If practice makes perfect then training for a 1000 km cycle is key to success.
The team of riders on board for Bike for Breakfast YLL have moved an idea to raise funds to assist area school feeding programs into an actionable event, that’s just one sleep away.
Podcaster Shaun Neuman is putting in the extra training with the 11 member team as they build stamina to trade their daytime gigs for this weekend’s trek to Tuffnell, Saskatchewan.
“We’ve got a handful of people who had never ridden a bike on a highway before that are now riding 60 k at a time. Nigel Dube is up to 100 KM a day. That’s impressive to watch people get out of their comfort zone, tackle their fears and embrace it. I’m excited to get on the bus and see what they’re going to do.”
The relay ride will see the nine cyclists and two support staff all taking turns as they push past their endurance threshold. They have a strong rationale of supporting area school breakfast programs that have been impacted by budget cuts. The 11 riders will leave from the Gold Horse Casino on Friday at 5 pm.
Neuman says they have a plan for how the relay trek will play out.
“We are all going to take turns for the first nine hours. We are going to see how the first nine hours goes. Then from there, we might ride more or we might keep the nine segment relay going until we all feel comfortable getting more people riding, but in the beginning, we want to make sure we get everybody involved as quickly as possible.”
Apart from the training, the mental preparation has the team facing the unpredictability of weather on the Canadian prairies, whether it’s hot and sunny, strong headwinds to slow them down or a thunderstorm. Those variables appear to be all in the mix, given what Environment Canada is reporting at this time for the weekend.
Neuman says the team will be looking out for each other as a primary safety strategy on the open highways.
“We have a pilot truck in the back and a bus in the front. So we are ensuring that the rider is safe at all times. Then we have some support staff that will be in and out throughout the day, so if somebody really needs to go somewhere we will have the ability to do that. Plus, in today’s world with cellphones, we will have the opportunity. We have got the med bags and we’ve got more water than you can shake a stick at.”
Neuman adds it’s been pretty cool to watch the entire community get behind them in support of the effort. Bike for Breakfast YLL aims to raise $200,000 to support area school feeding programs. The riders plan to be back in Lloydminster on Sunday afternoon.