Mike's Bicycle Across Canada
Mike Vermeulen's web site contains an account of a ride of 9,700 km, even longer than the one I will be attempting. He started in Fairbanks in Alaska and cycled the Alaska Highway and the YellowHead Highway through the prairie states of Saskatchewan and Manitoba before joining the Trans-Canada Highway in Ontario and continuing to St. John's. His account happens to be the first one I ever read (quite a few years ago).
Biking Across Canada
The "Lone Biker" Erik Straarup is a Danish rider with a reputation for fast solo rides, racking up huge daily distances. His journal is a truly startling account of a "fast" crossing of Canada in 1999 from Vancouver to St. John's. Amazingly, he completed the ride in just 27 days (and 5 hours and 30 minutes)! It's the sheer relentlessness of this guy that impresses me the most; 240km, 280 km, even 320 km, day after day after day and loaded up with camping gear. His account of a record ride around Australia is equally mind-blowing.
I received over Internet some daily emails which described 2 Canadians trip across Canada as they were traveling .They had 2 cars to support them and they only had to bike, therefore I was not so impressed of their average of 250 k pr day and thought that maybe I could do the trip faster, alone and with a tent...Erik Straarup
From Sea to Sea - An Exploration of Canada by Bike
This one is a highly personal account from a guy called Trevor Hennessey. He really lays himself bare and narrates in graphic detail the various trials and tribulations (there were many), both mental and physical that affected his crossing. He had some fantastic moments as well, but it's his emotional writing that dominates and makes for fascinating reading. Trevor's journal is also the longest and most detailed I've ever read and you can immerse yourself in his writings for days.
The Beetles Cross Canada Bike Trip 2001
Another person who triumphs over adversity is Kirk Nangreaves. Then in his early twenties, he set out to cross Canada with two buddies, Mike and Geoff. Mike seemed not to have enjoyed the experience one bit and quit after a month. A week later and rather out of the blue, Geoff decided to abandon Kirk as well. Kirk, who was not even half way at this point, was clearly devastated, but decided to continue on his own and showing great character and resolve completed his journey solo in 80 days.
After lunch, we stopped at a gas station to refill water. When I came out of the bathroom, there was a pile of food on the ground, along with the tent and Geoff said (paraphrasing): “I don’t mind waiting for you to fix your bike, write your journal or do your push-ups, but I didn’t want to wait for you to look at tourist attractions, so I’ve made a decision: I’m leaving!” And, as I stood there stunned, he took off on his own. I continued to sit there stunned for about an hour, contemplating what to do.Kirk Nangreaves
Across Canada by Bicycle - Through the North
Most cyclists who cross Canada, my planned adventure included, tend to hug the southern extremities of this vast country. For most people, northern Canada is just too remote and too inhospitable. Tom, a solo traveller from Germany, disagrees and chose a different route, covering some very challenging highways, often unpaved, in more northerly regions. These included the Cassiar Highway, Campbell Highway, the famous Dempster Highway which crosses into the Arctic Circle, the Red-Earth-Road (Highway 88), Route du Nord and Trans-Labrador Highway. These are true wilderness roads for the experienced adventure traveller only. As the author states himself - "No Newbies"!
The Great Canadian Bike Trek
With a similar contempt for convention, Mark Tanner chose to ride while the harsh Canadian winter was still in full swing, setting out from Vancouver in early February! He crossed the snowbound Rockies and then rode across the frozen prairies, facing considerable hardship in the numbing cold on a daily basis until spring finally broke towards the end of his journey.
My mouth is burning dry, I reach for my water bottle and press the mouthpiece against my blistering, dry lips, but alas, the fluid is frozen in its canister. The bitter cold has taken its toll, I cannot feel my fingers or toes, I'm tired and my bottom hurts, I have been riding up the steep mountain since sunrise.Mark Tanner
Trans Canada Trail
Tom Couture spent 128 days crossing Canada and covered 10,000 km in the process. What was unusual about Tom's trip was the fact that it was off-road, making extensive use of completed parts of the Trans Canada Trail. Tom kept a GPS record of his journey, in addition to daily altitudinal and distance readings. The data was subsequently used to help produce accurate mapping. When completed, the trail will be 18,000 km in length and the longest recreational trail in the world.
If anybody knows of any other great journals of crossing Canada by bike, please let me know!
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