After months of planning and training, Fire Chief Greg Van Tighem is itching to start his latest and craziest journey to raise awareness and funds for multiple sclerosis.
“I can’t wait to get on the road,” he said of his bike ride to raise another $93,000 for the MS Society of Canada.
The 3,100 km journey begins March 3 in the town of Masset on British Columbia’s Queen Charlotte Islands and will take him the length of Highway 16 to Winnipeg, Man.
The distance alone is crazy. But undertaking the journey in the depths of winter takes it to a whole new level, and requires a whole new set of equipment.
Instead of the trusty road bike Van Tighem used to pedal the length of Highway 93 last spring, he’s trading in for a fat bike, with deep treads that will keep him moving forward on the snow-covered highway. And, instead of his spandex, he’ll be bundled up with layers upon layers of long underwear, merino wool base layers, snow pants, down jackets and gloves.
“The gear is going to be the most complicated thing,” he said, noting that he’s tried every possible configuration of layers and, so far, “there’s no perfect solution.”
If he could sweet talk Mother Nature, Van Tighem said his preferred temperature would be somewhere between -5 C and -8 C. That would be perfect, he said, because it would be cool enough to keep him from sweating, while also warm enough to keep him from freezing.
Van Tighem’s not banking on such luck, though. In fact, he’s predicting a downpour of rain when he leaves Masset next week and then frigid temperatures for the remainder of the journey.
With such unpredictability, he said it’s been hard making plans with people along the way because it’s impossible to guarantee he’ll make it to his next destination without some variable, like a wicked storm, ruining his plan.
In a case where that happens, he said, rather than trying to pedal through, he’ll contact the closest fire department and have them pick him up. The following day, or when the storm has subsided, he’ll then return to the spot where he stopped and start the journey again.
These are the challenges you face when travelling in the winter, he said, noting that on his last big ride he only had to fear sunburns and rattle snakes, rather than snowstorms, icy roads and frostbite.
But, even beyond the weather, of course, the real risk is the traffic.
Van Tighem said while pedalling his way through Arizona last spring he was most surprised by the traffic, road conditions and lack of shoulders.
And it was because of those roads that he came up with his motto: “ever vigilant.” He said he will stay true to that motto again this trip.
“I’m well aware of the potential dangers. But, as before, I have a big mirror for my handle bars; I have way better lighting, numerous reflective red lights that will be flashing—I’ll be like a Christmas tree—and my clothes will be bright, too.
“There’s definitely a degree of danger to what I’m doing and I accept that. I don’t think I’m being careless or taking undue risks. I understand the risks and I’m going to try and minimize them the best I can.”
Because of the cold, Van Tighem won’t be camping this time around—although he’ll have his gear with him, just in case. Rather, he’ll spend most of his nights in fire halls.
So, as well as writing a daily blog post for his website, he’ll also be writing one for Fire Fighters Canada Magazine. He’ll use that post to not only talk about his journey and his efforts to raise awareness for MS, but also to share fun facts about the fire halls along the way.
As part of that, he’ll be judging each fire hall on their culinary skills and at the end of his ride, he’ll award one hall with the best fire hall dinner award, just like he did with the best craft IPA and best bacon cheese burger on Highway 93. (Don’t fret, he’ll again be naming winners in those categories, as well.)
Van Tighem will be completing his ride in two stages. The first will take him from Masset to Jasper. He hopes that stretch will take two weeks, with him arriving home on March 16. He will then spend a week working in Jasper, to give Deputy Fire Chief Don Smith a break from being on call, and then he’ll head out again March 22 to start the second stage, taking him to Winnipeg by April 8.
To follow Van Tighem on his journey, “like” EndMS93 on Facebook or visit his website, endms93.com. To help him reach his $93,000 fundraising goal, click “Pledge Me” on the website.
Nicole Veerman
[email protected]
