Cyclists halfway across Canada hope to unite people coast-to-coast

A group of cyclists travelling across Canada are happy to be more than halfway through their journey as they passed through Sault Ste. Marie earlier this week.

Connectour is a hop-on, hop-off cycling tour of Canada that began about two months ago in Kelowna, B.C., about halfway on its way to St. Johns, Nfld.

Three of the core members who have so far cycled the entire 4,500 kilometres completed the Lake Superior leg of the tour, arriving in Sault Ste. Marie on Monday.

Doug Firby of Calgary said the Lake Superior leg was a tough ride, with a lot of ups and downs and some patches of highway without safe shoulders to cycle on.

There was, however, an upside to following the Superior coastline.

“It’s stunningly beautiful,” said Firby. “I think — and no bullshit — if it’s not the most beautiful part of the ride, it’s one of the most beautiful.”

Firby began the tour two months ago with Rick and Tanya McFerrin, who have been with him the whole ride. Unfortunately Firby’s wife Lisa Monforton had a crash near Outlook, Sask. and broke her collarbone.

“She has been recuperating and will meet us when we get to Tobermory,” said Firby.

The intention for the ride, said Firby, is to connect to people across Canada, especially as the country emerges from the pandemic.

“It’s not a fundraiser or any particular cause, it's about getting people back in touch with each other,” said Firby.

Just prior to the pandemic hitting in March 2020, Firby went on a cycling tour of Argentina that was run by Rick and Tanya, who also live in Calgary. He said they became fast friends and decided to plan a cross-Canada ride to start last summer.

“It quickly became obvious that wasn’t going to be possible, the pandemic was getting progressively worse, so we put the idea on hold for a year,” said Firby.

Rick and Tanya travelled for two years after they got married and spent the last 30 years doing cycling tours as a way to spend vacations and even to raise their three boys.

“Throughout their lives, whenever we can, we have either taken them out of school for a year and travelled with them,” said Rick. 

“We did that twice,” said Tanya. “Once when they were four, six and eight for a year in North America and a couple of years ago, when they were 14, 16 and 17, we did a world tour.”

Tanya said online learning made taking high school classes a breeze and the boys did a lot of self-learning.

“It gave them a lot of independence — it was really good,” said Tanya.

Another challenge of completing the Lake Superior leg of the journey has been finding supplies. Rick said he is looking forward to arriving in southern Ontario where there is much less travel time between towns and cities.

“In B.C. it was mostly mountains and wild landscapes. The prairies was flat and windy and across Lake Superior was pretty desolate but beautiful scenery,” said Rick. “Each part of Canada has been interesting.”

The group has seen a lot of wildlife during the tour, but so far hopes of spotting a moose on the way have been dashed.

“For the most part the bugs have not been as bad as we thought they’d be,” said Rick. “One night near Winnipeg we had a little black bear wander in to our camp.”

Firby said the kindness of strangers and meeting new people from across the country has been his favourite part of the journey so far. One stranger in Saskatchewan offered the group a soak under a cold garden hose in the 40 degree heat, another invited them back to his pool.

One man stopped the group at a gas station in the middle of no where and asked what they were doing so far out. Firby said he was surprised to hear they were partway on a trip across the country.

“All he could find is a can of sunblock and he says, ’here, I have to give you something.’ That’s the way people are all the way along,” said Firby.

A memorable part of the journey for Firby was a stop made at the Terry Fox memorial in Thunder Bay.

“It was really very moving to see what that guy was doing every day and to remember that time,” he said.

Although the group is not raising money for any cause Firby said he and his wife are riding to raise awareness for organ donations after a member of their family recently required a transplant.

“Organ donations are low — they’re not what they could be,” said Firby. “We are asking people to please get those cards out and sign them, because you can save a life.”