Nick Bragg, of Frogmary Green Farm, South Petherton, Somerset, has cycled 3,000 miles across Canada in just 30 days to raise money for farming welfare charity The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (R.A.B.I).
Nick, his wife Claire, and siblings Ashley and Adele Martin (AMPT), made it across three time zones and four provinces, through the mountainous terrain of the Rockies, and finally finished at the Inukshuk monument on the Vancouver waterfront.
With a background in cycling, AMPT provided Nick with the best challenge specific training and advice needed to complete his cycle across Canada safely. Ashley joined Nick at the start of the challenge for three weeks until Adele tagged in to tackle the Rockies.
Nick Bragg and Adele Martin
Despite getting slightly lost, Nick and Ashley set off from Montreal Olympic Stadium on the June 21. They faced strong headwinds for most of the journey and temperatures soared to 30 degrees - not ideal cycling weather. Superwoman Claire followed close behind in their motorhome, with food, clean clothes and plenty of water.
While they travelled through the Canadian national parks and along the banks of Lake Superior, Nick made sure to stop and enjoy the stunning scenery around him. They spotted a variety of wildlife including a wild moose and her calves, forest foxes, porcupines, armadillos, chinchillas, turkeys, bald eagles and numerous bits of roadkill. Nick even had a close encounter with a bear sunning itself not 15ft away. As Nick fumbled for his camera, whilst mentally preparing himself to flee, he forgot to unclip his foot and promptly fell off his bike. Fortunately, the bear wasn’t looking for lunch.
Nick cycled 3,000 miles across Canada in just 30 days
The last 1000 miles was by no means the easiest, as the mountainous Rockies loomed before Nick in the distance. On their steepest day, they faced a 3,982ft climb to the Bombi summit and then a 5,036ft climb to Paylson summit, meaning they had climbed a total of 9,018ft. Despite being the hardest section of their challenge, the surreal splendour of the Rockies kept them moving and they were always looking forward to the next breath-taking view.
On day 30, Nick and Adele triumphantly arrived at the Inukshuk monument in English bay on the Vancouver Waterfront. Before returning to Somerset, Nick, Claire and Adele treated themselves to a tour of downtown Vancouver and whale watching, where they spotted a pod of Orcas on the hunt. Back in the UK, Nick is giving himself a brief break before jumping back into his triathlon training with renewed vigour.
For Nick, the challenge has flown by unbelievably quickly and he feels pleasantly surprised at what he has achieved, plus immensely grateful for all the support from friends and family.
He said: “The challenge has had an amazing impact on my life. I’ve become fitter and more committed to fitness. I’ve been given a chance to have a different outlook on life by getting away from the farming business. I have been immensely grateful and lucky for the support from Claire my wife and to all our fantastic staff, thank you all so much."
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