Calgary father and son 1 day from completing 6,600 kilometre cycling trip across Canada
Calgarian Dan McDonald is one-day away from completing a 6,600-kilometre cycling trip across Canada, and fulfilling a dream 30 years in the making.
McDonald, who is a 61-year-old public sector sales manager for Bell Media, set out May 15 with his 29-year-old son Liam to cycle across Canada to raise money for the Alzheimer Society of Canada.
Friday night, McDonald spoke to CTV News from Newfoundland, around 34 kilometres from St. John, where the journey ends.
"I feel very grateful I've been able to do this with my son," McDonald said. "6600 kilometres biking across this country. I've been thinking about doing this for 30 years. I didn't know if my knees would let me, because I'm a lifelong runner, but after getting across the Rockies, past Roger's Pass, you realize, you can do it.
"It was challenging," he added, "but mentally – having Liam with me helped a lot."
Dan and Liam McDonald on a trail in New Brunswick
While the trek through the Rockies was psychologically daunting, and hoofing it over Lake Superior on the isolated Highway 17 route between Thunder Bay and Sudbury was more challenging than he originally imagined it might be, one of the worst parts of the trip was when the two men were biking across Saskatchewan, and the weather changed just east of Regina.
"Coming out of Regina, we were averaging 27 km/h because we had a nice breeze at our backs," Dan said, "but then we ran right into a 40 km/h headwind.
"I usually rode first, but (that day), we had to switch. The wind was so constantly hard, and it started raining, we were down to 15 km/h that day.
"Wind can be your friend," he said, "and it can be your foe."
The McDonalds were accompanied across the country by his sister Joanne, who bought an RV and cooked meals and provided moral support – which was badly needed when all three of them caught COVID-19, forcing the cyclists to stop for a week to rest and recover.
That also resulted in a few shortened days coming back, as McDonald's energy level flagged.
"Your endurance is gone after COVID," he said.
At various points along the journey, McDonald's wife Kelly joined the caravan, as did Liam's girlfriend Piper.
Liam, his girlfriend Piper, Dan's sister Joanne and Dan
(The only McDonald missing was son Brendan, an aspiring architect, who had to work.)
"It's been a family affair," he said, of the fulfillment of a 30 year dream.
"It's only going to happen once. I'm going to have fond memories."
His only regret was that his mom Lucy, who was living with dementia in a nursing home, passed away just before the pandemic and wasn't able to see him and Liam complete the trip.
On his website, www.milesformemory.ca, McDonald wrote that Lucy always encouraged him to follow his dreams, adding that "She did think my dream to pedal my bike from coast to coast would not be her dream, but still encouraged me to pursue it."
McDonald is raising funds for Alzheimer's Society of Canada, an organization that he says is "chronically-underfunded."
"Once Lucy was in long-term care, we saw that the staff’s understanding and education on dementia care were critical," he writes on the website. "The Alzheimer Society of Canada has a mission to alleviate the personal and social consequences of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. The Alzheimer Society is actively funding the search for causes, treatments, and a cure."
McDonald said 100 per cent of donations go to Alzheimer's research in the province of the donor.
How did he plan to mark the occasion of the end of the trip Saturday in St. John?
"Celebrate," he said. "The seafood in St. John is phenomenal."
To donate, go here:
Liam and Dan McDonald, 2022
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.