Support vehicles must remain at specified distances from the rider and no pacing or drafting of any kind is allowed. The event is timed and officiated by an official (commissary), who is licensed to do so.
The rider must have a racing license and pays a $100 sanctioning fee. Once a start date is approved the rider has an 8 day "window" from that date to start his or her attempt. It is, in essence, a 6000 kilometre time trial. The clock starts in Vancouver and does not stop until Halifax. Any breaks, rest, or sleep time is counted into the record.
At the time of our attempt the record was 13 days, 15 hours, 4 minutes and was held by Ron Dossenbach of Windsor, Ontario.
THE PREPARATION
THE TEAM
Many solo record attempts, in various disciplines, have failed not because of the participant’s failure, but because of a breakdown in the support crew. Selection of the support crew would be critical to success. A long list of skills and assignments would have to be accounted for and divided between members of the crew who would donate their time and expertise for the pleasure of working 18 hour days for 2 weeks.
In this instance, things could not have worked out better. Joe Bacon: I had never met Joe until the fall of 1990 when he was suggested as crew leader by Gwen Doyle. He was a kidney transplant patient and previously had served with the local Kidney Foundation. He also had experience in sports administration having been involved with event organization at Lockerby Composite where he taught.
Sceptical, until our first face to face meeting, it didn't take long to realize that Joe was the right man for the job. He took on the responsibility of team leader along with heading the project committee. Along with wife Lisa, he took complete charge of trip logistics, assigned work details, and did a lion’s share of driving the motor home and cooking.
In addition, Joe's quick wit and sense of humour were an asset to team morale.
Lisa Bacon: Lisa worked with Joe on trip logistics along with being an integral part of the project committee. Because of her experience, Lisa took care of finances before and during the trip and shared numerous en route duties including driving and keeping the motor home supplied.
Rick Malo: Rick was to be our media and public relations man. No question, he did a great job. He also had photographic credentials which filled another key role. Perhaps his biggest asset turned out to be his non-stop sense of humour. Poking, prodding, taunting, laughing all combined to ease the boredom and fatigue which can build up in such a long and intense effort for the whole crew. And, on top of it all, he chipped in on every dirty detail from driving, to cleaning, to shopping, and was constantly at my side, at every stop, trying to make life easier for me.
Shannon Wholberg: Shannon's skills fit the team perfectly. Her prime asset, a physiotherapist, proved to be crucial to success. In addition, Shannon researched and advised on nutrition and upgraded her first aid skills in preparation for any accidents which might befall our crew. As an accomplished cyclist, Shannon understood and could assist with technical aspects of the attempt. She did a major share of driving the support van. Her good sense of humour allowed her to stand up to being a prime target for Rick and Joe's jokes.
Jacques Bonin: Jacques is an experienced cyclist. He would assist Battista in daily equipment maintenance and do a major portion of driving the support van. Jacques was also the only crew member fluent in French which would be an asset in Quebec.
Fluent except for the French translation of the word "laundromat" which proved the source of some confusion in "la belle Province". Jacques quiet nature and easy sense of humour blended well in our team mix.
Battista Muredda: My good friend. Coach extraordinaire. Master mechanic. Worry wart and team conscience! All of this, and more, Battista would watch almost every pedal stroke from Vancouver to Halifax, coaching from the support van. Then, at each day’s end, he would meticulously service the beasts I had abused that day. He also worked with me in training prior to the trip and in preparation of equipment.
I originally had hesitated to even ask Battista fearing he would be reluctant due to family commitments. What a mistake that would have been!
Al Norley: I don't know if Al really believed he was my first thought when we found out that we would require an official of the C.C.A. to come with us. It's true. Battista and I both knew, and liked Al because he has officiated at several of our Sudbury races over the years. Al is a highly respected commissary with the reputation as an expert time-keeper. He was excited about going and we were more than appreciative of having him. His specific function was to ensure that we followed all the appropriate rules. As expected, Al was a great addition and lent Battista much assistance. Like Battista, Al refused to take a break from the support van and watched every kilometre until the last day.
Barry and Chris Larone: Although not actually part of the record attempt Barry, and son Chris, covered every kilometre in their own van, representing the Kinsmen in support of the Kidney Foundation. They would travel in advance, or with us, and met with other Kinsmen along the way organizing promotions, fundraising, and selling T-shirts. They were always a welcome sight as we would catch up to them.
June and Bart: My wife and son joined our group as we passed through Sudbury. They travelled with Barry and Chris to Halifax. In addition to a boost in morale for me, they were available and helped out at every opportunity.
LOGISTICS
City Hall Vancouver to City Hall Halifax. Sounds simple enough. To actually get there, then return with a group of people, two vehicles, cycling equipment and all the other nuts and bolts required, is no small task.
First was the planning. How many people would actually go? How many would drive to Vancouver and who would have to fly? How much food would be required? Where to stay or park each night? Could we use all the roads we wanted to? And the questions just went on and on!
The actual route was chosen by me, based mainly on distance. There was a fairly long process of verifying access to our chosen route. Joe was instrumental in this process. He sent letters to police detachments all along the course providing details of our plans. It was this preparation, I believe, which allowed us to cross the total 6000 kilometres without once being stopped or questioned. This had been a source of some delay and irritation for others on similar rides.
Joe also did meticulous planning for camp sites and stop-overs. This was difficult since, despite our plans, there was no guarantee of where we would actually be on any given day. This being the case, Joe got information from every province on everything that was available on our route.
Lisa and Joe planned all the other necessities for the motor home -- knives, forks, Kleenex, soap, and on and on. To our great relief, a sponsor was found for our non-perishable food, the Metro in Chelmsford, who proved more than generous in their support. Then pack it all in the motor home which would be bursting at the seams with all the extra equipment for this undertaking. To their great credit, no one was injured by flying objects from overstuffed cupboards, verifying their excellent work.
Additional sponsorship from Coca Cola provided us with soft drinks. Again, no small item when you consider eight people who are constantly trying to stay awake and sleeping only a few hours a night.
Additional perishable foods would be purchased en route as required.
Rick and Pelmorex set up the communication link which would allow Rick to have constant contact home.
There was more, of course. The
