Before he set out Saturday morning on the RBC Gran Fondo, David Mallory knew his body alone wasn't strong enough to climb 2,400 metres of elevation stretched over 120 kilometres between Vancouver and Whistler. But with the assistance of an eight-gear Giant electric bike, the 55-yearold West Side resident with multiple sclerosis ascended the Sea to Sky highway.
"I feel fantastic," Mallory said Tuesday. "It was so much fun. It took us forever to do it, but it was a blast."
He knew his feet would go numb, and roughly 60 minutes into ride that took him eight hours, they did. "I'm completing, not competing," he affirmed Friday on the eve of the Gran Fondo that, in its second year, attracted more than 7,000 riders.
From start to finish, completing the Gran Fondo was a proud and emotional accomplishment because Mallory won't likely attempt it again. Eventually as the progressive, degenerative disease moves through his body, putting him off balance and lessening the sensation in his arms and legs, Mallory will no longer be able to ride a bike.
Instead, the graduate of Churchill's 1973 class and now a chiropractor, Mallory rode an electric bike-nearly 50 pounds plus another 60 pounds of battery, that was essenial in attempting and finishing the marahon ride.
"I wouldn't do it if I couldn't do it on this bike," he said. In five batteries, he packed 25 units of power and only used 11. The bike must be pedalled-"no free ride"-to move forward and when powered up, the front-wheel electric drive acts as an assist.
En route, Mallory exchanged bikes with other riders in his cohort, which included his doctor and brother, to test their sophisticated, specialized road bikes.
"As I rode up, my MS symptoms flared up. I would shake. My feet would go numb," said Mallory, whose body is sensitive to heat and exertion. For anyone who jumped on his bike, they told him: "It's like sitting in a living room chair." Said Mallory, "It was relaxing for them."
RBC Gran Fondo organizers granted Mallory's application to use a non-standard bike. A unicyclist also completed the course.
He wrote several poignant letters of thanks. "This disorder never lets up. Unfortunately you have to do what you can to make sure you kick its butt. One day I may never be able to ride a bike ever again. But I'll always remember that one sunny day in September 2011.
"I rode 120 kilometres and that can never be taken way from me."
Mallory is planning to train and volunteer next year as a medic.
[email protected] Twitter: @MHStewart
