Geoffrey Coccetti only recently got back on a bike, for the first time since his youth.
Is it true what they say, that it’s just like riding a bicycle – you never forget?
“As long as you don’t fall off, sure it is,” he joked.
Coccetti might have some falls, and there are sure to be some ups and downs and a whole lot of kilometres as he begins training for this summer’s Ride to Conquer Cancer.
The 51-year-old signed on for the 200-kilometre ride from Vancouver to Seattle to challenge himself. The distance is daunting, but with the right preparation and the help of his Nanaimo Rides Again team, it will be do-able.
“Nothing in life worth doing is ever easy…” he said. “If you put in the effort, when you get to the end, you know it was worth it.”
It’s advice he’ll keep in mind, he said, when the hills get steep.
Coccetti has come a long way to be here on Vancouver Island, supporting a B.C. charity. He hails from Mandurah, Australia, a city south of Perth on the Indian Ocean.
He met his wife Mona, from Winnipeg, over the Internet, a relationship that started with jokes about the weather.
“I sent her a message one day saying, ‘hey … I’m on the golf course, it’s a beautiful day.’ She sent me a reply saying, ‘there’s six feet of snow outside my front door. I hate you.’”
They got married in 2005 and lived in Ladysmith before coming to Nanaimo for its amenities. He’s brought her back to Australia a couple of times, while she’s converted him into a Winnipeg Jets fan. He never used to know much about hockey, he said, aside from hearing about Wayne Gretzky.
“And it’s funny, because in my Canadian citizenship test, there was actually a question about Wayne Gretzky,” he said. “So I guess I got kind of lucky with that one.”
And he considers himself fortunate to be fit and healthy enough to take on this summer’s big bike ride. While he’s riding for himself, he’ll also be riding for people like his sister-in-law back in Australia who has survived two different cancers.
“Too many people are losing the battle to this,” Coccetti said. “Somewhere, somehow, someone’s got to be able to do something to find a cure.”
It’s useful perspective for someone setting out on a long bike ride. So you fall off your bike. So what?
“You get up, get back on and keep going,” he said.
To support Coccetti or Nanaimo Rides Again, please visit www.conquercancer.ca.
