A-Crohn’s Canada
A bikepacking journey across Canada.
THE CHALLENGE
My friends in Belgium gave me the challenge to cross Canada by bike as I was going back home in Quebec. In 2018, I have decided that it was time for me to experience life in a different way after living 3 years with a Crohn’s disease diagnosis.
I was fed up with the difficulties of completing a Ph.D. (I did complete the Ph.D. after the trip) and felt it was a good time before my life could change further with Crohn’s (colostomy, malabsorption of nutrients, etc.) and couldn’t achieve this challenge anymore.
This is why I have decided to start fundraising for the Crohn’s and colitis Canada foundation along this trip. A race against IBD!
However, my life tipped again when I got a flare of Crohn’s at the end of 2017 while preparing for the trip. I had to attack the problem quickly before departure so that I could achieve this dream. So in May, I saw my gastroenterologist in an emergency state. He suggested changing medication to go with my first biologic treatment ever, Stelara. After getting my second colonoscopy within 3 years, my doctor saw there was still inflammation in my intestines despite boosting my system with Imuran (Azathioprine) and Prednisone (Cortisone). He therefore strongly suggested I take Stelara, which I did. I got my first intravenous dose in the week before departure. My doctor prescribed me some Prednisone that would taper down through the trip, fingers crossed that the whole medication cocktail would work to get my legs spinning all the way through the trip.
PREPARING MY JOURNEY
Physical preparation
To prepare for this challenge I had started training during 1 intense month for ultra-cycling races in the previous cycling season (2017). I have completed my first Ultra Défi 1000km with 10 00m+ of elevation gain in 2017. Early in the 2018 season, I started strong finishing 2nd place in a 12h ultra-cycling race. To make sure my mental would survive, I have trained in all kinds of conditions: wet, cold, hot, dry, windy, during the night and any combination of conditions.
Equipment
BIKE
The bike is a Trek 1.9 with a triple crankset for a good selection of gears on the climbs (min gear was 30x28). I have upgraded my wheels for Ultegra 6800 wheels for this trip so I could ride tubeless tires and therefore have a lower risk of flatting out through the trip. This was a great purchase as I ended up flatting only once on the tubeless tires on this 6000km trip. The brake surface was also very grippy for the rim brakes for good braking power on the descents with all the weight in the bags (for future trips I will ride disc brakes for more braking power though). I have used Shimano SPD pedals (M520) for easy clip-in clip-out and to be able to walk with the shoes
Also, I updated my bike GPS back then from the Garmin Edge 520 to the Edge 1000 for bigger maps display. More map storage and navigation options were definitely beneficial when the cellphone network was out.
BAGS
I purchased Apidura Expedition bikepacking bags to keep my setup as aerodynamic, stable, and light as can be. The expedition series are waterproof. I had a 14L saddle bag, 4.5L frame bag and a handlebar bag with an additional accessory pack attached. I also had a Topeak toptube bag.
CAMPING GEAR
I bought a sleeping bag for temperatures dropping as low as 4degrees during the night and I was comfortable even in north part of the rockies in July. I had an outdoor research bivvy bag to sleep in and a sea to summit mattress to sleep on. I had all my camping gear with me to sleep anywhere.
THE LOGISTICS
To plan my trips I usually use Google MyMaps and then either RideWithGPS, Strava or Komoot to split the bike route into digestible bike days. To sleep I mostly planned my stays at warmshowers hosts. For the beginning of the trip I booked the first 10 days and then I was trying to book about 2-3 days in advance as I was progressing through the trip.
It is very important to get a proper bike fit prior to departure (I highly recommend Posivelo if you’re based in Montreal), but what is even more important is to mark down the Seatpost positioning for example. I have made the mistake of not properly marking down the seatpost, when I packed my bike for the airplane and re-assembled the bike back in Victoria, BC, I couldn’t get my ideal fit. I have to say I also changed my saddle model last minute a few days before the trip. Which is a huge mistake, costing me a lot of knee pain and some days off the bike every week for a year as I was recovering after the trip.
Wanna save the hassle to make your own route? Here’s part of my route with popular attractions, you can download it straight to your bike GPS!
Nutrition
I like to discover local restaurants when I can. I feel it is part of the cultural experience that is mandatory. Crohn’s disease does limit me in what I can eat, I was avoiding most spicy foods and anything too heavy in fibers. I tend to avoid fried foods generally so that I feel good on the bike. Otherwise, I ate whatever I felt like depending on my cravings (Intuitive eating).
I also carried various snacks with me: energy bars (as many Näak bars as I could carry with me on the plane), protein bars, nut mix, candies, jerky, BC cherries and blueberries.
Psst... you can buy Näak plant or cricket based protein bars, waffles, recovery mix++ with 15% discount here using promo code VINCENT
Accomodation
I have used the hotel on a few occasions, mostly when I was soaked wet and wanted to dry and enjoy the best sleep I could afford. I have used youth hostels on a few occasions in Banff and Thunder Bay, for example.
I did find some interesting spots along the way, but Warmshowers.org has definitely been a gamechanger for me. It was a challenge for me to meet new people across the country, since I am more of a shy person. However this challenge really paid off. I made new friends on the road (Neil Klassen and my hosts) and I couldn’t believe the hospitality of fellow Canadians! My hosts have saved my ass quite a few times from drenching rain overnight. I did contact a few hosts last minute, I remember contacting a guy in Golden (BC) while eating my chili in a Tim Hortons all soaked wet and the guy said yes right away and he didn’t live that far and he was originally from Quebec!
The cost
Outside is free, right? Almost! ;)
|
4,600
$ |
Total |
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|||||||
|
900 $ |
Bike equipment (GPS, wheels, tires,
chains, bottle cages, etc.) |
||||||||
|
700 $ |
Bikepacking bags |
||||||||
|
500 $ |
Camping equipment |
||||||||
|
380 $ |
Airplane ticket (one way) |
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|||||||
|
800 $ |
Accommodation |
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|
1,320
$ |
Food |
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Here’s the breakdown of my costs for the trip. It is a rough estimate and you will most likely have to spend less if you already have your bike fully setup with good wheels, bike GPS, bikepacking bags, camping equipment and bikepacking bags.
I’d say you should be able to get away with about 2500$ of expenses for a 30 day cross Canada trip.
The ADVENTURE
Okanagan Valley
All the preparation can be fun, but also a lot of work. This work is always worth it and pays off in many magical moments, stories to tell, a freedom and enjoying the sun. Here’s my most memorable moments of the trip.
I planned to spend as many days as possible in BC since I live in Montreal (Quebec) and it is quite far from my home. Additionally, it is where the landscapes are among the most interesting in the country. Plus, I really like climbing mountains!
So, I started my journey on Tuesday June 26th 2018 in Victoria on Vancouver Island, to do a little loop in the middle of the island before heading to Nanaimo (where the famous Nanaimo bars are made) to take the ferry to Horseshoe bay. I have slept at a warmshowers host in Nanaimo (my second good experience). Before going to Vancouver, I headed to Seymour mountain to take the view at the top, since last time I wasn’t able to see far with the fog. This time was not different with even more fog and hail/freezing rain on the way down. I was not prepared for that and was kinda disappointed. In Vancouver, I stopped at the famous cycling café Musette (sadly this Café closed business lately) and had a delicious sandwich with a matcha latte before heading to Agassiz to sleep on a farm with dairy cows. My host had prepared me a nice tent big tent outside and a warm shower was waiting for me :) Next morning I had fresh fruits and eggs from the farm!
On my way to Princeton for Canada day festivities, I have stopped at Othello Tunnels, a really nice spot to see some waterfalls. I also went through Allison pass, a steady climb. Arriving in Princeton a deer family was playing hide and seek on a descent in the middle of the road, I was able to see them ahead with my front light to avoid them luckily. However, I totally forgot that we were Canada day evening, and all hotels and camping spots would be fully booked. I was able to sneak in a camping site in town to spend the night with the party boyz and galz! The forecast was saying rain, but I woke up with a clear sky :)
Hedley village
Getting out of Osoyooz
On my way to Greenwood, I stopped at a nice mining village called Hedley, it looked like the Far West just like in the movies and people were dressed like the old days to celebrate Canada Day. As, I was going through the beautiful Okanagan valley (Osoyoos …) I have stopped at local market for fresh fruits, a fresh smoothie and some saskatoon berries syrup (first time I was tasting this miam!).
with Mark Hoddinott warmshowers.org host in GreenWood
The views were amazing and it was quite hot on the big climbs, I almost felt like in a little desert. Feeling I would ride late in the dark, I contacted my warmshowers host. He said no problem and even offered his laundry washing machine. He was an electrical engineer just like me, between engineers we are very comprehensive I guess ;) Next morning he even insisted on taking a picture with me!
I then headed to Castlegar, I was meeting my host on the Paulson Summit. Doug told me he saw another guy (Neil) he mistakenly thought was me. Doug said Neil was also heading towards the east and was stopping his trip close to Toronto. I did a few quick groceries before sleeping in Doug’s backyard with a nice view on the stars and mountains. I took Neil’s info and proposed meeting for coffee in the morning.
Meeting Neil at a café in the mountains.
Neil was also going to Creston, so we agreed on climbing the Kootenay pass together. Since I had a much lighter bikepacking setup, I arrived first at the top and took a few souvenir shoots with Neil ;).
Neil living his best life at the top of Kootenay Pass
In Creston, my warmshowers host was not very nice and decided to cancel last minute as I was in town around 6pm. Luckily Neil and I were having a beer at the bar, which was also a hotel! We slept there and the next day we would split ways, Neil was going east when I was going north to get to Revelstoke. On my way to New Denver, I found an icecream stand on this hot day. Also, some errand dogs decided to chase me as I was climbing a hill with all my bags! I got scared and yelled to avoid that they take a bite in my calves! They got away without my meaty muscles… The ride to the ferries was really nice.
I slept at a camping at New Denver and couldn’t wait to get towards Revelstoke for another nice ride!
I ate at a tacos restaurant in Revelstoke before a good night’s sleep at my warmshowers host apartment. The next day I left most of my bags at his place to take on the Revelstoke mountain climb. It is a “Hors Categorie” (HC) climb and they were forecasting a hot day, so I didn’t want to overheat. Started the climb at 20degrees Celsius and ended at the top at 20degrees celsius.
After climbing Revelstoke mountain I headed to Golden. I climbed the long road of Rogers pass with the amazing view of the mountains. During the long route, I got stung by a bee. A few minutes later, I saw some mountain goats. As I was getting to Golden it started to rain heavily after 200km. There was no way I would camp that night, I would be packing everything wet the next morning. So I reached out last minute to a warmshowers host, which agreed to greet me. After the short ride from the Tim Hortons to the house, I found out my host was originally from Quebec! What a small world ;) and boy what a DAY!
View at the top of Revelstoke Mountain
Bighorn sheep
Female Bighorn sheep
Golden BC
Icefields Parkway
From Golden I headed straight to Waterfowl Lake through the Icefields Parkway, one of the most beautiful route on this cross Canada trek. It was also a difficult journey, as my knees were hurting a lot and it was raining and cold. On top of that, the route is a constant gradual climb to Waterfowl lake. Very hard day for the mental, but I did get to the camping around 8pm. This camping does not allow reservations, first come first serve… Unfortunately for bikepackers this is not very practical as we have nowhere else around to sleep when the camping is full. Obviously, camping was full but I did make myself a spot in a no longer maintained camping spot. Sleeping at 2200m of elevation is not easy, especially in a small bivvy. I made some nightmares about bears chasing me, as I was grasping the thin air in my bivvy.
Waterfowl Lake
Peyto Lake
After this very hard day on the bike, I started the morning on Sunday July 8th on an empty stomach as I almost depleted my food reserves to get to the camping. There are no convenience stores around nor restaurants. At least it was a sunny day and I was mostly riding downhill back from Waterfowl lake to Banff. I first stopped at Peyto lake to get to the viewpoint. As I got back to the parking, a guy approached me and asked me : “You are a cyclist. You must be hungry ”. I obviously answered yes. He said : “Well I’ve got something for you… Come to the back of my van”. Sounded a bit sketchy, but I followed him. He then said: “Please help yourself, you can take anything in the buffet. It is the last day of our bike tour and we have to throw away everything that is left”… WOW DID THIS MAKE MY DAY! I ate as much as I could and even packed some date squares, brownies and chips for my ride after chugging 2 cokes! All that for FREE. I asked how I could thank him for all this. Nic Hamilton, as I learned that was his name, told me: “Nothing, I know what it is to be a cyclist, I used to ride pro for a couple of years.”
As I was heading to Banff I also stopped at Bow Lake, Lake Louise and Lake Morraine the views on this sunny day were just crazy! Lakes were cerulean 💙 I obviously took some time for pictures. I was lucky because it was apparently much faster to get to all these spots by bike since there were several lineups for buses.
Bow Lake
On my way back I stopped in Banff to sleep in a hostel. The next day was my first day off the bike in a while. I went out for a well deserved deep tissue sports massage. Then, I went to the Sulfur Mountain hot spring to take advantage of the sun. Next morning, July 10th, I was heading to Calgary, but first I wanted to climb the Sulfur Mountain. I saw a Strava segment, but once I got there I realized it was impossible to climb on a road bike, so I took the hiking trail with the bike. Bad idea. I did get to the top a few hours later, but then the gondola guys didn’t want to let me get back down. At least the ride to Calgary was delightful with scenic views. I ended the day at a warmshowers host, a guy who has his own brand of Kombucha (True Buch).
Bow lake
July 11th, heading to Drumheller the dinosaur fanatics paradise with one of the biggest dinosaur museum in the world. Very well preserved T-Rex fossils, fascinating! I just couldn’t complete the museum in the time I had! I went out of town to see the nearby canyons for a nice sunset with some prairie dogs company. After my big day, I slept at one of the worst hotel ever :(
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology (Alberta, Canada)
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology (Alberta, Canada)
July 12th, it was time to ride through the badlands to get to Kindersley. That is when I saw cows running next to me for the first time, probably they wanted to cheer me on! :D (Video below) Once I got to Kindersley I ate like a pig :P
Kaveeta with me in the Canola Fields of Saskatchewan
Then I headed to Saskatoon to meet Kaveeta, one of the best warmshowers host! She took me to the local market and restaurant. I ate everything containing Saskatoon berries, they are just soooo good! Kaveeta had a spa for quick leg recovery :P Kaveeta and Bruce made me visit a local distillery and the famous yellow canola fields :D
The next day Kaveeta didn’t want to let me go, but it was time to leave with these 60km/h gusts! To use them as a massive tailwind to get to Yorkton. I got to the camping after 336km with 36km/h average in about 9h, the camping manager wondered how I estimated my arrival time so accurately. I woke up the next morning hearing squirrels squealing, I realized they ate my peanut butter-filled pretzels and through my bag zippers in their party! Arrrrrgggg!
Crohn’s and Colitis Canada welcome comittee in Winnipeg!
On July 16th I crossed the border to Manitoba and slept at the camping in Minnedosa. I then rushed to Winnipeg, where the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada (CCC) comity was waiting for me for a warm welcome party. They showed me around Winnipeg on my rest day and we had nice meals in some fancy restaurants around.
I found Neil back just outside Winnipeg on July 17th, we were heading to cross the Ontario border. We had a nice beer in Kenora and headed to a nearby hotel for a good sleep away from the rain.
As they say in french it’s “LooonnngTario” it is one of the largest province to cross (one of the boring ones as well I would say. Not much to see, not much to eat, not so fun to ride as there are almost no shoulders and big trucks are driving very close (dangerously). Neil and I had some good times from Winnipeg to Quetico provincial park, dodging the heavy rain from storms chasing us in the forest.
Squirrels ate my nuts through my Apidura bag
We slept at the Quetico provincial park camping, where I got eaten alive by mosquitoes and my bags eaten alive by squirrels again! This time I had forgotten about my pistachios from Calgary in the bottom of my Apidura frame bag.
Neil and I split up around ThunderBay as we lost each other since we were not going the same pace that day and we did not take the exact same route.
I had originally planned a rest day in Thunderbay, but I was a little bit behind schedule as I took a detour to Fort Frances earlier. So I got back on the bike to get back to Quebec as soon as possible. Sketchy roads in the dark in the middle of nowhere, savior helped me out to get to the camping in Geraldton. Not the best camping, noisy generators and neighbors.
No service, No food, No water for 211km!
I stopped at Longlac to eat breakfast and refill my water. However, I did not take any extra water. A few kilometers later I noticed a sign saying no gas station for 211km. I wasn’t sure if this also meant no water for 211km. In any case, I would ask water to locals, right? Unfortunately, there were no houses, no running water in rest area’s bathrooms, no restaurants, no convenience store, nothing… for 211km! Of course, it had to be a hot and humid day with 35 degrees and a storm chasing me at 30km/h…
I ran out of water obviously (although I had full 4L). Finally, after a few hours under the burning sun, someone gave me a frozen bottle of water, it was perfect. I sipped it all the way on the remaining 100km. I got to Hearst, the first town around, and it started raining. Got to the Tim Hortons just in time for cold drinks as it started pouring rain with strong winds, luckily my bike and I were under shelter for the rain. After a good meal, there was no way I would do camping that night, so I booked a hotel next door.
Next day I was heading to Cochrane, to meet a very nice warmshowers host who filled me up with army rations full of electrolytes. Cochrane is the town where the famous Tim Hortons (hockey player that started the donut shop) was born.
Finally crossed the last border of the trip, entering my home province of Quebec. I ate an ice cream in Rouyn Noranda before going to sleep at my warmshowers host. My host had a rabbit that ate my very long USB cable. Luckily I had other cables with me.
I then headed to the Parc de la Verendrye, where many fishermen enjoy camping. The views were nice, but I couldn’t wait to get to sleep as it was getting dark and I still had to ride in the park just with my bike lights. Finally found my camping spot, but there was no showers and only a porta-potie as a toilet for campers. I knew there were showers in another camping further down the road, but I wanted to waste no time so I headed to Mont Tremblant right away the next morning. My warmshowers in Tremblant is a local bio vegetables farmer. I was welcomed with fresh vegetables and a nice bed, with the well-deserved shower.
On my last day of the trip I was going from Tremblant to Montreal, I sent the invitation if ever some friends wanted to tag along. Bianca joined me on this nice sunny ride. My father was following me taking pictures from his car. The final day of this amazing trip passed by so fast. (actually the whole trip kinda past by quite fast).
Paul from the CCC was waiting for me with my family and friends to celebrate. After this long journey, no need to think twice it was time for some good pasta restaurant in Griffintown.
Highlights
Mountain sheeps (Bighorn sheep)
I was really happy to make myself a friend to cycle with throughout this trip early in the journey in Castlegar, BC.
I have suffered from knee injury throughout the trip. For which I have tried a few things such as physio tape to relieve the pain, which helped, but did not make it completely disappear. It took me over a year to recover completely from this injury.
Squirrels ate through my bags on 2 occasions (one time in Saskatchewan and one time in Ontario).
My Queen stage which started with a hot Revelstoke climb was an amazing day, but also amongst the hardest. I got stung by a wasp. Saw a few mountain sheeps on a cliff. Finished the day with 200km and 3000m elevation gain, all wet in Golden, BC.
Another memorable moment was when I was going towards Waterfowl Lake on the Icefields parkway. It was raining, cold and my knee injury was really painful. The journey to the camping seemed endless. The next day it was super sunny I could see the reflection of the blue lakes from far away. I crossed paths with a tour guide that offered me a buffet in the back of the Guide Van. After starving for several hours, since I did not have much food with me at that moment, this was one of the best moments of the trip, if not of my life… A FREE BUFFET!!!
The Finale
I have completed my journey in 33 days, with 3 days of rest off-bike.
On this journey, I have learned many things about myself (resilience, courage and to always listen to my feelings i.e. my guts) and people surrounding me through this trip. I still can not believe to this day, how fellow Canadians cared for each other and welcomed me in their home. It was an amazing experience that helped me get away from an anxiogenic environment, helping me recover and come back resourced and ready.
People often ask me if I’d do it again and I always answer YES! The trip was perfect as is though, I don’t think I could have enjoyed it more (besides riding less in the night to see more landscape). This was my first real bikepacking trip and certainly not the last.
It inspired me to complete my 2nd bikepacking trip in Taïwan, more details about this trip are in this blog post.
FROM THIS ADVENTURE, OVER 8500$CAD WAS raised in donations for the Crohn’s and colitis CANADA foundation.
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