Trip Statistics:

Distance Cycled: 7,850km/4,750 miles

Weight Pulled: 110lbs (Ginger and our gear)

Altitude Climbed: 36,000m

Total Calories Burned: 220,000

Average Cycling Time Per Day: 5.5 hours

Average Distance Per Day: 80km/50 miles

In my opinion, the best campsites were: Old Woman Bay on Lake Superior and the graveyards throughout Eastern Canada. 😊

We were fortunate to suffer very few bike issues: 1 puncture, 3 tires replaced, 2 broken spokes, cracked frame, a snapped gear cable and endless breakdowns with the trailer (no comment needed on the trailer).

I wouldn’t ride anything other than a SPECIALIZED branded bicycle! Save the headaches and ride the best.

How much physical fitness do you need to cycle across Canada?

You DO NOT need to be super fit or a big cyclist to do this trip. We did average 80km per day and this is a good amount, but we started a little slower to get used to it. We met people who were doing 150km and racing through and others who had not ridden a bike for 10 years and started off at 40-50km.

Enjoy the adventure!

Start slow, ease yourself into it and you will find your legs and fitness getting fitter and stronger along the way. Try not to rush too much along the way and enjoy the adventure! Carrying everything you need, you’ll realise how little you actually need to live, and you’ll come to appreciate all the things you take for granted at home; a bed, a roof, electricity, a hot shower, clean clothes, and ice cold water.

All the generous people you meet along the way will restore your faith in human kindness – we were astounded by how kind and trusting Canadian’s really are. We are lucky to be Canadian! You’ll meet some lovely people along the way.

You’ll have good and bad days but the good certainly far outweighs the bad. You’ll be exposed to the elements – heat, humidity, cold and wet. Fatigue will always be a factor whilst hills and headwind can get particularly annoying after a while.

Number 1 Riding Tip!!

My advice is to eat before you get hungry (it’s amazing how much you can eat and plenty of unhealthy stuff as you’ll burn it off – yummy!) – we both lost nearly a stone in weight.

Finally, remember that those bad days just make the good days seem even better.

By Brian Nadon