2 bikes, 10,000 miles

The sign says it all as Doug Holck, left, and Dell Fields get ready to ride from outside Lowell, Idaho, east to Missoula, Mont., on the second day of their 29-day journey to the Arctic Circle. Holck said that motorcyclists like the two of them prefer a windier, hillier road rather than a flat, easy road. They returned home from their trip on Saturday. (Courtesy photo)

2 bikes, 10,000 miles

Lockeford man helps cancer-stricken friend ride motorcycle to Arctic Circle

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Tuesday, July 17, 2007 6:36 AM PDT

Comments (5 comment(s))

It's one thing for a healthy man to ride his motorcycle from California to beyond the Arctic Circle.

It's something else to watch a man fighting cancer do the same thing.

Lockeford resident Doug Holck joined Dell Fields — a 59-year-old Rocklin man who was on chemotherapy — on a motorcycle ride to Alaska together in June. The two saw caribou, moose and mountain goats, though there were no polar bears or giant salmon, Holck said.

They returned home from their trip of nearly 10,000 miles on Saturday afternoon.

Fields, who is on disability retirement from Hewlett-Packard, was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2002. It spread to his liver and lungs. He was in remission for awhile, but his colon cancer has returned.

They arrived to a hero's welcome Saturday afternoon at the motorcycle shop, where relatives, friends and Fields' oncology staff from Sutter Roseville Hospital celebrated their return.

Both men are avid motorcycle riders, but Fields thought his health would prevent him from going.

Holck, who knows Fields through weekly group rides they take on their motorcycles, was persistent with his e-mails and virtually challenged Fields to join him through Canada and the tundra to the Arctic Circle.

Story of their trip

Lockeford resident Doug Holck at a glacier outside of Valdez, Alaska. (Courtesy photo)

Here are some blog entries written by Dell Fields, a cancer patient who accompanied Lockeford resident Doug Holck on their motorcycle trip to the Arctic Circle.

Saturday, June 23, 2007, Yukon Territory
Things are considerably more spartan here although Whitehorse (tomorrow) is said to be a nice city. We saw quite a few animals today. Among them were caribou, buffalo and goats.
It was so funny today when Doug pulled up near a caribou on the left side of the road. The caribou made a startled jump and started running as fast as it could as if racing Doug. Finally the caribou cut in front of Doug at full gallop crossing the road and stopping as I drove by. The caribou seemed so happy that he had outrun a motorcycle.

Thursday, June 28, 2007, Arctic Circle
Doug and I high-fived each other, and I felt a tear in my eye. Had the ride the previous day not been such a challenge, I probably would not have felt so emotional. I felt we had earned the right to be there. Doug and I unfurled the banner that the Sutter Cancer Center had prepared, and our friend from Chicago took some photos.
Both Doug and I were very proud of this moment. I hope this simple accomplishment by a cancer patient and his friend will inspire other cancer patients to reach for their goals.
Yesterday Doug gave me a bit of a scare. After we left the Arctic Circle, he said he wanted to continue to ride for a bit. I was still tired from the previous day and went back to the lodge. Ten hours later, Doug still had not shown up.
Finally we saw a cloud of dust going about 70 mph down the Dempster (Highway).
It was Doug. He was going so fast, he passed the entrance to the lodge. Doug had continued to the end of the Dempster to the town of Inuvik. Part of me wishes I have gone with him, but I was just not physically able. Naturally, he had great stories to tell everyone at the bar.

Saturday, July 7, 2007, Whitehorse, Yukon Territories
Last night we stayed in the village of Beaver Creek, Yukon Territories. Our room did not have TV, which bothered Doug, or telephone/Internet, which bothered me. It was a long, but beautiful ride yesterday from Valdez (Alaska) to Beaver Creek.
Leaving Valdez, we were treated to some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007, Penticton, British Columbia
A black bear crossed in front of Doug. In fact he only missed it by about 10 feet or so. The bear was big and was running from right to left across the road in front of us. It was lucky that Doug didn't hit it.
To read the entire blog, visit http://www.ascycles.com/dells_arctic_circle_cancer_ride.aspx.

Doug Holck: Motorcycle maniac

Doug Holck has ridden motorcycles since he was 9 years old. A lifelong Lodi-area resident (he was born in the old Mason Hospital on Pine Street), Holck graduated from Lodi High School in 1967.
His first date with his wife, Jan Holck, was on a motorcycle 35 years ago.
Although Jan didn't accompany Holck on his trip to the Arctic Circle this year, they have taken many motorcycle trips together. They rode all over New Zealand in 2003, they took a loop through the Alps in Italy, France, Switzerland and Austria in 2004, rode cross country in 2005 and took another trip the same year to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens national parks.
And last year, they took some of the most challenging mountain roads in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. That trip included Bryce Canyon, Zion and Grand Canyon national parks.
"It's a disease," Holck said about his motorcycle hobby. He has four motorcycles at the moment.
Holck hasn't quite quenched his thirst for his motorcycles. Someday, he wants to explore Scotland and the Isle of Mann.
Holck is a self-employed general contractor who focuses on remodeling, decks and custom work. He has been an active Lodi Rotary Club member since 1981, including two stints as president.
While not doing her biking thing, Jan Holck is an administrator of the surgery department at Kaiser Hospital in Manteca. She previously spent 10 years as a nurse at Lodi Memorial Hospital as part of her 32-year career.
The couple have two grown children, Jacklyn, who lives in Lodi, and Stephen, of Herald.
— News-Sentinel staff.

After getting clearance from his doctors and a chemotherapy prescription, Fields was on his way. He and Holck left A&S Powersports on their 2004 BMW 1150 GS Adventure bikes in Roseville at 10 a.m. on June 16.

Their journey took them through five western states and the Canadian Rockies before heading through the Yukon and Northwest territories of Canada and into Alaska. They arrived at the Arctic Circle on June 28. Holck rode an additional 500 miles round trip to the town of Inuvik on the Arctic Ocean in Northwest Territories while Fields rested after undergoing chemotherapy.

Not only did Holck drive to and from Inuvik, he later rode 500 miles from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, the northernmost point in Alaska, much of it on gravel roads.

"Not too many people can say they rode the northernmost road in Canada and the northernmost road in the United States," Holck said.

The trip to Prudhoe Bay was a harrowing one because Holck blew a tire in the middle of nowhere. With no cell phone reception, Holck used a satellite phone and contacted Fields back in Fairbanks. Fields bought a new tire in Fairbanks and had it flown 500 miles to Prudhoe Bay the next day.

Meanwhile, Holck used some temporary tire plugs to drive the 30 miles north to the end of the gravel highway at Prudhoe Bay to get his new tire.

The trip was a big triumph for Fields in particular.

"My goal was to show that cancer patients can do things," Fields said. Even a monthlong motorcycle ride through rough and remote terrain.

Although they didn't know each other too well, Holck and Fields became friends during the trip. Fields insisted on separate motel rooms on each stop because he didn't want to force Holck to deal with Fields' daily chemotherapy treatments and other medical issues.

Holck and Fields covered a lot of ground during their last few days on the road. They reached Whitehorse, Yukon Territories, on July 7. On subsequent days, they ventured south to Prince George, British Columbia, an area east of Vancouver; Goldendale, Wash.; and Portland, Ore.; before stopping at Medford, Ore., on Friday.

They returned to Roseville on Saturday.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

Barb wrote on Jul 28, 2007 12:52 PM:

" Way to go Doug!!! "

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Richard wrote on Jul 18, 2007 8:49 AM:

" Truly an adventure of a life time. Congratulations! Best wishes to your health, Dell. You folks have inspired many. "

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Weezer wrote on Jul 17, 2007 2:09 PM:

" Awesomely inspiring! "

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Deanna wrote on Jul 17, 2007 11:06 AM:

" What an amazing story. I am excited for you that youo were able to complete such a journey and pray that your cancer is cured. "

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