Before this summer, 20-year-old Joseph Perreault's Canadian travels never took him further than Ottawa. Alongside his sister Kaly,18, his father Gino and his uncle Lee McKenna, Joseph decided that the time was right to experience an intimate view of his country. What a better way than by travelling by bicycle.
Touring for pleasure, but also with a deeper purpose. A friend of their family, Francine Marleau who passed away in March, had lived with cerebral palsy her entire life. The family wished to cycle in her memory and raise money for this disability. “We were happy we could do it in her name,” said Kaly. “It was a nice feeling.”
On May 30, with 45 pounds of luggage attached to each of their bikes, the well-trained cyclists left their Dorval home and began their 7,400 km journey. McKenna explained that the family had found a preplanned bike-friendly route on the Internet. “We were able to organize ahead where we would stop to camp and what services should be available,” he said.
The cyclists travelled with the western winds, making their way to St. John's, Newfoundland, a mutual favourite stop. “People were so nice there. They would come up to us and ask where we came from and what we were doing,” said Joseph. “We stuck out with our bikes and our equipment.”
After a one-week break, they then flew to Vancouver and continued their cycling adventure towards Montreal, travelling on average 130 km a day, at a speed of 20 km per hour. They started biking early in the mornings, making sure to eat well and drink lots of water, and stopped by 4 p.m. to find a place to set up camp.
“There was something beautiful about every province that we visited,” said Joseph. “Although, Ontario was the definitely the longest.” This province was considered by all four cyclists to be the most challenging province, taking them twenty days to cycle through.
When they finally crossed that Ontario, Quebec border on Aug. 13, 76 days since their departure, home was only a matter of hours away. Proud friends and family, noise makers and champagne, greeted them that afternoon.
Although the family enjoyed their adventure, they were happy to be back to the comfort of their home. When asked if they would like to do this again, Kaly said, “We would like to cycle across parts of Europe.”
Until then, this family has raised over $2,000 for cerebral palsy, and donations are still coming in.
Check out the website for more information or to make a donation http://www.cpsc.ca/event_lee.html
