projects that typically are not supported by other funding agencies.”

Although improvements have been made to treat the over 200 types of cancer in the last 20 years, many cancers are still often lethal with lung, pancreatic and ovarian presenting significant treatment challenges. In 2008 alone, there will be an estimated 159,900 new cases of cancer diagnosed in Canada and 72,700 deaths because of cancer.

“We are extremely grateful and appreciate everyone’s involvement in The Ride to Conquer Cancer,” said Paul Alofs, president and CEO of The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. “Thanks to the generous commitment of riders and the support of the public, donors and corporate sponsors, The Princess Margaret has made significant progress in the fight against cancer here in Canada. Our goal is to conquer cancer in our lifetime and with funding from the ride, we are steps closer to making that vision become a reality.”

The second annual Ride to Conquer Cancer event is already planned for Jun. 12 to 14 2009. For more information about the event, or to register as a participant for next year, contact (416) 815-RIDE (7433) or sign up on-line at www.conquercancer.ca .