Media and Press
H2V On the Laila Yuile Show
 Laila Yuile, Taylor Balagno, Kyle Balagno, Willie Cromack |
This past Sunday, June 3rd, the Laila Yuile Show hosted on CKNW AM980 interviewed two riders from the H2V team. In the show Laila discusses the format of the ride, what it's like for Kyle and his daughter Taylor living with diabetes, and their hopes for the ride. If you missed the broadcast you can listen to the entire show online here. Pictures from the show below.
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Uphill ride worthwhile for John Henry Bikes
Check out this May's issue of the North Shore Business Journal for an article about Willie and John Henry Bikes or click below to read the article online.
10 Must-do B.C. Cycling Events
Willie Cromack, owner of John Henry Bikes on the North Shore, picks his 10 top B.C. cycling events in The Province (check them out in our events section).
1. The Seattle to Portland Road Ride: Two days of fun that anyone can do.
2. The Test of Metal: Train right and you CAN accomplish this legendary Squamish off-road ride.
3. The MS Ride: Four choices, four different dates, beautiful scenery and great camaraderie.
4. The Cystic Fibrosis Chicken Ride: White Rock to Harrison or even Calgary! An awesome event.
5. The Single Sock Century and Ride: Three lengths, including the ever popular Century [100km]. Have you earned your sock? Great atmosphere, great grass-roots fun.
6. The Cheakamus Challenge: A mountain bike and a trip from Squamish to Whistler. A challenge but definitely doable and totally worth it for the finish.
7. The RSVP: Ride from Seattle to Vancouver and party. Need we say any more?
8. The Pacific Populaire Century & Ride: 22 years of 100km riding or further. A true Vancouver classic.
9. Critical Mass Ride: Supporting sustainable transportation with more than 2,000 people in June. As much a party as it is a bike ride.
10. The Rat Race: This event includes a cross-country course and a downhill event, all in the beautiful setting of the Sunshine Coast.
#1 Bike Shop On The North Shore
According to the North Shore News you, our faithful customers, have voted us the number one bike shop on the North Shore for the 11th year in a row! A huge thank you for your continuing support, this is a title we are committed to preserving.
Pushing The Way To A Cure
More press coverage in the North Shore News. "On Sept. 14, 44-year-old Balagno, president of Myron Advertising and Design, will depart on a trans-Canada ride from Halifax to Vancouver, dubbed H2V: Push the Pace. He and his fellow riders plan to traverse the approximately 6,000-kilometres as fast as they can, cycling around the clock. At an average 30-kilometres an hour, he estimates the journey along the Trans-Canada Highway will take nine days, says Balagno. They'll complete the ride in a sort of relay with each rider cycling for three hours, then they'll trade off, with a fresh rider taking a turn." "I wanted to send a clear and strong message to the researchers and the doctors that we are behind them and we want to give them all the money that we can to do their work and be able to find the cure," says Balagno. Read the entire article here
H2V In the North Shore News
Be sure to check out the North Shore News both this and next week for articles about Willie and the H2V team and their ride across Canada in search of a cure for juvenile diabetes.
North Shore Outlook: Ready to ride
Willie (on the far left in the picture below) and his H2V team are in the North Shore Outlook! Check out the article below and for more information see the charity section.
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By SAM COOPER Staff Reporter Apr 26 2007
When Kyle Balagno's baby daughter was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at 18 months, he made her a promise. By the time she graduated from high school, he'd find her a cure for diabetes. It was an epic promise, and that's why Balagno and four more elite North Shore cyclists are preparing for an epic challenge. This September, they'll attempt to ride non-stop from Halifax to Vancouver in nine days, setting a five-man relay world record.
Balagno's team is aiming to raise at least $600,000 in the effort, called H2V:Push the Pace. Balagno's daughter Taylor, now 11, has type 1 diabetes. She has to wear a pager-like insulin pump, which administers low-level doses 24 hours a day. Balagno says the disease means he's on edge all the time, trying to balance Taylor's food intake with activity. If insulin levels are off, type 1 diabetes can cause nasty consequences like blindness, organ failure, or amputations. "The fear is you wake up and your child is gone," Balagno said. "You have to manage it 24 hours a day, every day of their life. You can't control a kid that tightly." But with medical advances like gene therapy, a cure is within reach.
It's the last push that will be most difficult though, Balagno says. He's hoping his team's fundraising spurs research activity to the cure. "I think it's an interesting parallel, I feel we're in the last 10 per cent (of research for a cure) which is the hardest," he said. "And as soon as we hit the foot hills of the Rockies, that last 10 per cent of the ride will be the toughest." Balagno's team consists of five fitness professionals who share a love of adventure racing challenges. Innovative Fitness president Matt Young is H2V's ride captain in charge of logistics. He says the team will have two RVs, two sleep vans, and 30 volunteers ushering them on the Trans-Canada Highway as riders push on around the clock.
Team members will ride in three-man shifts for three hours twice a day, with massage, nutritional recovery and sleep time off. Young, who has completed grueling hikes in the Grand Canyon, a 36-hour straight adventure race, the New York Marathon and the Canadian Ironman, said the cross-Canada record effort will be the toughest by far. "The physical and mental aspect of this race is huge," he said. "It'll be the biggest physical challenge any of us have taken." The H2V team has enlisted film producer Malcolm Carter, a cancer survivor, to document the challenge, and produce a 60-second movie-trailer for fundraising purposes. "These guys are doing the equivalent of two ultra marathons every day," Carter said. "This is one of the most grueling marathon events in history."
Carter added that H2V could become an event repeated around the world in future years, as the effort will be documented with a satellite feed and rider blogs online. "With the Internet and social networking there's a real opportunity for young people to get involved," he said. "This could be this generation's Terry Fox run." Last week Balagno's team landed Canaccord Capital as title-sponsor for H2V, with a $100,000 donation. To learn about the challenge and follow the race in September, check out H2Vpushthepace.com.
