Thunderstorms may delay him, steep hills may slow him down and flat tires (nine so far) are an irksome inconvenience. But, so far, Truro businessman Chris MacDougall has let nothing deter him on his cross-country cycle for a cause near and dear to his heart.
“We’ve had great days,” the Truro businessman said from Ottawa during a stopover, the first real rest day he has taken since departing from Airdrie, Alberta (near Calgary) on Aug. 3.
“I’m definitely a day ahead (of his planned schedule).”
MacDougall is cycling across Canada - from Vancouver to Newfoundland – as a fundraising venture and awareness generator for cancer research being done at Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation.
His journey has been titled Charlie’s Ride, in memory of his son Charlie who died of cancer in 2004 at age 14.
On Friday, MacDougall reached the Maritimes, stopping in Edmunston, N.B., after travelling from St. Alexandre-de-Kamouraska, Que.
“A few months ago, I thought biking from Edmunston to home would be somewhat crazy, now I feel like I am almost there,” MacDougall wrote in his blog. “Only three small Maritime Provinces left with a short 900 km jaunt across Newfoundland and I am home free. I actually felt a psychological lift when I crossed the border into New Brunswick.”
MacDougall’s riding partner since Calgary has been Eugene (Genie) Retson from Brookfield. His participation ended at Ottawa and from there, MacDougall’s brother Bobb was to ride with him until Woodstock, N.B.
That changed, however, when they reached Florenceville, N.B., on Saturday.
Bobb ran into a wheel issue, having felt like things were dragging a bit. When they inspected, they saw the wheel was so warped it was rubbing against the brake pads. They adjusted the rear brake so the pads were as far away from the wheel as possible, however the wheel barely spun without touching the pads.
With 30 kilometres between them and Grand Falls, they headed there only to have Bobb pop a spoke and a local bike shop not being able to help them.
“Bobb and I discussed our position and I suggested going back to Edmunston for repairs,” MacDougall wrote. “Bobb was adamant about me going on my own as he said he could do the ride from Grand Falls to Woodstock anytime. He chose to jump in the van and away we went.”
While the ride is in memory of his son, MacDougall also has others close to heart when he rides, including Ineke Graham and her family, whom he rode for on Saturday. Graham’s daughter, Laura, passed away last year from cancer.
The ride surpassed the $140,000 mark for funds raised last week, with MacDougall being impressed with the support received from strangers they have met along the way and who have been making personal donations when they learn of his cause.
One such example was a waitress at a restaurant near Pembroke, Ont. After inquiring as to where the funds were going and learning that MacDougall’s family is sponsoring 100 per cent of the trip expenses, and that the only cost of donating is the expense of processing a cheque or credit card transaction, she donated her day’s tips to the cause.
Twitter: @tdnharry
Thunderstorms may delay him, steep hills may slow him down and flat tires (nine so far) are an irksome inconvenience. But, so far, Truro businessman Chris MacDougall has let nothing deter him on his cross-country cycle for a cause near and dear to his heart.
“We’ve had great days,” the Truro businessman said from Ottawa during a stopover, the first real rest day he has taken since departing from Airdrie, Alberta (near Calgary) on Aug. 3.
“I’m definitely a day ahead (of his planned schedule).”
MacDougall is cycling across Canada - from Vancouver to Newfoundland – as a fundraising venture and awareness generator for cancer research being done at Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation.
His journey has been titled Charlie’s Ride, in memory of his son Charlie who died of cancer in 2004 at age 14.
On Friday, MacDougall reached the Maritimes, stopping in Edmunston, N.B., after travelling from St. Alexandre-de-Kamouraska, Que.
“A few months ago, I thought biking from Edmunston to home would be somewhat crazy, now I feel like I am almost there,” MacDougall wrote in his blog. “Only three small Maritime Provinces left with a short 900 km jaunt across Newfoundland and I am home free. I actually felt a psychological lift when I crossed the border into New Brunswick.”
MacDougall’s riding partner since Calgary has been Eugene (Genie) Retson from Brookfield. His participation ended at Ottawa and from there, MacDougall’s brother Bobb was to ride with him until Woodstock, N.B.
That changed, however, when they reached Florenceville, N.B., on Saturday.
Bobb ran into a wheel issue, having felt like things were dragging a bit. When they inspected, they saw the wheel was so warped it was rubbing against the brake pads. They adjusted the rear brake so the pads were as far away from the wheel as possible, however the wheel barely spun without touching the pads.
With 30 kilometres between them and Grand Falls, they headed there only to have Bobb pop a spoke and a local bike shop not being able to help them.
“Bobb and I discussed our position and I suggested going back to Edmunston for repairs,” MacDougall wrote. “Bobb was adamant about me going on my own as he said he could do the ride from Grand Falls to Woodstock anytime. He chose to jump in the van and away we went.”
While the ride is in memory of his son, MacDougall also has others close to heart when he rides, including Ineke Graham and her family, whom he rode for on Saturday. Graham’s daughter, Laura, passed away last year from cancer.
The ride surpassed the $140,000 mark for funds raised last week, with MacDougall being impressed with the support received from strangers they have met along the way and who have been making personal donations when they learn of his cause.
One such example was a waitress at a restaurant near Pembroke, Ont. After inquiring as to where the funds were going and learning that MacDougall’s family is sponsoring 100 per cent of the trip expenses, and that the only cost of donating is the expense of processing a cheque or credit card transaction, she donated her day’s tips to the cause.
Twitter: @tdnharry
