Ride For Heart 2010

We are excited to welcome and feature a guest contribution to the blog by Claudio Costantino. Claudio has been with the Miratel team for over 4 years serving as a part-time Project Manager. Claudio shares his experiences earlier this month taking part in the Ride for Heart 2010 event in Toronto.

Taking over the highway !

Following weeks of dedication to both my fundraising initiatives and training for the event, come Sunday, June 6^th I felt that I was surely prepared to fulfill my commitment to complete the 50 kilometre bike ride across the City of Toronto. What could possibly go wrong? I had properly prepared myself for the event by obtaining all the proper biking attire, and I had even managed to get my hands on a racing bike specifically designed for this type of journey. However, with the wonderful weather that we had been getting throughout the week, one thing that had never crossed my mind was that it could actually rain that morning. Well, it did rain—a lot of very, very cold rain. During the first 10 kilometres—our clothes dripping wet and our shoes filled with water—it began to feel as though we were instead swimming across the city. However, although I, along with my crew, admittedly gave thought to pulling out early, there were far too many reasons for us to finish this event.

Hailing from a family with a history of heart-related ailments and having worked with the Heart & Stroke Foundation via Miratel Solutions, I both appreciate and recognize the reach of this organization throughout Canada. Ultimately, this provided me with the motivation to complete what I can now describe as a proud achievement. While the rain did deter some cyclists that would have otherwise been present for the event, this year’s Ride for Heart was a remarkable success. For the first time in its 23-year history, the event officially “sold out.” All 13,000 spots were filled by dedicated participants whose contributions helped to raise a record $3.3 million that will be dedicated towards research, social change and educational programs.

The experience itself is quite extraordinary. As an opportunity to combine fundraising initiatives with healthy physical activity, Ride for Heart shuts down two major arteries in the City of Toronto—the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway—to vehicular traffic and opens it solely to cyclists. Although the fate of the Gardiner is often highly-debated among the people of Toronto, and particularly in the topic of waterfront redevelopment, there is no doubt that taking atop the elevated highway on a bicycle provides a wonderful opportunity to experience the city’s urban landscapes from a new point of view. Furthermore, with the rain finally clearing, the ability to ride alongside the Don Valley River provides for a greater appreciation of the city’s most fascinating region of geological history.

All in all, despite the efforts of Mother Nature to literally rain on this parade, those who participated in Ride for Heart 2010 were rewarded with a truly inspirational and fulfilling day. For those proud supporters seeking to raise awareness for the Heart & Stroke Foundation, their endeavours went above and beyond the projected fundraising goals. For those passionate cyclists looking to avoid the municipal politics currently surrounding bike lanes in Toronto, the event provided the perfect venue to successfully demonstrate the popularity of cycling in this city. And for those recreationally-minded individuals who fall slightly into each category (such as myself), Ride for Heart 2010 provided a day to get active and simply explore and embrace the exhilarating landscapes that constitute the city which we love to call home.