For bicycling enthusiast Giovanni Martorella, cycling up Cypress Mountain is not “just another hill” to climb. It also brings awareness and funding for a disease that has afflicted his loved ones.
Martorella, 41, is participating in the ninth annual Glotman Simpson Cypress Challenge, a fundraiser for pancreatic cancer research at the BC Cancer Agency and Pancreas Centre BC. The Richmond resident will cycle 12 km up the mountain, achieving an elevation climb of about 730 m. This will be his second time participating in the event.
“Last year, a buddy of mine was doing it and he explained what it was about,” Martorella explained, adding his father passed away from colon cancer a year and a half ago. “My wife had a scare a few years ago and while it turned out to be benign, thankfully, I thought I would go for it.”
Martorella’s wife, Chelsea, has had two cancer scares. She survived a diagnosis of ovarian cancer 15 years ago and the second scare was when a cystic tumour was found on her pancreas. She had half of her pancreas and her entire spleen removed.
“We didn’t know at the time that it was benign,” Martorella explained, adding that her grandfather died of pancreatic cancer. “They wanted to get it all out and then test it as it was causing her a lot of discomfort.”
The pancreas is an organ that is about 15 cm long and is found behind the stomach. It helps with the digestion of food and regulates blood sugar levels in the body. The spleen acts as a blood filter.
According to BC Cancer Agency’s website, pancreatic cancer accounts for two per cent of all cancers but because it is often discovered late, 95 per cent of those diagnosed with this rare cancer, die. It is also a cancer that mostly affects people over the age of 60.
“It’s one of the more fatal ones if it’s not caught early enough,” Martorella added.
When Martorella decided to participate in last year’s Cypress Challenge, it was two weeks before the event. However, because he is an avid bicyclist and trains and participates in the gruelling GranFondo Whistler race, a 122 km ride to Whistler, it wasn’t difficult for him to conquer Cypress.
He completed the Cypress Challenge in about 45 minutes and raised a few hundred dollars. This year, he registered early, is aiming to get up the mountain faster and has already reached his $1,000 fundraising goal.
“I’ve raised $1,800 so far,” Martorella said on Tuesday. “I promised to shave my legs if I raised $1,000.”
Martorella, a pilot who lives in Steveston, trains in both Richmond and Vancouver.
“I have a few loops with not too much traffic that allow me to get some hill climbing in. I’ll occasionally go to the North Shore and/or out in the valley if I’m riding with friends.”
Martorella’s friends and family, including his three kids, will be at the event to see his shaved legs and cheer him on.
This year’s Cypress Challenge will be held on Aug. 14. Last year, 675 cyclists participated, raising $438,000.
For more information about the event and to support Martorella, visit CypressChallenge.com and click “support a rider.”
