Special Feature: On the Right Path

Volunteers come from all backgrounds, ages and take on various projects in all kinds of sectors like helping seniors or sick kids or local food banks. In most cases it’s a gradual transformation – you find a charity to work with and start off a few hours here and there.

But that is not how Nasir Kamrudin, GM of Surrey Honda, has ever done things. He jumps in with both feet and while mid air in that jump, he manages to post a goal so high most people can only look at and think “that’s just crazy.”

Earlier this year when Kamrudin decided to sign up to ride his bike from Kelowna to Delta in one day with the Ride 2 Survive team he sent shock waves through the community. How can such a busy man in charge of a huge car dealership with a growing family, complete with two grandchildren, not be thinking of winding down and working towards retirement?

AAJ magazine sat down with the man on a mission to find out what inspired him to take on such a huge venture at an age when most people start to feel over the hill, not inspired to climb hills. What pushed Kamrudin to become part of Ride 2 Survive – a one day bike ride from Kelowna to Delta that is almost 400 kilometers to raise money that goes directly to cancer research. A one day ride that takes months of training, a big time commitment and a lot of fundraising efforts to be part of the team of hundreds of cyclists in blue uniforms encompassing some big hearts.

1. Why did you join Ride 2 Survive and decide to take on such a big volunteer position being as busy as you are?

I heard about Ride 2 Survive the very first year it started and I wasn’t a bike rider at all at the time. But I heard about these 12 individuals who drove up to Kelowna and bike all the way to Delta to bring awareness to cancer research because one of them had been diagnosed with cancer. They just went up there and did it on their own – no support vehicles, no volunteers, nothing. That was 11 years ago. Some of the originals are still riding. I remember hearing the story back then from a trainer and just couldn’t believe what I was hearing that someone would actually do that. And that story just sat there in the back of my mind for years.

Years later when I got into riding, I happened to be at a physio appointment and saw the poster for Ride 2 Survive and I asked her if she did this ride. She said yes and in fact her parents were two of the organizers. So I asked her if I could do it and she said anyone can do it.

2. Weren’t you scared though –400 kilometers?

Of course you’re scared! It is scary but it is really important to understand that this is not a race. It’s a group ride and it’s supported by hundreds of volunteers. There’s a lot of training that goes into it to make you ready for it. They say on their signup sheet that they have had everyone from the age of 17 to 78 olds – so it is doable.

3. What was your training like? How far in advance did you start?

I was late to training actually. I only did a few spin classes through the winter. It is recommended you do things like cross training and riding on your own as much as you can which I did.

Group training started in February and it is a mix of rookies and experienced riders who have done the route before. You do some extra training during the week on your own and then take part in a weekly ride with the group which usually happened on the weekend.

4. What was the hardest part of training and at any time did you get nervous and not want to continue?

Every training ride was nerve racking. You would meet up on those mornings and the routes were pretty hard and some were even more difficult than the actual ride it seemed like.

One of the training rides is called the three climbs – it starts in South Burnaby, goes up to SFU and that’s just the warm up part. Then you go to North Vancouver and Cypress Mountain and back again all in one day. That is a lot of climbing and some parts are very steep. Imagine climbing that on your bike.

There was never a time you just quit the program but you can sit out parts of the ride that are too much for your body. I also had a couple of falls during training too. The experts on the ride keep a lookout for other riders and notice if you are hurt. It is always safer to sit out a part of a ride than further injure yourself or the entire team.

5. You surprised and even shocked a lot of people – family, friends and your work family when you first told them you were doing this. Even through weeks of training people thought this was a crazy venture you were on. How do you respond to that?

Really? Why? Well go big or go home right. You have to take it on as a challenge but after I got involved it in, it wasn’t about the ride as much as it was about the team aspect and how they acknowledge cancer survivors and patients. Every time we did a weekend training ride, there was a ride by to visit a patient to hear their story and let them know we are out there supporting them and raising funds that go directly to research.

At that point you realize very quickly it is not about the ride, it’s about raising awareness and much needed funds.

6. Are there any direct correlations you took from taking on such a huge venture to how you do business as GM of Surrey Honda?

Well the aspect is, like you say it’s crazy to sign up for a 400 kilometer ride but it is the same thing you apply to business. You set a big goal and you work towards reaching it as a team. It is not a one person mission. You set up short terms goals along the way to get to that ultimate goal. Just like with each training session you get stronger, you learn, you get one step closer to accomplishing the big goal you have set together as a team. I couldn’t do that ride on my own – there is no way. You need support and a lot of volunteers. It was on the actual ride day I realized how many volunteers and just how much work it takes to put this ride on. It was a huge eye opener to see the amount of work it took to put this day on and how many people volunteer and work tirelessly with so much passion. Hard work is required to meet any big goal in life and business.

7. Has this ride changed your relationship with staff at Surrey Honda?

I think they were part of it too. We gave away a car that and already have one decaled up for next year that you can see on our lot. They helped and came out to fundraising events and many showed up to the night we finished the ride in Delta. There was a sense of pride shared among the staff. The best was when the Ride 2 Survive team was going around to all the sponsors to say thank you and we stopped by the dealership with very little notice. The entire team at Surrey Honda really came out and shocked us riders with the welcome we got.

8. What was the day before you drove up to Kelowna like for you – what were you feeling?

I drove up with three other riders and kept looking at the road and thinking we have to ride back on this road. It was through the drive through the Coquihalla highway that I kept thinking of the massive climb we would have to ride back up. I hadn’t driven that road for a while and had forgotten about how steep it was. I had never cycled that route before either.

9. You train for months, pack up and drive to Kelowna only to get up at the crack of dawn – like 3am – to ride for about 20 hours to Delta – was there any point you felt really nervous or sick?

All of that fear and those kinds of feelings were replaced by the people we met during training. One of the last visits before the big ride day was with the parents of Megan Mclean. She was a 16 year old girl in Delta who had died after battling cancer four times. When you go by and see those parents and hear their story, it is at that point you get it. It’s not about the ride, the hours, the kilometers – it’s about those people and families fighting something much bigger. Ride 2 Survive is about raising awareness and money that goes directly to cancer research. The reason why I chose this particular organization and ride is that is all volunteer based and 100% of the money raised goes directly to cancer research. None of the money raised is used for full costs or anything like that. Something everyone should look into before making a donation.

10. How long after you parked your bike after this year’s ride did you know you were going to sign up again for next year?

I think I knew before I even finished the first ride. Fundraising is ongoing all year round and plans are already starting for fundraising events in February – anyone can volunteer to help the set up stations along the way and so much more.

A great example is the south Asian business association and Inspector Ken from Delta police when they put on the event for the riders to celebrate after our ride in June. Anyone can volunteer or simply donate anytime online at www.ride2survive.ca. You can also read blogs about the riders and why they have signed up along with the families supported by the money raise.