Cyclists on cancer ride hit by tree during B.C. storm

Two cyclists on the B.C. Ride to Conquer Cancer were hit by a tree that was torn off during the storm this weekend.

"My dad and I were struck by a very large tree just before lunch," said Alana Carwithen Pirro on Facebook.

"Both of our bikes are destroyed. My dad is bruised but doing ok. I was taken to Bellingham hospital, regained consciousness in the ambulance and was later transferred to VGH."

B.C.'s Cancer Foundation closed the route from Vancouver to Seattle this weekend after it assessed the winds were no longer safe for the riders, said vice-president Erik Dierks.

"It was an epic ride during an epic storm," he added.

He met with Pirro while she was waiting for surgery on Monday.

"She's a remarkable woman," he told CBC News. "Her biggest regret was not crossing the finish line with her dad."

This was Pirro's third cancer ride and the first for her father, who is a cancer survivor, Dierks said.