A 1,000-kilometre bicycle ride around Lake Ontario would be a big challenge for just about anyone.
Doing it in the middle of winter would probably make most people shake their head and think of the beach instead.
For Mark and Brent Hubner, along with Chris Surette and Jan LaPierre, it’s just the latest in a long list of adventures they’ve been on, including trips to the North and South Pole.
Mark Hubner says they may be the first to do the Lake Ontario loop in winter.
“We hadn’t heard of anybody who had done it in the winter time, and we thought it would be definitely something to turn heads and be a little bit more of a challenge.”
Turn heads is what they they did at Sydenham Public School where they stopped to speak to a class of Grade 5 and 6 students.
Surette and LaPierre run a marketing company called “A for Adventure” with a stated goal of connecting the next generation of youths with nature and being active.
Surette says they do that by telling the stories of their travels.
“They’ll want to be outside and explore, because we really believe at the end of the day, spending time outside creates more creativity, you’re definitely creating a foundation for a healthier life.”
They also spoke about other trips including their 30-hour paddle to Sable Island, a trip that resonated with 12-year-old Henry Barber.
“I thought it was really cool how there are all the shipwrecks, and the sharks, that was really really cool,” he said.
The talk got 11-year-old Isobel Smallman thinking about planning her own adventure.
“Somewhere in Asia where my mom’s family came from, because I could visit a lot of family and stuff like that,” she said.
The four men are also about providing opportunities. While cycling around Lake Ontario, they’ve been raising money for charity to send children to camp.
They’re asking people to donate to the not-for-profit charity, Amici.
The charity helps send children from low-income families to summer camp.
Hubner says they set a goal of $10,000.
“We’ve exceeded contributions of $18,000 already, and a large amount of those donations came in even before the trip was underway.”
The men of action have also put their money where their mouths are.
They and their sponsor Baffin footwear and apparel are also donation-matching up to $5,000.