AMYLOIDOSIS AWARENESS:
XAVIER'S LEGACY
Canada 2022 🍁
Following a successful debut in 2021, beautiful British Columbia was selected as the 2022 host country. The team embarked on a 532 km trek departing from Whistler Mountain, island hopping Westward, and ending back at Xavier's high school in his home town of Burnaby. This edition of "Journey for X" hauled in $5,300.00 CAD, and with the help of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 83, established a $1,500.00/year nursing bursary at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Xavier's name.
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Day 1: Whistler to Squamish
10/07/2022
We're back. And what a first day! Joined by a much bigger crew due to the "home field advantage" of being back in BC, we had an incredible send off courtesy of the gracious hosts at Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre in Whistler. Riders for the first day included the "core four" group from the previous year (Aja, Tony, Jake and Luke), as well as Sarah Jenkins Basi (cousin), Ocean Starr (friend), and Amber Jenkins (cousin). Our support crew was also ramped right up in numbers as we had Fionna (mum), Sherry Lewis (auntie), Doug Jenkins (uncle), Jag Basi (cousin), Darrian Jenkins (cousin), Kyan Aguirre (brother), and Roberto Car (friend). Xavier was the main reason we started doing this ride in the first place, but we also do it for all those that are or ever have suffered from Amyloidosis. This includes Roberto's grandfather, who was diagnosed with amyloidosis shortly before the 2022 ride began and who we represented alongside Xavier's image with pins on our shirts.
It was a beautiful day and we had good enough conditions to go off our planned path and through some gorgeous trails (albeit slightly harder than just the main road would be, especially on road bikes!).
We set off and made our way to the Olympic Rings in the village for a quick picture before heading right to the trail that leads to "function junction". After a quick water break we set off again and had a full lunch stop at Brandywine Falls. After that it was straight out onto the open road down the treacherous Sea to Sky highway, which was scary for some at first due to the cars whizzing by at 110 km/hr on sometimes narrow lanes. But Doug and Jag brought their big rigs and stayed close on our tail to block some of the more dangerous traffic, and together we overcame this segment. Very proud of every single rider and support member on this day. We climbed the big hill up to the Tantalus lookout point, and we even made good enough time that we could take a pit stop at Brohm Lake just before Squamish to soak our legs and take the support doggos for a swim.
Start 09:08; distance 69.52 km; moving time 04:23:07; elevation 648 m;
max elevation 683 m; average speed 15.5 km/h; max speed 52.4 km/h.
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Day 2: Squamish to Sechelt
11/07/2022
What a day. The weather, the scenery, the water. We thought it would be the hardest of the days, and perhaps it was and we simply enjoyed it too much to remember to be tired on those big hills. We got the chance to stop at Squamish Nation's Totem Hall on our way out, just before heading to Shannon falls. We made a game plan for the tricky parts of the highway that we were going to be facing, decided on Porteau Cove as our next meeting point, where we had some snacks and some fun on the beach logs. Then it was back on the Sea to Sky, and toward the ferry at Horseshoe Bay where we had the chance to recoup and get ready for the last part of the day. As we exited the ferry we were right back on the main road, and it was a breezy 20 km from there straight into Davis Bay in Sechelt.
We stayed right on the beach and had a nice dip in the ocean, taking advantage of the beautiful British Columbia coast. One big highlight from this day was the amount of people that approached us and asked about our cause, allowing us to spread awareness for Amyloidosis everywhere we went: on the ferry; on the lookouts through the sea to sky; and at our rest stop at Porteau Cove.
Start 09:31; distance 82.31 km; moving time 05:47:23; elevation 1,159 m;
max elevation 177 m; average speed 14.2 km/h; max speed 69.8 km/h.
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Day 3: Sechelt to Powell River
12/07/2022
This was the hard day. We ended on almost 95 km, and these pictures don’t even begin to do justice to the hills we had to climb. However, for every hill up you get to come back down so we had some fun mountainside cruises down as well (check the top speed!). Despite being very fortunate with the weather once again, and finding time to have a cooling dip in the beautiful Ruby Lake, there were a few hiccoughs. Aja cycled over some glass on the road into Powell River, resulting in a flat tire. The others went on ahead to get situated at the hotel, and the support vehicles were swiftly called into action.
Fortunately, due to the higher number of support vehicles on this ride, we were able to bring a spare bike along in case of emergency. She did a straight swap on bikes, and carried on to finish the rest of the long day. While this was happening, Luke was experiencing his own problems in that he had rolled through a rather large pothole, resulting in him being thrown over the handlebars at a very high speed and landing very painfully on his elbow. Aside from the minor technical issues and the ensuing battle scars, we were happy to arrive in Powell River in (mostly) one piece. But we were ready for day four… the longest distance but hopefully easier terrain than this one!
Start 09:18; distance 94.63 km; moving time 05:36:50; elevation 1,470 m;
max elevation 171 m; average speed 16.9 km/h; max speed 63.2 km/h.
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Day 4: Powell River to Parksville
13/07/2022
It was a very early start on our road to Parksville. We began the day bright and early, as the ferry that we needed to catch only ran every few hours and was a nearly 3 hour journey to take us on to Vancouver Island. We landed in Comox and promptly cycled over to Royston, where we had a quick snack and re-hydrated while we checked out their famous "ghost ships". After that we ripped down the flat and straight stretch of coastal road and made some good time through Fanny bay, Qualicum beach, and finally Parksville. While passing through Qualicum beach we did make a point to stop at the old Roadhouse bar and do a quick reenactment of the scene from "Family Guy" that Xavier loved. We had visited this place once before, two weeks after Xavier passed and it seemed fitting to stop there once more with the whole crew in tow.
Once in Parksville it was straight to the hot tub, where we were happily surprised to see that the same angel wings we had printed on our shirts were also printed on the wall at the pool. We took this as a sign that it was going to be a good night, and we weren't wrong. After snapping a few pictures we headed to the Rod and Gun bar where we enjoyed their "wings Wednesday" happy hour and some delicious Caesars (the cocktail, not the salad - for all the non-Canadians reading this). The seafood chowder and fish and chips were also on point, and we were all completely bursting at the seams afterwards (highly recommend the food there, and the waitress was fantastic as well). On our walk back to the hotel we found an outdoor mini golf facility, and had a quick and competitive game before it was time to turn in.
Start 07:32; distance 90.00 km; moving time 04:39:59; elevation 501 m;
max elevation 100 m; average speed 19.3 km/h; max speed 45.0 km/h.
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Day 5: Parksville to Ladysmith
14/07/2022
With a breezy 61.27 km ride to do today, we were ready to get to Ladysmith as soon as we could. The route was pretty much straightforward, and the majority of the day was spent on the coastal highway circle route. The weather was once again with us, and we made great time arriving at our destination. Fortunately for us, Sarah and Jag are residents of Ladysmith, and had graciously agreed to host the crew at their house on Lake Cowichan. Jag was also kind enough to store all the bikes as he owns and runs his own trucking company (Coastal Trucking) in the area. We spent the rest of the evening on the lake, sitting around the bonfire visiting and spending some quality family time with one another. There may or may not have been a family TikTok made involving the lake and some superhero memes, as well as a late night dip in the water.
Start 09:56; distance 61.27 km; moving time 03:23:04; elevation 614 m;
max elevation 128 m; average speed 18.1 km/h; max speed 53.0 km/h.
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Day 6: Ladysmith to Saanichton
15/07/2022
We were finally there, the day before the big finale. What a journey it had been. At this point in 2021, we had a much easier day; it was flat, it was sunny, it was about half the distance. However on the current day in 2022, we not only had torrential downpours after a week of a heatwave, we had mountainous hills galore as well. And yet, somehow, we laughed so much. We were in high spirits about being so close to finishing the ride, and while we were blown away at just how hard each kilometer felt, we were laughing because we were all in it together. To be surrounded by family and friends and love, it had been a tough one for us but nowhere near as hard emotionally as it was the previous year with such a small group in comparison. We cycled through Saltair, which is a town that holds a special place in our hearts. Xavier spent a good chunk of his childhood playing on the beach there and searching for sand dollars in the water. Summer after summer, the family would return to visit Uncle George and Auntie Margaret, and spend hours on end swimming and playing and creating memories.
We ended up at our destination of Saanichton, where we showered and cleaned ourselves up before making our way to Victoria to see the capital of BC and visit with cousins Cherise and Chris Saretzky. The day wouldn't have been complete without a visit to Big Bad Johns (AKA the Sticky Wicket) where we had immortalised Xavier's name in the furniture - among the many others on display - a few months prior. Up next was the big one.
Start 10:09; distance 73.59 km; moving time 04:01:22; elevation 656 m;
max elevation 102 m; average speed 19.0 km/h; max speed 52.4 km/h.
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Day 7: Saanichton to Burnaby
16/07/2022
And so we begin the final day. We started bright and early with a flat ride to the ferry terminal that would take us back to the mainland. As we waved goodbye to Vancouver Island, we regrouped and made a game plan for when we arrived on the other side. We stopped in the parking lot of the immense Tsawwassen Mills shopping outlet while we waited for good friend and ex-colleague of Xavier and Aja, Sean Luljuraj. However, there was another twist in store for us at this point as Xavier's brother Kyan and best friend Roberto Car joined us to deliver a surprise for mum Fionna. Given that she had been a support vehicle in both bike rides to date, she had not had the opportunity to cycle for any part of it. This all changed as she bravely joined us for the last leg of the journey. Not only had she not ridden a bike in about 20 years, she was also not long after having beaten breast cancer. We all applaud her efforts both on and off the bike that week, and particularly when taking on the daunting Alex Fraser bridge (google it, and you'll be impressed too).
We reached our destination a couple hours later, where we were welcomed warmly by family and friends. After spending some time at the finish line at Moscrop Secondary School (Xavier's high school), we braced ourselves to face the final test: the final 1 km right there in Burnaby, which went straight up the steep hill of a road leading to the Aguirre household - the home in which Xavier spent nearly all of his 30 years on this earth. It seems prudent to mention that in earlier training rides, after a long day of cycling many of us had to walk our bikes up portions of this hill. But not today. Today we had Roberto following along beside us in the car, blasting the theme song to the "Rocky" movies, "Going the Distance." That was all the encouragement we needed, and we made it up in one piece.
Start 07:46; distance 60.67 km; moving time 03:34:52; elevation 418 m;
max elevation 136 m; average speed 16.9 km/h; max speed 45.7 km/h.
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The finish line 🏁
16/07/2023
We made it. What a week. Our support crew went above and beyond, with posters and photos set up all over the lawn of Moscrop Secondary School to greet us upon our arrival (with permission from the school Principal of course). It was certainly an emotional moment cycling up and over the finish line with everyone and seeing Xavier's face and so many of our posters in such visible places. The support crew had arrived at Moscrop earlier in the day, and had received many honks of support from passing vehicles over the course of their time there. This was the place that Xavier graduated high school, and only just across the street was BCIT where he completed his diploma as a young adult. It meant so much to our family to be able to share this moment with all the people that knew and loved Xavier for the short time that we had him for.
A special thanks to those that helped prepare the finish line for our arrival. Jan, Ryan, Kyan, Roberto, Kyle, and Sabrina are a few of our off-road support team that really went the distance in helping set the scene. And speaking of "going the distance", while we had decided on Moscrop as our official finish line, it wasn't actually the end of the cycling for us. As mentioned above, we still had to face the task of making it up the hill to the Aguirre residence.
After that, it was time to get showered and ready ourselves for the afterparty, hosted by the South Burnaby Royal Canadian Legion 83. It was not only a celebration of completing our journey on home turf, but also another chance to do some fundraising through raffles, 50/50, and the famous meat draw which is run by the legion every week and involves buying tickets to win large packages of raw meat (it sounds strange when written down like that but trust me, with the cost of chicken and steak at the minute it is a very popular raffle). The Legion was excellent on the night, and they surprised us with a pair of pipers that played some music in a tribute to Xavier. With around 75-100 people in attendance over the course of the night, we can safely say that the evening was a success.
Total: moving time 31:26:37; distance 531.99 km; elevation gain 5,466 m.
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The aftermath
Once again, the ride was a smashing success. We were very successful in spreading awareness about Amyloidosis thanks to our advertisement billboards, posters and bumper stickers with QR codes connecting to our page about the cause. We were able to raise $5,300.00 CAD through our fundraising, which we have donated to the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. The money will once again go straight into research, which is to be conducted by renowned cardiologist Dr. Margot Davis - a specialist in Cardiac Amyloidosis. This donation is very close to our hearts; Xavier suffered from AL Amyloidosis that began in his spleen and spread to the kidneys and liver, but it was ultimately amyloid in his heart that caused the heart attack that ended his life. It was also in Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) where he spent his final days, so it seemed appropriate that the funds go here.
To top it all off, we also entered into an exciting partnership with Royal Canadian Legion Branch 83 in Burnaby. Together we created the "Xavier James Edward Aguirre Memorial Bursary for Amyloidosis Awareness", which is a $1,500.00 CAD bursary for the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Nursing Program. Given that Xavier was a BCIT School of Broadcast alumni, this also seemed appropriate.