I was in my fourth year at Trent University contemplating
what I shall do upon graduation, as students do when the end is in sight.
I decided that I wished to take some time off and relax, not
having to worry about the prospect of getting a job or continuing my education.
I wanted to travel. I initially thought that I may volunteer abroad, but I
never saw much of my own country. I have heard people say they explore several
countries, going to all the attractions, but when you ask them what they have
explored in their own country, they come up blank, realizing that although
their own country has many attractions to visit they have yet to do so. And
thus I figured it was time I explored my own country, the great and beautiful
Canada, as I have only been as far west as Windsor, as far east as Montreal,
and as far north as Sudbury. And by explore, I wanted to see it all, coast to
coast, British Columbia to Newfoundland. My next step was to figure out how I
would go about exploring this vast country. I could drive, but that would
require purchasing a car and dealing with all that comes with a car, which can
get quite expensive. Also, I am not that fond of driving so a car did not
appear to be one of the best options. I could take a train, but again, that can
be quite expensive as well. I had heard of people cycling across Canada and the
summer before fourth year I met an individual my age who just finished cycling
the country which confirmed it could be done. I googled “cycling across Canada”
and came up with several hits indicating this idea was not crazy as several
people head out each summer to do just that, cycle from one coast to the other.
I even came across a program entitled “Tour du Canada” and discovered that the
organization “Cycle Canada” has been organizing cross Canada trips since 1988. After
acknowledging that cycling the country is a realistic notion, I decided I was
going to do it, I, Myra Juckers, was going to cycle across Canada. I figured it
shouldn’t be that difficult, I know how to bike. However, I had never cycled
more than 60km in one day, I never owned a road bike, I had never done any
multi-day cycling trips, and I had no notion of basic bike mechanics. But, I
found out on the internet that individuals with the same lack of experience as
me have cycled across Canada and so I thought, I could do it. But there was
also another slight problem. I knew of no one I could ask that would have the
time or the desire to cycle across Canada for an entire summer and so I would
be undertaking this adventure on my own. My first thought regarding this was it
would be extremely lonely; my second thought was my possessions could get
stolen because I cannot keep an eye on my things 24/7. My third thought was I am
a female...cycling by myself could be a bit dangerous, particularly with my
lack of experience. I decided to inquire more into Tour du Canada because the
tour was supported, meaning I would not have to lug all my gear on my bicycle.
Also, approximately 20-40 people partake in the tour each year and thus I would
not be alone. I became a member of Cycle Canada and I posed the question to
individuals who did the tour before on whether or not I should sign up for Tour
du Canada or undertake cycling across the country on my own based on my lack of
experience. I received numerous responses and from their opinions I decided to
sign up for Tour du Canada. I was happy with my decision because I had an
adventure planned for the summer :D But now I had to prepare....
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