Latest Media

Here are some items that, while they don't count as new news, they might be of interest to you!

First, here are two newspaper articles written about the project.  One by Dianne Wood of The Record, published August 31, 2012:

Have you checked the @wr_record yet today?Thanks @woodrecord for a great article! therecord.com/news/local/art…
— Bike For Bricks (@BikeForBricks) August 31, 2012

And also one from Ross Howey from the Elmira Independent, published on the same day:

Cross-Canada cycling feat raises thousands for Heartwood Place. bit.ly/T2lyIO @bikeforbricks @cycleontario
— Elmira Independent (@Indyupdates) August 31, 2012

Second, here is the final instalment of Holeshot's Bike For Bricks videos.  It covers the last days in Ontario and the homecoming.

I'm still working on the stats, map, and outstanding daily recaps.  Enjoy!

Fundraising Update

It's been almost three weeks since the pedaling stopped, but donations have kept rolling in!  As of right now, the Bike For Bricks project has raised a total of: $21,858.70!

During the trip, we cycled a total of 6813.27km each, minus 49km (Kyle's bike hitchhiked/took rides four times) for a grand total of 20,390.81km.  That means that we have raised $1.07 per kilometre of cycling, 7% more than our goal!  

You can still donate by clicking the big PayPal button there ---------->

Thanks Mary and Anna for organizing, and Dennis and Helen for hosting!

On Saturday, we had an opportunity to get-together and celebrate the success of the B4B project.  It was great to see everyone who supported us throughout the trip, from home through the internet and through prayer, but also from the road: Brent and Kathy Bauman, Julie, Keenan and Carly, and Dennis and Helen.

Some Figures

Hi everyone,

This is the last picture I took with my phone on the trip.

So the trip is over, and it's been an adjustment getting back to work.  Pros: indoors, air conditioning, constant access to cold water, comfy seat, I can even out my tan, and I love my job.  Cons: I can't see a window from my seat, I have "real world" responsibilities now, and my mind was still in a go-go-go gear.  But it had to happen sometime!

I haven't conducted a full analysis of the trip yet, but here are some initial top-level figures for you:

Home!

Bike For Bricks has arrived home!

After 52 days on the roads and shoulders of every Canadian province, we completed a 6811 kilometre route from Vancouver to St. John's, starting and ending in Waterloo.

The trip may be over, but the Bike For Bricks is still going.  Here's what is coming over the next few weeks:

Days 48-49-50-51 - The Home Stretch

Here's a rare four-part blog to get you up to speed.  It brings you from Batchawana Bay to Flesherton, where we are starting from Tuesday morning.  That way you will be ready for our homecoming on Tuesday afternoon!

The centre of Canada.  

Day 48

We start the day from the exact centre of Canada, according to an official Geodetic survey.  So when we say we cycled across Canada but started in the middle, now we know exactly how close we actually are.  It is the specific midpoint between the extreme east and west, and it is only 500m from Mike's place in Batchawana Bay.

Day 4 - Hazeldean

We don't have many pictures from today,
so here's our 9:30am lunch.  

Where do you even start with a day like today?

Let's start at the end , where late tonight, we get visitors from back home - Lindsay and Jason - with a special delivery.  It was great to see some familiar faces - but what prompted the drive to Ottawa?

The deal is, if Grayson ever cycles across
Canada, we'll buy him a pitcher and nachos.

Well, today had been another great day physically.  Much hotter than yesterday - 35/42 with the humidex, so we made sure to stop early and often for water and rest.  That's how we ended up taking a 1.5 hour lunch break at 9:00.  In total, we did the 115kms in about 7.5 hours, again with little ascent and straight routes.  We are completely on pace, having done just over 500kms in four days.

We finished the day in Ottawa, which is special for a few reasons.  Again, we were blown away with the hospitality: first, with Kyle's cousin Lisa and her family, who took us in and pampered us with food, care, and beds.  Second, we got a chance to visit our good friend Grayson, finally, because he's been living in Ottawa for almost a year.  He took us out for drinks and to show us a bit of the city.  Also, it is Tyler's first time in the city, which is surprising given the circumstances.

McDonald's in Stittsville, ON.
Thanks Perry!

But getting back to Lindsay.  Great day, but it was largely shaped by one simple factor: no BlackBerry today.  Strange circumstances - the alarm went off this morning, but then before we could send out yesterday's blog, it quit.  And I'm not talking about the battery - I have three - the device just failed.  It wasn't so bad, because the day was again mostly Highway 7, but it is also our principal camera.  We decided to roll on, and figure it out later.  We inform our home crew about the situation, and Lindsay works this Twitter magic:

@BikeForBricks we can and want to help! What a seriously #BoldMove you guys are making! Follow & DM us ASAP 4 more. ^MS
— Research In Motion (@BlackBerry) June 20, 2012

WOW!  So RIM donates $500 to the Heartwood Place to get us back up and mapping.  Crazy!  But we're still on the ground, pedaling, with only verbal directions.  Which brings us to our final anecdote, which is the namesake of this blog.  


As we're heading up Highway 7 towards Ottawa, our instructions are to follow 7 until the Hazeldean exit.  Simple, except that 16km before that exit, Hwy 7 becomes a closed-access, divided expressway.  What!  But as a cyclist, you don't actually realize that until it's too late.  So we're just in the shoulder of major highway.  We want to exit, but it is just so gorgeous - wide, paved lane, no stops, no close traffic at all - and also, we would be completely lost if we do.  So Kyle convinces us to stay on the 7, which is exhilarating - we're doing an easy 35-40km/hr.  But all we can think about is "gotta get off...gotta get off...Hazeldean."  And then we see it:

A google streetview caputre of the sign.  Couldn't pull out
the cell phone camera there, for obvious reasons.

This sign was the highlight of our day.  And so Lindsay makes the commute all the way from Kitchener to Ottawa to bring the BlackBerry and some new mounts for our Drift HD cameras, so we're all set for tomorrow: Parliament and Quebec!

On a related note: my new PIN is 29B76242.

In case you missed it, click here to see yesterday's post.

One...Two.....Three.....and there they go!!!

When I woke up Sunday morning, it was just another day. Except my alarm was beeping, it was 5am and I quickly realized this was not an ordinary day. Today was the day we were going to send off Jordan, Kyle and Tyler on their cycle across Canada! This was the day we had all been anticipating for the last 3 months. The big "send off" from University Stadium at Laurier, where the guys would suit up in their new gear, strap all the belongings they would need for the next 7 weeks to their bikes and ride off.....into the pouring rain. What...rain...who said anything about it raining! As I drove to the stadium in the thunderstorms I prayed this was not a bad omen.

With Heartwood Place, Dave FM, Holeshot Productions, Royal Distributing and Marin Bikes all set up and ready to take some pictures of the guys, bikes and gear, we waited.....and waited. The moment arrived when all three of them came into the stadium, nervous smiles on their faces, friends and family surrounding them and this was their moment. Besides the obvious last minute rearrangements of gear, modifications to "booties" (Tyler I am using your words here), and minor adjustments, the trio was ready to go. A generous announcement by Dave FM and The Waterloo Classic Road Race sent lots of spectators our way to talk to the guys before they left. Typical questions included "are you nervous", "are you crazy" and "you're sleeping on what"? Great thanks to all who came out and supported us.

After posing for what felt like a million pictures and "feeling like celebrities (Tyler)" the guys gave one more goodbye to their families, hopped onto their bikes and hit the track for one lap around while the crowd shouted encouragement. This was the first time they were biking with the full weight of all the gear they were taking. A little wibble and wobble (just kidding) and as they came around the last corner I felt a little teary. Here they were, three young men off on an adventure of a lifetime all while raising money for a great cause.

Jordan, Kyle and Tyler are now off, free to cycle this country with literally "all they have on their bikes". They have trained for this for months, they have prepared their minds and bodies and they will succeed!

Follow the trio for live updates on twitter here

Our goal of raising $69,000 is still a ways off and we need your help! Donate here to help build more affordable housing!

Promo video by Holeshot!

Take a look at our first promo video:

Filmed in Guelph, ON by Holeshot Media.  We look great!  But seriously, thanks for watching.  You can learn more about Heartwood Place here.

One week and counting!

First off - we're within striking distance of 5 digits for our fundraising. Please donate to help build affordable housing for those in need of it at the Heartwood Place website! Biking across Canada is a lofty endeavour, as is our fundraising goal of 10$ for every kilometer. Please help us reach it!

The B4B team had a great weekend. We received and tested our new beautiful Lombard bikes from Marin Bikes California and all I can say is WOW! These bikes feel as great as they look. The weekend started with a few hours at Royal Distributing getting our bikes perfectly fitted to our individual body types by their bike experts, shooting a pre-trip promo and ordering all the bike related equipment we'd need. After this I took the rest of the day off work to play some some softball with Jordan, his family and friends. Despite the 35 - 0 trouncing we took it was a still a fun way to spend the afternoon and topped off by the inaugural ride on our new bikes. The ride was fantastic and the difference between our Marin bikes and our Fuji Touring bikes was noticeable and exciting. I could definitely picture myself biking across Canada on the Marin's easier then on the Fuji's.

The next day Jordan and I went biking and were joined by our friend Chad Hepburn for a good 70km around Wellesley township and this is when we felt really, REALLY good. Chad, an impressive athlete struggled to keep up with us all day (read Chad's account here) due to in equal parts the training Jordan and I have been putting in and the quality of our bikes vs his road bike. It's interesting to note that I did switch bikes with Chad for an 8km stretch that saw him pass me on the first hill we came to for the first time that day! It was a little demoralizing, but I managed to keep up until we switched back to our normal bikes. We also used this opportunity to test and take video with our brand new Drift 1080p video cameras; They work great and have provided us with our first of many biking video's. After finishing the day's ride we briefly broke from each others company before grabbing dinner with more of Jordan's friend's and family. After some tasty adult beverage I eventually went to sleep feeling very good and eager to get on the bikes the next day.

On Saturday Jordan and I went on another little tour of the surrounding area, during which we put in about 80km total and both biked in the rain for the first time. Biking in the rain wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I presumed it would be and doing it definitely marked a mental hurdle and I'm no longer so nervous about the rain we're sure to encounter over our 7 week journey. The rain did clear up and we ended up having a great day going from Conestoga, to Elmira, to Floradale and eventually over some good hills to Elora where we broke for lunch and a quick stop at the Cafe Creperie where the Owner (and nicest man) Jacques Dion provided us with water, some very tasty chocolate mousse and a couple good stories. After we pulled ourselves away from Elora we made our way back to Conestoga via the picturesque Kissing Bridge.

All in all, the first couple rides on the new bikes were amazing and having put a solid 200km on the Marin Lomabrd's my confidence is at an all time high and my legs feel fine. So, here I am, listening to the Last Waltz enjoying the end of the weekend and counting down the days until departure.

7 days to go.

These guys are nuts!

[The first in a series of guest blogs.  This is from Lindsay, the Community Development Coordinator at Heartwood]

First off let me tell you how I met these guys, an important part of this story. I met Jordan, Kyle and Tyler just under three months ago when I began working for Heartwood Place. I came on board with Bike for Bricks in April when the project kind of fell into my lap. I was so impressed and truly thought that these guys were nuts even attempting to bike across the country. This coming from the girl who hasn't been on a bicycle in over 4 years. I communicated with them through email for a few weeks and finally met face to face. What I was expecting, I can't figure out. But who I met was three extremely kind, talented and dedicated young men who are not only committed to biking across the country for an adventure but to raise money for something they believe in.

The next two months went by in a blur and emotions ranged from depressed when we couldn't even get a local zehrs to give them a gift card for food to extreme happiness when we got two major sponsors (Marin Bikes California and Royal Distributing). My belief started off as doubtful, would these guys be able to make it 6,900 km's without planned places to sleep, no hot showers and without a support vehicle? Those doubts disappeared the more I got to know them, the more I found out about the trip and the more I realized no matter how tough it gets, these guys are going to do it. With some amazing bikes from Marin Bikes and Royal's contribution of gear and some pretty amazing Drift HD camera's to record the trip, these guys will rock it. I often joke that I am their personal assistant on this trip, I am there to complain to, to figure things out when they are busy training and working, to get them sponsors and to keep track of them as they cycle across Canada. I will be their biggest fan, supporter and I might have promised these Blue Jay Fans, a Jays Game on me when they all return home safe and sound.

To sum it up..... here are three young talented men, about to embark on a 2 month physically challenging journey that not many people will ever attempt, for a little adventure and to raise a lot of money and awareness. I can only hope my kids grow up to be as remarkable as Jordan, Kyle and Tyler are.

Help them reach their goal of $69,000! Donate here

-Lindsay MacNevin

The Official Fundraising Kick-off!

Tyler, Jordan, Morty, and Kyle, at the
BBQ fundraising kick-off on June 2.

This was definitely the most exciting weekend the Bike4Bricks trip has had since it's inception. Not only have Royal Distributing and Marin Bikes California teamed up to provide us with fantastic equipment, bikes and support, but we had our first official fundraising endeavour outside of the Reporter Cafe at the Heartwood Place on Ainslie in Cambridge.

The community enjoys their hot dogs!

The day was a little overcast and rainy, but a couple well placed tents made sure that the periodic rain was of no consequence.  We took special precaution to keep the mascot Morty dry!

We are really excited to have officially started fundraising for the Heartwood Place.  To date, donations have reached $9000, or 13% of our fundraising goal.  With 14 days left until "bike-off," we know we have our work cut out for us.  You can donate securely at the Heartwood website by following this link.  The funds will be used to expand the Heartwood Place from two to three locations. 

A big thanks to Mary, Susan, Anna, and Lindsay, our tireless supporting team from Heartwood Place, the other volunteers who made the day possible, the community for participating in a great event, and to Marin and Royal for helping turn this event into a visible and well-defined event. 

Keep an eye out for more exciting updates.  We leave two weeks from today!

- The B4B Team

The Swim mini fundraiser

On Friday after work a couple coworkers and I managed to convince my boss to donate money to the Heartwood Place and Bike for Bricks team to the tune of $0.10 for every length of the pool I could swim before the next set of patrons came to the facility. So, with an opportunity to raise some money and get a good workout my ridiculously in-shape coworker and I donned our bathing suits and hopped in. With my swimming partner Shannon providing motivation (which means I didn't want to let a girl beat me) we managed to pound out an incredible 200 lengths each in 1hr40min.
My legs hurt, my hands hurt, my lungs and shoulders and stomach hurt but hurt a lot less than biking across Canada!
Thanks Dave for the 20$ donation and Shannon for making me go farther than I would otherwise have gone - and also for providing me with the opportunity to tell people that I can swim 5km
For those of you interested in donating some money to the Heartwood Place please visit their website
Or contact us on facebook.

Thanks!

B4B Updates

Hi everyone,

Lots is happening right now in the Bike for Bricks.  Here's the latest:

- We ordered clothes this week from Runners' Choice in Waterloo (yes, they do cycling and tris, too).  Should be in by the end of the month.  Then we will look GREAT.



don't know why it's sidways...

 - As you probably know, we launched our Facebook fan page.  We will use this as our primary social interface, especially for some fundraising opportunities and events this summer, and also for quick and easy photo sharing.  If you don't already, you can "like" us here. 

- We are working on some branding and graphic design.  Here is a logo that I sketched out: it's a bike in a brick.  We hope to update this soon!

- We have made a major change to our planned route.  Rather than ferry from Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques on the west coast of Newfoundland, we will instead ferry to Argentina, which will cut about 700km from the first leg of the trip.  This is a conservative move that we believe is more realistic (proper rest and mileage), but also fits our schedule better.  Win-win.

- Donatations will be accepted ASAP.  You'll know!  In the mean-time, get inspired by the work that Heartwood does. 

- We have tentatively set the date for our next major training run: we are looking at a bike-camping trip the weekend of May 25-27 up into the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario.  Until then, just cycling to work and around Waterloo Region.  Right now, I'm putting in about 300km/week and increasing steadily. 

That's it for now.  Thanks for reading,

Jordan

3 Months from Today...

Hi everyone,

The date today is March 16...exactly three months from our departure date of June 16. Kind of a wake-up call, because there is still so much to do before then. The main items we have to prepare are:

• Administrative - an online donation system, a publicity campaign to drive donations, continue to find sponsors, and formalize time-off work!


• Practical - continue to build our mileage, finalize our route, acquire two more bicycles, buy any remaining equipment, and arrange transportation (from North Sydney to Port aux Basques, and from St. John's to Vancouver)

That being said, we are very excited about the trip, for obvious reasons!

This is also a good opportunity to outline the blog: we are going to be tagging our posts, so far with training, logistics, and Heartwood labels for related posts. (More labels will added as necessary.) We also have mobile blogging set up, so that we can contribute from the road in June/July.

We are also working on a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account, which we will roll out once we have the online donations in place.

Jordan

Progress

We met with Heartwood Place for the second time this week. It was a great meeting - largely a photo-op for some of our promotional purposes (pics available soon!). Mary and Susan are fantastic; each is obviously enthusiastic about the purpose of the organization, and excited about this opportunity as well.

The next steps are to finalize our sponsorship situation and build an online presence. In addition to this blog, we will have an page at the Heartwood website to take secure donations, as well as various social media profiles.

That's it for now. Check back soon!