In The News
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.
