Sentencing delayed Judge postpones decision in manslaughter case. PAGE 10 Culture Days Events highlight importance of arts in community life. PAGE 19 Double life Artist explores inner world through large-scale paintings. PAGE 3
Raiders in first PAGE 26
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012
Smith’s decision to leave tour ‘heartbreaking’ THE NEWS BULLETIN
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Chris Fernandes, a reserve constable with Nanaimo RCMP, participates in a practice with Tour de Rock team members earlier this year. The annual fundraiser is underway, with the team stopping in Nanaimo Sunday (Sept. 30).
Ready to ride
BY CHRIS BUSH Cpl. Norm Smith, 46, head of Nanaimo RCMP’s Traffic Services division, was forced to make the decision to leave the Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock team in August. What knocked him out of the saddle was a severe case of bursitis in his right hip that he battled for weeks, fighting through the pain and controlling it with painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Just when it looked like he was winning the battle, a minor accident between several riders on a training ride to Jordan River dealt the final blow. Attempting to avoid the riders who fell in front of him, Smith over-stressed the already inflamed joint when he tried to unclip from his bike pedals. “It actually started showing up on one of our hill nights when we did 17 different hills on the one practice and when I got home I was like, ‘I’m sore. I’m really, really getting sore,’” Smith said. The pain came with a stern warning from his doctor: continue and risk doing damage you can’t recover from. After nearly six months of unwavering dedication to his training and fundraising, being forced to drop out was heartbreaking. “I was really, really disappointed, to say it politely,” Smith said. “I put almost 3,000 kilometres of practice in and I went not being able to ride a bike to riding fairly good.” ◆ See ‘SMITH’ /5
VOL. 24, NO. 64
CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Chris Fernandes and the Tour de Rock team embark on a physically and emotionally challenging journey
BY CHRIS BUSH THE NEWS BULLETIN
T
he only thing Chris Fernandes is more excited about than the start of this year’s Tour de Rock is the impending birth of his grandson. The only problem is when it happens, Fernandes will be on the first leg of the tour. “I was kind of hoping he’d be born before I left,” Fernandes said. “I can’t believe how excited I am about my impending grandson. I can spoil him rotten.” His other primary concerns include making sure his bike is ready. Last week it was in the shop being tuned up and hav-
ing its brake blocks and handle bar tape replaced. Fernandes, 59, is one of the oldest riders on the tour. The RCMP reserve constable from Nanaimo trained hard over the past six months and, like most riders in that final week before the start of the tour, is eager to get out on the road. “I’m pumped, I tell you. I can’t wait to get going,” Fernandes said. “I’ve been ready for a couple weeks. Hopefully the weather will hold.” Fernandes is one of those naturally athletic people with seemingly inexhaustible energy. Through six hard months of training that sweats 20 to 25 pounds off of most riders, Fernandes hasn’t lost an ounce. One thing he has not been immune to is
time. Preparing for the Tour de Rock is a huge time commitment. Riders train three days a week and spend many more hours attending and organizing fundraising events. In the final days before the 2012 tour launches, he is simply out of time to attend to everything that needs to be done. He has missed out on a lot this summer too. His normal summer activities that include hikes with friends to the tops of the Island’s mountains – or spelunking their interiors – has gone by the wayside this season. “I haven’t been out hiking since April,” Fernandes said. “I have missed out on some stuff, but this is worth it.” ◆ See ‘PUBLIC’ /5
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