Four friends bike across Canada for AIDS research

TORONTO — In the ultimate “what I did this summer” adventure, four friends are biking across the country to raise money for AIDS research.

Chris Davidge, Yanir Levy, Neil Schmitke and Tommy Spriet began their 57-day journey on May 9. Dubbed Cycle4CANFAR, the cross-country trek takes them across eight provinces, starting from Vancouver and ending in Sydney, N.S.

READ MORE: Vancouver high school student develops early-stage HIV test

Team leader Davidge, a Western University student, came up with the idea while volunteering in Kenya. Roughly 1.6 million people there live with the HIV/AIDS virus. Many don’t live to see their 25th birthday.

“That broke my heart, and I wanted to make a change right then and there,” said Davidge.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "That broke my heart, and I wanted to make a change right then and there," said Davidge.

When the 20-year-old returned home to Stony Plain, Alta., he contacted the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research and discovered some sobering statistics about the virus here at home. An estimated 71,300 Canadians were living with HIV in 2011, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. About 25 per cent were unaware they had the infection, having never been diagnosed.

Spurred to action, Davidge organized Cycle4CANFAR. He recruited Schmitke, a long-time friend from Stony Plain, as well as fellow Western University students, Levy and Spriet, to join the 6,600-kilometre ride. Together, they pledged to raise $10,000 for CANFAR.

The four have been relying on the support of friends and family for their meals and accommodations. Rain or shine, they spend about 12 hours a day on their bikes, sometimes travelling nearly 200 kilometres in one day.

With the help of matching red jerseys, the team has received an outpouring of public support in the form of friendly honks from passing cars and donations from complete strangers. The young cyclists even visited as guest speakers at several schools in Portage La Prairie, Man.

“It’s just kind of surreal,” said Levy. “When you’re in school, you have people come and talk to you. And being able to be that person at 20 years old, that’s pretty cool.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's just kind of surreal," said Levy. "When you're in school, you have people come and talk to you. And being able to be that person at 20 years old, that's pretty cool."

By Day 20, the four had surpassed their original fundraising goal. They’ve since raised the bar to $25,000, enough for CANFAR to fund a one-year research grant.

“I want to find a cure in Canada,” said Davidge, “so the problem itself can just be done with.”

Cycle4CANFAR wraps up on July 4. Anyone interested in making a donation can do so here.