It all started when…

After being released from the hospital in 2017 with a Crohn’s diagnosis, I went on to start a new career working for an A&W franchisee.

A&W has been a Ride to Conquer Cancer team and participant since the second year of it’s inception. Over a decade of Rides later and the Aujla family, who I work for, has been a proud participant in each one with a couple members of their family riding each year.

When I began working for them they told me about the Ride and suggested I join them, without knowing Katrina had been fighting Ovarian Cancer for a year already. They offered me a bike to use and started giving me tips to train.

As Katrina’s health declined I was running, kickboxing and cycling, keeping my mind occupied and fighting the very uphill battle of grief.

After she died in April 2018 I had a setback after training one day and partially tore my ACL. It took a few months but I was cycling again soon, luckily cycling is a great post-ACL injury exercise so it worked out!

I enjoyed my brief rides but was mostly focused on running and doing kickboxing classes in the mornings.

I joined the Aujla’s for a 60 km training ride around Richmond, the longest I did before the 200km over two days that I had coming up.

The day of the Ride came and, as anyone who has done it before can tell you, the one weekend of that month it RAINED. Poured may actually be a better way to describe the rainfall that day, but it was an amazing feeling to be out, seeing all of the cancer survivors riding with their flags and so many passionate people out supporting this event.

Two days, 200km, and a TON of rain. Frozen toes, completely improper gear (oops) and very soaked, I completed the Ride and tearfully embraced my mom and partner, Alan at the finish.

As we were driving away that afternoon, exhausted, soaked and incredibly sore, I was talking to Alan and said “You know, I think I could do something longer if I trained more. Maybe something a little more focused on Ovarian cancer?”

I started thinking about it and planning it almost immediately, looking at my vacation time, how far I could go, and how I could connect this with Katrina.

While she was in the hospital Katrina told my mom about a recurring dream she had had. She was lying on the beach, with the sun on her face, listening to the waves.

And, my first ride was born. I estimated I could do 150-200 km a day and looked at the coastline of the US. I knew California and Oregon had some beautiful beaches where I could leave Katrina’s ashes and thought it would be a beautiful place to leave them while using the journey to bring more awareness to Ovarian Cancer.