MONTREAL – When three Montrealers heard of the horrific tragedy in Lac-Megantic, they wanted to find a way to help.
So on Thursday, they are setting off on a two-week cycling journey from Quebec to Prince Edward Island to raise money for the devastated community.
It first started out as an idea for a summertime adventure: a long-distance bike-ride to the east coast of Canada after university ended for the year.
But when these three McGill students heard of the train derailment that devastated the downtown core of Lac-Megantic earlier this month, they had a change of plans. Hans, Mike, and Nigel came up with a project they’ve dubbed Pedal’aid: “1,300 kilometers, 3 bikes, 1 cause.”
”When we got news of Lac-Megantic, we thought why not combine our passion for cycling with a good cause, you know, trying to help out the people of Lac-Megantic,” said one of the Pedal’aid team members, Michael Seccareccia.
For full coverage of the Lac-Megantic disaster, click here
On Thursday, the team of three will head to Lac-Megantic by car and from there, they will embark on a 1,300 kilometre bike ride to Charlottetown, PEI.
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”We’re going to follow the railroad, which we thought was a bit more fitting, as we’re raising money,” said Seccareccia.
The cyclists have entered into a third-party agreement with the Quebec Red Cross, who will faciliate the management of the funds they raise and ensure all money raised is routed towards their ongoing initiatives to get the people of Lac-Megantic back on their feet.
”The Red Cross has a dedicated fund to support the relief efforts in Lac-Megantic, to support the population. right now and also for a long term period,” said Myrian Marotte, a spokesperson for the Red Cross.
The fundraising for the mission has already started via the Pedal’aid website and so far, they’ve raised about $1,300, but they hope to see that figure rise significantly by the end of their trip.
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”I don’t think we’re setting ourselves any limits. we just want to go with it and try to raise as much money as possible,” said Seccareccia.
With their departure day just around the corner, the team is in its final planning stages.
All of their equipment will need to fit into their backpacks, as there isn’t a vehicle coming with them on their journey.
“So we’ve got these compression bags, basically you can stuff about 15 or 20 litres of equipment in it,” described Nigel Maitland.
“Then you pull on these straps and it squeezes it down to a nice little pouch.”
In order to prepare physically for the journey, the team has been completing short rides every week.
“We’ve been doing a few 200 kilometre, 100 kilometre bike rides there and back, day and night, just to see if it’s going to be possible to do this multi-day, 13-day, 1,300 kilometre trip,” noted Seccareccia.
“It’s been good so far.”
The team of three is confident that the trip will roll smoothly.
But like any parent, Seccareccia’s mother is concerned.
“I’m worried about eating, cleanliness, camping overnight, wilderness, everything,” she said.
Worries aside, she is proud of the challenge they are about to undertake: going the distance for a good cause.
Follow the cyclists on their 1,300 kilometre journey here.
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