Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Adventure Cycle Experience

There are a lot of untold stories still in my mind, from cycling Canada to Argentina.  Sure, lots of them involve things people wouldn't want to hear about, like cycling through 4 straight countries without doing laundry (don't worry, they were just little ones) - but some parts of that year are continuing to have an impression on our lives.  I know for me, that year of cycling changed my life.  I, like so many other touring cyclists, desired to transform that lifestyle from something temporary to something permanent, and share it.  How could you make a living riding your bike?


Some people have written books, others turned into full-time 'adventurers', getting sponsors.  When we were cycling through Argentina, getting closer and closer to Buenos Aires, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I wanted to do when I got back.  As the flat endless fields of grain slowly moved past, I thought about a conversation we had with an Argentinean about tourism, and its potential impact for good.  And I thought about cycle touring, and about raising money for charity…  and as the pedals went round, so did my thoughts, until it finally all came together.  

It's taken a few years since I got back, but the ideas that came under that Argentinean sky have finally come together in my newest endeavour - my cycle touring company, Adventure Cycle Experience Ltd., and its partner charity, Bicycles for Humanity.  I realized that by offering people guided and supported bike tours, I could help people who might never otherwise go on a bike tour experience this great way of travelling.  And by riding a bike, they're travelling in an environmentally friendly way, and encouraging healthy living.  From that very first day leaving our backyard, I knew that travelling by bike is the ideal way to travel, and this could be a great way to introduce that to others.  It's not hard - it's just riding a bike!  

I was trying to tie it all together with a development agency so that the experience could be rewarding not only for the person going on the tour, but for those in need as well.  That's when I stumbled upon Bicycles for Humanity.  It's now a global non-profit movement, each run by individual chapters, all with the same goal - taking used and unwanted bikes, and sending them to where they not only will be used, but will be life-changing.  By sending bicycles to communities in Africa and Latin America and distributing them to health-care workers and those without transportation, it's possible to completely transform communities and individuals.  People now can travel 5 times as far for work, or visit 4 times as many patients, and children can attend schools that otherwise would be too far away.  It's a great concept, and one that after a little research, I decided I wanted to get involved with.  And so, living now in Fredericton, New Brunswick, I founded the Bicycles for Humanity New Brunswick chapter, which is funded by Adventure Cycle Experience.  For each person who comes on a bike tour, $100 is donated to Bicycles for Humanity.  This money goes straight into transportation costs for the bikes.  It's all very cool, and something that I'm very excited to be a part of.  

So finally, nearly 3 years after reaching Buenos Aires, it's come together.  Being in New Brunswick, we are offering cycle tours of the beautiful Atlantic provinces of Canada for now.  Maritime Cycle Tours, by Adventure Cycle Experience.  And hopefully someday we'll be able to expand and offer tours throughout the amazing areas of Mexico and South America and I was able to see.  But for now, the Maritimes are offering more than enough sensory enjoyment.  So if you ever wanted to experience a bit of what Jeff and I were able to experience on our ride for HOPE, you've finally got your chance.  We've got both camping tours and bed and breakfast tours available, for those seeking a little bit more comfort.  And no camping in ditches or gas stations will be required.  

We're starting off small, and hoping that word-of-mouth will help to get us started.  So if any of you are interested in finding out more, or have any friends or family who might be interested - it would be so very much appreciated if you'd pass on the website, www.maritimecycletours.com.  I also want to show my appreciation for those of you who followed us along on this blog as we cycled to Argentina.  So I've got a special coupon code for anybody who reads this blog, or who you pass this along too.  Anybody who puts 'HOPEBLOG50' in the comments section when booking will get an extra $50 off any tour.  

I know we've used this blog for a few non-Canada-to-Argentina stories, so I will try not to take this over with Adventure Cycle Experience entries - however if you're interested in some more bike touring reading, I've started a new blog, located at: adventurecycleexperience.blogspot.com.  Hopefully the entries will be entertaining, enjoyable, educational, and any other e-word you can think of.  I'll be doing my best.  You can subscribe to this new blog right here, and feel free to pass it on, if you're interested.  Thanks for your continued support over the years.