A local cyclist is now recovering after participating in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer over the weekend.

Todd Martin rode over 200 km over two days, cycling both ways from Winsport Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, through Bragg Creek, Millarville, and into Okotoks.

Martin says the journey was an intense experience from the start, including the opening ceremonies at COP with thousands of people in attendance.

"They had a motivational speaker that's actually going through cancer right now, and he said some words, you could have heard a pin drop," he says. " He rode this weekend as well, and the fact that the guy has cancer in his lungs and he did this. I mean, there's nothing you couldn't have overcome when you're going through the pain of the actual ride, when you know there's other folks out there on the ride that are going through that."

He shares the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer was the longest bike ride he'd ever done, and one of the most difficult.

"I didn't have a real good grasp of the scale of distance, I mean I knew the route, I live in Okotoks, so I know how to get from Bragg Creek to Okotoks. But you don't really appreciate how many changes in elevation, and how many big hills there are until you do it one pedal stroke at a time."

Martin says throughout the two day ride, there were many physical and emotional highs and lows, but the words from the guest speaker at COP and thoughts of his family pushed him through.

"He's going through cancer, and the low points for him are the valleys, and he can choose to live in the valleys which are dark, and don't have a real good panorama of what's going on. Or he can aim for the top of the hill which offers lots of sunshine, optimism, and a better view of what's going on for perspective. So I kept that in the back of my mind, and as I was going up those hills, one stroke at a time, I was channelling the thoughts of the folks we've lost to cancer, the ones that survived, and the ones going through it. I just thought all the pain, turmoil, and struggle just to get out of bed everyday that they're going through, I can see the top of my hill, they didn't necessarily see the top of theirs, so you just push through it."

Martin shares the ride was made even that much better by all the support from volunteers, and community.

"There's so many amazing people in the organization, volunteers along the route, and even the understanding of the Okotoks community. You had 1000 plus cyclists with varying degrees of skill occupying our residential streets creating a bit of traffic havoc I'm sure, the community understanding was amazing, for the most part everyone was cheering us on and supporting us as they went."

He adds he can't say thank you enough to his wife and son for being his pit crew, and the National Oilwell Varco team he rode with, which raised over $160,000.

In total the two day event raised 6.7 million dollars for the Alberta Cancer Foundation.

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