North Vancouver’s Dan Payne remembers the first time he participated in the Ride to Conquer Cancer several years ago.
Although it took some cajoling to get him to partake in the ride in the first place, he’s sure glad he did.
“That very first time I can remember, as I’m finishing and I was going across the finish line, and there was lots of people cheering, I just looked into the crowd and I caught the eye of my wife and two little boys,” he explains.
“Just that sense of accomplishment of being a part of something that is so important -- it was wonderful. It was a great feeling.”
Payne is currently gearing up for his fourth Ride to Conquer Cancer, taking place Aug. 26-27.
As B.C.’s largest cycling fundraiser, the two-day, 200-kilometre rides exists due to people’s commitment to strive for a cancer-free future.
And that’s a future that Payne can get behind.
He rides because of the important people in his life whose lives have been affected by cancer over the years.
“My father had lung cancer; my mother’s husband, he’s battled cancer a couple of times; and particularly this year, however, my wife was diagnosed with cancer in December,” he says.
“It really hit home for us this year.”
Although Payne has three family member who have had close brushes with cancer, he says he has been inspired by their tenacity and is committed to riding on their behalf.
Since the beginning of his riding tenure, Payne has ridden with Team Perimeter Drainage, who are led by former-North Vancouver resident Chris Gray.
“I’ve ridden with them every year. As of this year, Chris’s group has raised close to $500,000 with the ride. I’m very proud to be with that group,” he says.
Since 2008, the Ride to Conquer Cancer event has raised more than $370 million used to support the BC Cancer Foundation and BC Cancer Agency, according to a fact sheet provided by event organizers.
While Payne has played a big role in his riding team’s success, that almost wasn’t the case.
Asked how experienced of a biker he how was prior to joining the team, for example, Payne quips that he “didn’t even own a bike.”
“The first time around without Chris Gray I probably wouldn’t have done it,” Payne admits. “He was really what got me to do it because he had such a sense of commitment to this ride that he sucked me in.”
After years of living with the emotional toil and challenges that come when a loved one is sick, Payne says the ride provides a strong “emotional lift.”
“Everybody around you is so positive -- all the fellow riders, the teammates that I ride with, the volunteers -- everybody has such an incredible energy that at any point if you’re feeling a little bit deflated, somebody else is picking you up,” he says.
All three of Payne’s family members have had their cancer treated at the BC Cancer Agency, an agency that provides clinical care and research.
Payne commends the efforts of Gray, adding that it’s not an easy task to get up to 30 people together and keep them motivated enough over the years to keep contributing to the riding team.
“I think it’s guys like Chris that really make this ride a success,” he says.
Payne’s other hero is his wife, whose cancer diagnosis in December came as shocking news to the family.
“She’s been incredibly strong and it’s certainly taken an emotional and physical toll, but she’s a tremendously strong woman,” he says.
Although the people he knows who have been affected by cancer -- and even those he doesn’t know -- will be on his mind during the upcoming ride, he takes solace in the fighting spirit those with cancer often display.
Payne’s daughter Laura will be joining him on the ride this year. There’s been some good news about his wife which has Payne more energized about the ride.
“Fortunately, we got a phone call in June that all the treatments that she took had been successful and that she is now cancer-free,” Payne says.
