Cynthia Rutters (Toronto, Canada) has been an avid cyclist for many years, but in 2008 her passion turned into a cause when she registered for “The Ride To Conquer Cancer”. It is a fundraising event held for the Campbell Family Institute at the Princess Margaret Hospital. Worldwide, it is known as one of the top five cancer research facilities. The event requires all participants to raise a minimum of $2, 500 dollars and complete a 200-kilometer bicycle ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls. She chose to ride for her cousin Jeff, who inspires her with his sense of humour and personal battle against cancer. Cynthia saw participating in the ride as one of the only viable ways that she could help Jeff, since he lives 500 kilometers away from her.
After registering, two challenges faced Cynthia: fundraising and training. In order to participate, riders must commit to fundraising $2, 500 dollars. Wanting to challenge herself, she chose to raise at least $3, 000. This was a daunting task because many people are concurrently fundraising for various causes. Through the support of her family, networking, and releasing her story to the media in her small town, Cynthia managed to raise over $4, 700. Training is something she did not take lightly either knowing how long and grueling the distance of the bike ride would be. She trained for months by cycling with other riders on weekends, participating in spinning classes, and doing resistance training. Yet, she would not know if she was prepared enough until the day of the ride.
That morning, Cynthia arrived to find 2, 500 riders, 1, 000 volunteers, and a large roadside assistance crew. Automatically she knew that she was a part of something large – so large, that it had the population of her town (1, 400 people) beat! On the first day, she discovered how hilly the terrain was, but focused on how her cousin Jeff has never given up and drew inspiration from him to persevere. Other riders helped to inspire each other too, telling stories of their reasons for riding and shouting words of encouragement. Although exhausted, she was prepared to cycle the second day having been motivated by the stories of others she heard at camp. A cancer survivor who had lost a leg to the disease, but was riding for nine friends who did not win the battle particularly moved her. That second day, her legs were in pain and she even had to take small breaks from biking, but she never quit. As soon as she noticed the Niagara Falls mist, she began celebrating and continued to do so as crowds of people cheered her on at the finish line. The fundraising and the cycling were not easy, but neither is cancer. Through her success, Cynthia is giving the world of cancer research hope.
Since this event, she has continued riding with reason. Cynthia has completed several charity rides. Last summer, she participated in the “Ride for Sight”. She rode a tandem bike with a blind friend. They completed the 144 km distance between Toronto and Collingwood. Being so inspired by the force of people working collectively, Cynthia foresees continuing her charity work.
By Aleks Sagan
Blog Writer 2009-2010, Change Tomorrow’s World
