Calgary Welcome!

Calgary Sun -  Former Flame Brad Marsh pedals hope for kid. Article here

Calgary Flames and Talisman representatives join kids
at the BGC in northeast Calgary for a group photo
and cheque presentation
Photo by Calgary Sun

Calgary Herald - Beloved former Flames captain 'Marshy' rides for Boys and Girls Clubs. Article here

Former Calgary Flames captain Brad Marsh arrives at the
Calgary Boys and Girls Clubs Thursday as part of his cross-
country fundraising bicycle journey
Photo by Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald

Why Donate to the Boys and Girls Club

Brad Marsh with BGC Renfrew Calgary Club kids receives donations
from Flames Foundation, Alumni & Talisman Energy

It’s not always easy being a kid. Add to that the growing list of negative influences kids face today and one might even say they have the odds stacked against them. Luckily for everyone kids are flexible and resilient. A lot of times all kids need is the chance to succeed and grow their confidence in themselves. Give a child the opportunity to play in a positive environment and watch their confidence grow.

During a floor hockey game at the Kimount Boys and Girls Club in Vancouver a boy, no older than 11, tells Canuck’s Alumni Bon Murray and I between shifts, “You and Bob play forward, I have a better shot than you so pass the puck back to me and I’ll score from the point.” Bob and I were both taken aback. I can’t speak for Bob but I was taken aback with the confidence this kid had. Would he have this confidence in himself had it not been for the floor hockey league at the Boys and Girls Club? I somehow doubt it.

The kind of confidence kids gain by playing and growing in such a positive atmosphere shapes them into their adult lives. This confidence is the key to developing the attitude that they can conquer any challenge whether it is in school, interacting with their peers or later, in their careers. I love seeing the smallest kid running to the center of the floor for the puck drop instead of waiting on the sidelines. I love seeing the girls participating and more than holding their own against the boys. I love being in an atmosphere without any putdowns or negativity.

The Boys and Girls Club needs your help to provide thousands of kids with the opportunity to live up to their potential. Donations of any size can make a big difference in a kid’s life. It might be sending a kid to camp or it might be providing a meal for a boy or girl who hasn’t had anything to eat all day. It could be sports equipment or academic resources, whatever the end result, it starts with your donations. All it took for me was a few minutes with the kids to see why our ride is necessary and more importantly why you need to donate to your local Boys and Girls Club. It may not be much to you but it can mean the world to a kid in your community. 

Golden B.C. & Courageous Explorers

It's all in the stache!

Today Pat and Dad rode over Rogers Pass. While anyone might think that riding any section of the Trans-Canada may be only mildly impressive, this insane stretch of road deserves some kudos. Major A.B. Rogers was a cantankerous, cussing surveyor who discovered the pass in 1882. The mustachioed Major was hired by the CPR to find a way through the Selkirk Mountains, which were previously thought to be impassable. Rogers was a tough man to work under and his men were frequently forced to work in the harsh conditions while also flirting with starvation.  Once the last railroad spike was driven, connecting British Columbia with the rest of Canada (fulfilling a Confederation promise by Sir John A. Macdonald), a resort was established at the summit of Rogers Pass. This resort was built before the now famous railway luxury resorts in Banff and Lake Louise, however the popular resort ultimately succumbed to the record snowfall and avalanche prone geography.  The railroad experienced so many losses both in equipment and in human life that they eventually built tunnels to bypass the dangerous summit, leaving the Pass to the wilderness until the Trans-Canada Highway was built decades later. Even in April the threat of avalanches is never far away. Snow sheds protecting the highway dot the ribbon of road through the Selkirk’s as well as many signs warning, “No Stopping Avalanche Area.”

Explorers 

Knowing a bit of the history informs us of just how treacherous the Pass can be. Though many advancements have been made, and the Royal Canadian Artillery regularly sets off controlled avalanches to protect the public, whether you are driving or cycling over this stretch of road you still can’t help but be on edge. As Pat and Dad powered up the steep slopes towards the summit, they may not have faced the immediate danger of an avalanche or the threat of starvation as Rogers’ men faced but they did have to ride the fine line between tractor trailers zooming past only inches away on their left and a long lethal drop over the edge to their right. They rode on like courageous explorers inching ever closer to the top with each pedal stroke. This may be the toughest stretch of road on our entire route across the country, and in a lot of ways it is the route that most closely aligns the rider with the brave men who initially made the rugged landscape of our country inhabitable. Rolling into Golden today, even I, the driver of the support car, felt as if something special was accomplished. Team Marsh conquered what was once thought to be impassable and in the context of our challenge, it is a monumental achievement that should be celebrated.

Erik

 

Catching Kelowna

Erik, Brad & Kirsti ride it out.

The past few days on the bike have been incredible. It has been incredibly hard, incredibly demanding and incredibly beautiful. Cycling is like that. A good ride combines a perfect amount of suffering with the right amount of reward. An easy coast around the block doesn’t leave you with the satisfaction of putting in a good honest effort and testing your body’s capabilities. Conversely, it’s no fun maxing yourself out into the red zone to the point of spotty vision and dizziness. The perfect day on the bike challenges your physical limitations without killing you.

The ride on Highway 5A between Merritt and Kamloops may just be among the most amazing bike rides I’ve ever had in my entire life. It was the ideal mix of rolling hills, no wind, beautiful weather and even more beautiful scenery. It was not the beautiful lakes dotting the desert landscape that made that day so amazing however. It was the pure feeling of setting your tires to the road and having perfect freedom. Just like the first day Dad takes the training wheels off your first bike and the simple act of riding to the end of the street fills your heart with joy.

           

This morning we set out for Kelowna hoping for a repeat of the day before. The weather seemed to be cooperating as the sun shone over the Okanagen Valley but our invisible nemesis, wind, made the day very challenging. This was also the first day of our ride where we were under a time constraint. We promised the BGC in Kelowna that we’d be in at 2pm to play road hockey with the kids and we didn’t want to be late. After some tough miles into the wind, we welcomed some help. Our friend, Kirsti Lay, a speed skater from Vernon, BC, joined us to get us into Kelowna on time. As much as cycling is largely an individual effort, there are cooperative aspects to it as well. Cyclists often use a technique called “drafting” where one cyclist ride in front of the other, breaking the wind for the person behind them. In doing this, the rider in front carries a much harder workload while the rider behind uses considerably less effort to maintain the same speed. By alternating who rides in front, the workload is shared and the day is a lot easier. Especially with the wind blowing like it was, it was great having a strong rider like Kirsti helping out.

We arrived at the Kelowna club to a road hockey game already in progress. We were a little slow out there after our ride but we had a great time playing with the kids. I signed a few autographs and they presented me with a sweatshirt and a water bottle (that will come in handy!) from their club. I even met an old friend of mine from my elementary school in London so with the night free I was able to relax at his house and catch up over a well-deserved cold one. Tomorrow we’re headed to Revelstoke and back into the mountains. I’m starting to look forward to those flat prairies.

Brad

Merritt & More Part 2

Day 2 didn’t get any easier. The rain was still coming down and the temperature had dipped to around 3 degrees. We had a tough day of climbing ahead of us and the bulk of it was right from the start. The first 50km was entirely uphill. We were feeling good, albeit very wet, as we made our ascent into the foggy mountains surrounding the Coquihalla Highway. The rain turned to snow and about 40km in I had a flat tire. Luckily Mom was close with the van so I set to changing the flat as quick as I could as Dad pushed on into the fog. After changing the flat I had been in the cold, covered in soaking wet clothes for so long that I started shivering so intensely that I couldn’t go on. Dad was left on his own to solo the remaining 80km.

Watching him from the car is terrifying. Every truck that passes seems to just miss him and waiting for him to catch up when we drive ahead is a nightmare of worry. Dad told us after he didn’t mind riding alone. He imagined himself in a breakaway in the Tour de France, escaping the peloton for a stage win with Phil Ligget announcing his every move, “Marsh seems to be in fine form, today just might be the day for the big man from Canada to hold off the pack and take the stage win in the mountains!” It was a long day with almost 7 hours on the road but the sun may finally come out tomorrow, and hopefully we can arrive in Kamloops dry and happy.

Erik