When Cathy Williscroft of Point Grey got into cycling a year ago she didn’t know she would end up riding from Kelowna to Delta in a single day to raise money for cancer research. Though the 40-year-old mother of three had watched a good friend and breast cancer survivor participate in Ride2Survive for three years, she had no intention of taking part in such a gruelling event until “the stars aligned.”

Williscroft’s mother passed away in 2009 after a 10-year battle with cancer. But that wasn’t enough to convince her to cycle the 400-kilometer route that includes a 12,000-foot climb and 19 hours of pedalling. It wasn’t until earlier this year when her brother-in-law was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that she decided to participate. She started training in March.

“I was turning 40, loving road riding, was feeling fit and healthy and felt that the stars were aligning. This was my time to do it,” said Williscroft.

When asked how she found time to train with three children under the age of six at home, Williscroft said that it was a family effort. Her husband took over more of the childcare. When her husband worked nights, Williscroft’s cousin volunteered to stay over with the kids so that she could be out the door by 6:30 a.m. for training rides that were up to eight hours long.

On ride day, June 18, Williscroft experienced a low moment as the group was riding into Merritt. She was riding downhill and pedalling as hard as she could but a strong headwind made it feel as if she was standing still. It was looking at her mother’s name, which she had written on her hand, and the encouragement of the other riders that helped her dig deep and keep going.

Though the ride was often brutal, as it is meant to be in order to simulate what it’s like to undergo cancer treatment, Williscroft said that it was the “icing on the cake,” a culmination of months of hard physical conditioning, team-building and fundraising.

Fundraising on her own for a cause was new for Williscroft so she set a modest goal of raising $2,000. However, to-date, she has raised over $6,000, a significant portion of the total $283,000 that Ride2Survive has pulled in this year.

Like each of the 90 riders and 70 crew members who are raising funds through Ride2Survive, Williscroft had the opportunity to tell the Canadian Cancer Society how she would like her $6,000 spent. She has asked that it go toward “general” cancer research because she rode for people who have been afflicted with multiple forms of the disease.

Ride2Survive Operations Officer Vicki Kunzli said, “All of our money goes to the Canadian Cancer Society and is put in trust until the participants decide where it should go.” She added, “None of the money raised is used to fund the ride.”

Lower Mainland businesses such as Caps South Shore Cycle, the official home of the ride, provided the necessary goods and services including food, water, vehicles, radios and mechanical support.

When asked if she was planning to do it all again next year, Williscroft said that she has already signed up.

The 2012 Ride2Survive kicks off in February with a two-hour indoor ride and orientation session at Southridge School in South Surrey. Registration is open now. For more information, see ride2survive.ca.