Riding for Di
My plane just left the tarmac in Ottawa. I’m feeling much more than just the usual flight jitter. There’s no turning back now. I’ll land in Victoria in just a few hours, where I’ll unbox and assemble my bike, and ride to Mile 0–the starting point of my 7,192 km solo biking adventure.
A few doubts keep echoing again and again through my head, along with some well-meaning comments from friends as they learned about my plan, like:
“You realize you’re 70 years old, ‘humph’!”
“You haven’t thought this through! Solo?!”
And after my original departure had to be delayed:
“I hope you’ve abandoned the idea of cycling across Canada. I was afraid you’d lost your marbles.”
Perhaps they’re not entirely wrong.
Besides my age, craziness, and relative inexperience with bike touring, I know I will be challenged in ways I can’t fully imagine. There will be horrific weather events, promising to be made worse by this year’s Super El Nino (tornados, torrential rain, oppressive heat and drought, not to mention the smoke and dangers of the already out-of-control wildfires) and the physical challenges of peddling a bike through the Rockies and the endless miles of Northern Ontario.
Then there are the challenges I can’t predict: mechanical failures, finding enough food and water, sleeping well, keeping clean, and solving a hundred small problems that no amount of planning can eliminate.
My bike is boxed and waiting to be flown to Victoria BC where it will carry me for the next 7,000+ kms…I’m praying the airline doesn’t crush it the way my son’s bike was destroyed by an airline two month ago!
And, as I have been reminded of so often, there is health itself.
None of us can ever take it for granted.
As I sit on this flight, my thoughts are with my oldest sister, Dianne, who recently died from ovarian cancer, and my brother, Charlie, who lost his battle to cancer a year before.
When I told Dianne about this ride, I said she would be with me in my thoughts until I reached St. John’s. She talked about her intent to come see me when I went through Ontario or even better, at my journey’s end.
That was our plan. The journey’s end should have happened already.
Cancer had other ideas.
Around May 1st, as my original May 15th plan start-date approached, Dianne’s condition suddenly worsened. She believed she still had months to enjoy life with her friends and family, but instead she was given only days. On May 20, surrounded by those she loved, she chose Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) to end what had become unbearable suffering.
Even during those final weeks, she never stopped encouraging me.
She told me, again and again, that she knew I could do this.
Those conversations have stayed with me.
There will undoubtedly be days on this ride when I question why I ever thought cycling across the vastness of this country was a good idea. There will be headwinds, mountains, exhaustion, breakdowns, loneliness, and moments when quitting will seem like the sensible choice.
When those days come, I’ll remember Dianne.
This ride has become far more than a cycling adventure.
It is a promise.
It is a tribute.
And it is my way of honouring two remarkable people whose lives ended too soon.
So despite the doubts—my own and everyone else’s—I am quietly determined to reach the finish line.
Every kilometre is for Di.
My sister, Dianne, passed away on May 20th 2026, succumbing to Ovarian Cancer. It’s often referred to as the Silent Killer because, as in my sister’s case, the symptoms can easily be mistaken for other conditions, leading to delays in detection and treatment until it is too late. Please donate to help in research to end this dreadful disease, by clicking here.
A few words about this remarkable person can be found here.
Lots of emotions while waiting for takeoff but on the whole it’s thumbs up—bring on the giants!
Barry may God be with you this journey and tribute to Dianne, she was a best friend and her words of strength and support will be with you all the way . Let her carry you on her wings of Love.
Trish Matthews
Super stoked for your adventure Barry! Thanks for blogging it. Safe travels!
Hi there. I did your exact journey back in 1980 in the same direction, from West to East, with a girlfriend who had never biked much, and neither of us had biked long distance before that trek. (We had hoped to cross paths with Terry Fox at the time, who was running across Canada from East to West.) We got out west by train* from Ontario and Northern Manitoba, with about $30 in our pockets, (being post university students with no money.) *Yes, train travel across many parts of Canada was readily available back in the 70’s and 80’s.
Everything you said about challenges you may face were what we faced and all what you wrote made the many memories (good and bad) flood back to me from my trip. This is why I am writing to you. If my girlfriend and I did it on 10speed CCM Targa bikes from Canadian Tire back then, you can surely do it, Barry, on a modern day bicycle. We stayed in a tent enroute; which we carried with us, and we packed some minimal food in our panniers as poor students, and no real cash flow. You will be surprised at the generosity (and curiosity) of complete strangers.
That cross Canada bike trip solidified my thought that Canadians are truly very friendly and giving people. I hope you experience that same kind of generosity.
Good luck to you. Be rest assured when you face a hard uphill (or mountain) that will take you 4-5 hours to climb up, or perhaps a torrential rainstorm with winds against you in the open prairies, know that your thoughts of your loved ones that have passed, who are now looking over you, will pull you through. Whenever my girlfriend and I had to face very difficult challenges there was always something positive that came to us around the next corner or shorty thereafter. I wish for those positives to happen to you, as well. Safe travels!!
I was so delighted to see your comment. What a wonderful story!
I did see Terry Fox in 1980, not intentionally, but as we were driving through Northern Ontario on our way to Vancouver, where we lived for 5 years. It brought tears to our eyes seeing him on such a bleak stretch of his journey. He’s been an inspiration!
Thank you for writing. As I type this in my tent tonight I can tell you I’ll be helped along on this journey by your words.
Barry
Awww. That’s nice! You’re welcome.