JaBig's Big Journey

My name is JaBig and 1 year, 2 months and 21 days ago, I decided to take a minute to ponder about life and get some fresh air and hopped onto my fixed gear bicycle and started pedalling.

17 763km later, I have cycled Canada coast to coast to coast exploring and experiencing this vast North American country and getting to meet thousands of Canadians which was the highlight of the whole trip of a lifetime.

This ride from Montréal to the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and finally to Tuktoyatuk on the Arctic Ocean is eligible for a Guinness World Record for the longest journey by bicycle in a single country as soon as it’s validated.

I would like to thank my family, my friends, my fans, the companies that supported me and the random act of kindness-type people that made this trip possible. I did all the pedalling (and falling) but you took care of the rest (logistics, mental support, finances, etc!).

For more: Montreal DJ ends epic 15-month-long bike tour in Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T. – CBC News

I am currently on my way to the Arctic Ocean on a fixed gear bicycle, a 4000-km journey from Vancouver in extreme Canadian Winter.

To travel faster and farther on a daily basis, I am travelling light and so I won’t have my laptop to update this travel blog. This is also to protect the computer in the extremely cold temperatures.

The best way to follow my trip is via Instagram, a photo journal diary. Please click here on the image below to bookmark it and follow my adventures. Thanks!

Here is an interview with Louise Uwacu, host of U&I Talkshow on Shaw TV Vancouver.

I spoke about my fixed gear journey across Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast.

As I get ready to cycle from the Pacific coast to the Arctic, this TV segment will tell you more about what it takes to spend on year on the road especially in Winter.

As you read in the previously post, after over 10 months on the road, I have cycled from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Oceean, a 13 500 km fixed gear bicycle ride.

The Big Journey is a personal challenge and a Guinness World Records attempt to cycle all three Canadian coasts in fixed gear in a single journey.

This means that this epic trip is far from over as I still have to get to Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean from Vancouver where I am based which is close to 4000 km in mostly unpopulated region with extreme cold that average -20 degrees Celsius.

I am up to the challenge but recognise that after Whitehorse, things will get VERY dangerous if I cannot find someone to drive some sort of Motorhome for me to stay in at night since human settlements are too far apart at distances that I cannot cover in a day ride due even if the snow-ridden roads or short days due to sunlight were not a big factor.

I learned one thing in this trip: to just get on the bike and go and everything will fall into place. So I am hoping for the best and I am doing my bit by stepping to the plate and pedalling.

Needless to say that I have had to upgrade my clothing and change tires as I will be cycling in extremely cold conditions and the snow will not help.

I won’t be updating my blog as I am leaving my laptop behind but do make sure to follow the trip on my @JaBig Instagram where I post daily updates as soon as I get to a Wifi connection as there is no cell coverage there for me to use my data plan.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you all Happy Holidays and Happy 2017! May the Almighty grant the wishes of your heart and I pray for Peace on Earth, an idealistic but possible notion…

Exactly 10 months since I left Montréal to cycle across Canada, I have made it to Vancouver, British Columbia, the country’s West Coast where the Pacific Ocean is located.

It’s been a long and eventful 13 500 km journey and it surely did change my life for the best. I am so grateful for all the people that I have met on the way and I will never forget their kindness, hospitality, support and friendship.

What’s next?

I still have to cover some distance before I beat the Guinness World Records so in late December/searly January, I will get back on the bike and cycle North towards Whitehorse, Yukon. and if I am able to secure enough funds to get a team to come with me, I will make it all the way to Tuktoyaktuk in Northwest Territories.

Until then, it’s time to relax a little bit and sleep in because I have a lot of naps to catch up on!

17 weeks have gone by without an update just mainly because a lot happened in the meanwhile and I could not keep up with updates.

But I managed to survive Eastern Québec’s Gaspésie with its mountains (not hills!) giving me a first taste of fixed gear climbing.

 

I got to experience The Laurentides, a Québec pride with more hills and climbing with gorgeous views

I rode into Montréal and after my short stay, I got a farewell that I will never forget…

I made it to Ottawa where my nephews welcomed me, which was touching.

I got some media coverage on CBC, a Canadian Radio/TV national channel

I visited friends in Gananoque and enjoyed a morning of boat rides.

I made it to Toronto, Canada’s most populated city and one of my favourite stops of The Big Journey so far (I am a big-city person).

After hitting the road a week or so later my bicycle and all belongings were stolen in Burlington, minutes after the photo below was taken.

This would change the course of my whole trip as I had to start from scratch. This is a story that I will tell in details one day but not anytime soon…

After three weeks, I was able to get back on the road with a new bike thanks to the generosity of friends and fans worldwide as well as companies that support my challenge.

My first ride with the new bike was to Niagara Falls

I turned 37 in August and returned to Toronto to celebrate with friends

I kept going and despite some saddle issues went all the way to Windsor close to Detroit.

So many people in Ontario came to ride along that I will be forever grateful! This is just a small example!

It started getting cooler despite the warm sun

I made new friends. After all I am a friendly person. I got a chance to tell them about my cross-country fixed gear bicycle challenge.

I rode into sunsets with a beautiful miss in Collingwood

I kept riding on and enjoying blue skies

I got to spend the night in styles of shelters that I have never experienced before but the sleep was as sweet as in a five-star hotel room.

But I also got to spend the night in lakeside cottages, a fine balance.

I got to cross paths in the middle of a forest with people on a big journey of their own.

I kept cycling North into Ontario’s least populated region and toward the part that connects East and West Canada

I ended the week in a little town called Espanola filled with the amazing people.

And for reasons that are a complete mystery to doctors, I found myself in an emergency room only to be discharged hours later feeling much better even though I really thought it was the end of me when I checked myself in.

I am writing this from a place where I have decided to take a few days to get back in top shape before hitting the road and cycling what may be the most difficult part of The Big Journey so far.

The good news is that I found time to update my blog so perhaps that what it had to take for me to get it done!

 

 

After a month in Newfoundland, Eastern Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, Week 17 warranted a well-deserved rest from cycling and social media.

So when I arrived in Moncton, I disconnected from everything and spent all week sleeping, watching television and basically staying away from any bicycle and travel related activities because sometimes one has to know when to take a break.

And what better to kill time than by eating chocolate sent to me from Tokyo, Japan by a dear friend as her way of supporting and encouraging me on The Big Journey!