"Can You Handle it?" A photo shoot, a news article, a big hill

Burnaby Mountain is big.

And, I already knew that. I've been up that mountain a zillion times by bus, and I even walked it once. So, I figured since we had a photo shoot for an article about the Ride in the SFU Student Newspaper, The Peak, on Friday... it might be the epic day that I cycle up that beast of a mountain and prove to myself - I can do this!

I made it as far as Hastings and Duthie. Which, for all those who are unfamiliar... is about a 0.001% of the way up the hill. Then, with it's shiny yellow bike racks cutting through the wind, the bus came to my rescue and saved me from what would have been a long, sweaty-grimy-disgusting-panting-breath-seizing sludge upwards.

But, whatever. I'm not ashamed. The downhill ride on the way home was excitement enough for one day. 10 minutes of straight downhill steepness... I was going insane. Did I mention it was after sunset? Yikes.

But yes, indeed, we were up there for a photoshoot. My amazing friend Deanne Beattie has written what sounds to be a fabulous article about myself and two other SFU students who are doing the RtBtC down to Mexico (there are two routes this year, one from BC to Mexico, and mine through Europe). She posed the idea to me in January and has since met with the 3 of us 3 times each to ask Q's about why we're doing this, our training schedules (if any!), fundraising techniques, team logistics, whether or not we're considering dropping out... things like that. The article is for The Peak - SFU's student newspaper and should be out this coming week! All this SFU press is pretty neat, and we maaaay even be on the Front Page! More to come on that...

Adam, Jessica (the two other SFU riders), and I are also collaborating to throw a Pub Night at the Sfu pub on March 3rd - and to go along with the Can You Handle It? slogan, we're planning a Handlebar Moustache theme. Get it? Handlebars? Like, on a bike...? ya. And having live Irish music hopefully? We'll see how it goes... an interesting experience in throwing events, however. Booking, poster making, coordinating... it's neat. But I think advertising is the big one. Must.. get.. word.. out!

But the planning is in the works for two more fundraisers! I'll give you the skinny...

The next one (weekend of March 14th/15th) will be a Tour de Stanley Park pledge ride with after event at Vancouver's own, Steamworks pub! This will be the "final project" of my Communications 425 Applied Cmns for Social Issues course. The goal is to basically re-create the Europe route, and have different bike shops/establishments sponsor our mini teams (made of members of our class) as they tour around Stanley Park for the morning! We'll raise funds and awareness, and end with a social gathering debrief at Steamworks Pub to show a video of people's thoughts about microcredit, amongst other things. I'm stoked for this!

The other thing is a bicycle/ earth day fundraiser in Metchosin! I have the community house booked for April 25th and am planning to have an art sale/ raffle fundraiser with some live guitar or something. This is still in the works... but I think that everyone who comes should be given a slice of pie with cheddar cheese, too. Because that's what i want, righhhhtt now. That plan is subject to change...

Well, that's all for now. Bought some new bike lights today!
peace love and hippopotamus y'all.
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